The Sandspur

Issue date: 4/24/09 Section: Life & Times

Media Credit: Adrianne Benso BEING BOB THE BUILDER: Students worked hard all day. Some tested their strength using sledgehammers and jackhammers while others spent their time painting the housing and shed.

On Friday afternoon, 15 students and staff hopped onto the JUMP bus and headed off to Tampa to embark on an Immersion trip that would leave lasting memories. The mission was to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity. The group arrived at our hotel on Friday night and began our teambuilding exercises. Each of us was responsible for bringing one randomly assigned food product with which to make dinner. We were split up into two groups: spaghetti/garlic bread and salad/rice krispy treats. As we bumped elbows in our compact hotel kitchens, we all began to open up and laugh with one another. After our delicious homemade meal, we played a very competitive homemade game resembling Taboo or Catch-Phrase, as well as a few board games. By 10 p.m., we were one cohesive team, ready to take on the tasks that lay before us.

We set off for our worksite at 7:30 the next morning. We all dabbled in several different jobs. The men worked on the concrete demolition, handling the jackhammers and sledgehammers like pros, while some of the ladies tested their strength and endurance as they hoisted concrete particles into the dumpsters. The rest of us were put to work painting the house or building a shed on a different site. Our crew worked tirelessly, stopping only for lunch.

The project was to benefit Claudia, who could be found on the site getting her own hands dirty. At the end, we were asked to donate our hours to Claudia, who had to log 500 hours of hard work in exchange for the house.

The credit for this incredible trip goes to the incredibly capable Immersion facilitators, Adrianne Benso and Ashley Eden. Benso says of the experience: "I could not be more impressed with the students who attended this trip. The work that we were assigned that day was far more intensive than any of us had planned on, and we all dove right in. Even at the very end of the day, everyone was smiling and having a good time. In 24-hours, the 15 of us donated our 'sweat equity' to a site that will soon become a home to a family in need. Not only are there tremendous contributions that are given to the community through trips like this, but the relationships that are formed between those of us who attend are invaluable."

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