ASB '08 is the start of something great

"We didn't give up spring break, we took advantage of it."

The mere mention of spring break causes most of us to conjure up images of lazy days in the sun or wild parties on far-away beaches. But for 60 young volunteers from across the United States and Canada, the break they had this year was something completely different from any they have ever experienced -- thanks to United Way's Alternative Spring Break.

ASB is a two-year-old project that brings together young people interested in spending their spring break completing community service projects, and for the first time Detroit was included among the list of cities hosting volunteers. From Feb. 23 to March 1 ASBers spent their days either working outside in single-digit weather or sweating away on maintenance projects inside, at a number of nonprofit agencies across the region. And while it doesn't sound very glamorous or much like a break, a good time was had by all. In fact, we were hard-pressed to find a single one of them who wouldn't do it all over again.

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