Joseph Strzempko, of Westfield, MA, built homes as Interfaith Alternative Spring Break volunteer at Clark U.

WORCESTER, MA (03/26/2012)(readMedia)-- Clark University junior Joseph Strzempko, of Westfield, spent his spring break as a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity during Clark's first Interfaith Alternative Spring Break from March 7 to 11.

Strzempko joined 26 Clark other undergraduates who worked with eight local non-profit organizations and contributed to community outreach programs in the University's urban Main South neighborhood and beyond. From sorting food to cleaning parks to carving trail signs to painting rooms and building houses, students enthusiastically pitched in.

"What our group lacked in talent we made up for in enthusiasm. Between cheering each other on and laughing at each other's jokes, the day flew by and neither the wind nor the mud dampened our spirits," Strzempko wrote in a blog post narrating his experience in helping to build a house at Habitat for Humanity sites in Worcester and Sturbridge.

The Clark spring break group sorted and organized food in storage boxes at Jeremiah's Inn and Worcester County Food Bank; spruced up an inner-city playground, Castle Park, with the Main South Community Development Corporation; built shelters and installed weather proofing at two different Habitat for Humanity sites in the neighborhood; painted rooms at Jeremiah's Inn and Habitat for Humanity; engaged in social activities (mostly playing games) with the residents of the Donna Kay Rest Home; cleaned up and logged in the inventory at Worcester Earn a Bike Organization; and carved and painted trail signs to conserve a piece of land for the Greater Worcester Land Trust.

The program, initiated by students from Clark University Hillel, the group that celebrates Jewish culture and community, included a diverse group of students who identify as Catholic, Jewish, Protestant, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist, Baha'i, Unitarian, atheist, agnostic, and free thinkers. The group comprised local, national and international students, including three students from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and an Assumption College undergraduate.

"A wall, a door, a roof, or any part of a house isn't just something you get for free. As I have learned working with Habitat for Humanity, houses are hard to build and because of that they are too expensive for many to afford," Strzempko reflected. "So next time you feel the urge to kick the drywall, play baseball in front of a delicate window, or bang on the door when your brother is taking too long in the bathroom, remember that someone worked hard to make your house and that someone less fortunate would love to have it. Appreciate what you have."

Each evening the group dined together, discussed their experiences, and also reflected the underlying causes of the social and economic challenges that affect their adopted neighborhood.

"I am constantly inspired by Clark students and their idealism and commitment," said David Coyne, director of Hillel at Clark. "This program gave us the opportunity to have an intense set of experiences together – not only volunteering, cooking, eating, and socializing together – but also learning about ourselves and one another, about the values we have and the sources that we identify in tracing them to their roots, and about the nature of the Clark-Main South relationship, about what it truly means to be a good neighbor."

Strzempko, a member of the Class of 2013, is a political science major and Dean's List student at Clark. He also is a member of the Clark Cougars varsity swim team.

Strzempko is a 2009 graduate of Williston Northampton School, and is the son of Stanley and Monica Strzempko, of Westfield.

Click here to read a Worcester Telegram & Gazette feature article about the Interfaith Alternative Spring Break at Clark University. More photos and reflections by the students are available on the Clark Interfaith Alternative Spring Break blog.

Since its founding in 1887, Clark University in Worcester, Mass., has a history of challenging convention. As an innovative liberal arts college and research university, Clark's world-class faculty leads a community of creative thinkers and passionate doers and offers a range of expertise. Clark is nationally recognized in the areas of psychology, geography, management, urban education, Holocaust and genocide studies, environmental studies, and international development and social change. Clark's students, faculty and alumni embody the Clark motto: Challenge convention. Change our world.