University of Nebraska-Lincoln Students Revive Alternative Service Break in 2025

Huskers take Alternative Service Break trip to volunteer in K.C.

Making a Difference Beyond Campus

UNL Students Revive Alternative Service Break

After a five-year hiatus, the Alternative Service Break trip made a triumphant return. It gave university students a chance to dedicate their time and energy to community service beyond their hometown. Andrew Brown led the journey. He is the assistant director of community engagement in the university’s Student Leadership, Involvement, and Community Engagement (SLICE) team. Students Ben Bentzinger, MaKenna Clinch, and Promise Emmanuel embarked on a meaningful journey to Kansas City. This took place from March 17-20, 2025. Together, they contributed 21 hours of service to three nonprofit organizations.

“Conversations started last spring after some students told us this was something they’d like to do,” Brown said. “So, this spring break is a pilot. We chose Kansas City because it’s a different community than Lincoln, but the distance is only a three-hour drive.”

The “small team doing mighty things” volunteered at Hope Faith, a shelter. They also offered their time at Harvesters, a food bank, and the Kansas City Zoo. Their service involved sorting clothing and hygiene products. They also assembled 80 hygiene kits. Additionally, they managed over 4,300 pounds of donations. The impact of their efforts reached individuals across 27 counties in Kansas and Missouri.

“We actually got to see how our work affected others,” Bentzinger, a senior majoring in criminology and criminal justice, said. “The things we were sorting, we saw distributed, from donation to seeing it given to people.”

Beyond volunteering, the students explored Kansas City, enjoying local restaurants and cultural sites like the Power and Light District.

“I’d never been there, and we had fun exploring the town and trying out restaurants,” Emmanuel said.

Each student had personal motivations for joining the trip, many centered on future careers in nonprofit work. Clinch, a senior majoring in sociology, saw this as an opportunity for professional and personal growth.

“I thought it would be a good opportunity to gain some new perspectives in a new community, doing something more meaningful while getting out of my comfort zone,” Clinch said.

Looking ahead to graduation, Clinch found the trip reaffirmed her career aspirations.

“I was undecided my freshman year and then chose sociology because all of the things I could do with that really interested me,” she said. “This trip really solidified that working in nonprofits is something I want to do — helping my community in any way possible.”

Bentzinger, who helped pinpoint the volunteer locations, hopes to work in policymaking and run for office in the future. Witnessing Kansas City’s nonprofit network in action provided him with insights on improving such systems elsewhere.

“What I gathered from going there and seeing what they have, is they have a really efficient network of the nonprofits working together to provide services from food to mental health care and housing,” Bentzinger said. “I think we can do a much better job of streamlining those resources to help individuals and families in our community.”

For Emmanuel, who is pursuing a Ph.D. in global family health and well-being, seeing the direct impact of their work was especially meaningful.

“It warmed my heart to work with them,” she said. “As a Ph.D. student in global family health and well-being, I understand how homelessness impacts individuals and families and the community at large. Seeing how the shelter worked and how we were able to help was the highlight for me.”

“It really showed me how volunteerism does do a lot for communities.”

Brown hopes to expand the program in the future, adding trips during fall and winter breaks.

“We’d like to see it grow, but stay focused on communities within driving distance,” Brown said.

Encouraging others to join future service trips, Emmanuel emphasized the unique learning experience it offers.

“I would tell anyone who wants to volunteer to consider this trip, because volunteering in your own community is different than going somewhere else to volunteer,” she said. “It’s going to give you new exposure, and you’re going to meet new people, a new network, especially if you’re interested in the nonprofit sector.”

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