Instead of going to the beach for spring break, some Mississippi State University students will be doing community service and helping others.
Courtney Allen, one of the trip coordinators, said the Maroon Volunteer Center will be sponsoring an alternative spring break trip March 11 through 16 in the Mississippi Delta in places such as Greenwood, Shelby, Sunflower, Cleveland, Mound Bayou, Clarksdale, Scott and Winterville.
“The purpose of the trip is to do volunteer work and participate in service learning activities while experiencing a unique part of Mississippi culture,” she said.
The trip was planned by Allen and Jamey Matte, senior landscape architecture major, with the guidance of Cade Smith, head of the Montgomery Leadership Program at MSU.  Kesha Perry, a doctoral student in public policy and administration and research associate at the Stennis Institute, and Dexter McKinney, the project coordinator at the Stennis Institute, also helped plan certain aspects of the trip.
Allen said students will be leaving early on Sunday morning and coming back late Friday afternoon.
“On Sunday night, they will be attending various churches. They will also be helping Mississippi Engaged in Greener Agriculture by cleaning gardens and assisting the Sunflower County Freedom Project by painting walls at the Lead Center and interacting with children,” she said. 
Allen said that on Monday, the students will have a tour and meeting with Luther Brown from Delta State University.
“The next day, the students will visit the Quapaw Canoe Company, go canoeing 18 miles and eat lunch on a sandbar, as well as help pick up trash and do other service projects. During the rest of the trip, students will take a tour of the Learning Center at Delta and Pineland Company in Scott, Miss., and visit the Winterville Indian Mounds,” she said.
 She said they will also tour the Viking Range Corporation in Greenwood and eat dinner there, as well as visit farms, tour the Delta Blues Museum and meet with a health care representative at Clarksdale high school.
“On the last night, the students will go to the Ground Zero Blues Club for dinner and, if they choose, to the Po’ Monkey’s lounge later that night,” she said.  
As well as being a rewarding experience, the trip also counts as three hours of history credits for history majors, but students of any major may go on the trip.
Allen said she wants students to realize the importance of Mississippi history.
“The Delta is unlike any other place and has its own unique culture. It is a great place to go in order to understand Mississippi history,” she said.
She said it is an area with many needs and any service is beneficial to them.
“Our part is a small seed for their future,” Allen said.
Allen said the trip will also look good on the students’ resumes, as any service and volunteer work will look good to future employers.
Shad Benn, senior management major, said he will be going on the trip and is looking forward to seeing the difference in how people live and helping them.
 ”I decided to go on the trip for the opportunity to experience a different spring break by helping people and doing something productive,” he said.
Kayla Cobb, sophomore archaeology and history major, said she is also looking forward to learning more about Mississippi.
 ”I thought it would be a cool experience to learn more about Mississippi and be able to help people in the Delta,” she said.