Nine students, two faculty members and one daughter traveled to Baldwin County, Alabama, to help build houses for Habitat for Humanity during spring break.
This year, the number of students making the trip was low, so instead of getting a bus, the group saved money by flying to Alabama. They left March 10 and arrived back in Kansas Friday.
Sponsor Ira DeSpain said the trip has been important to him for a long time.
“I have all kinds of feelings about the experience,” he said. “That’s where my mom was born, and when I started working at Baker that was something that I wanted to get started. The people who work for Habitat for Humanity are just inspiring to me.”
He said that because of the small amount of students who went on this year’s trip, it was different than those he’d been on before. Nevertheless, DeSpain said the group still had a great time.
Work began the first day around 9 a.m., with a 20-minute lunch break at noon. The workday included finishing a house for people who would move into it later that night. The Baker group installed shelves in various places, did some touchup paint, cleaned windows and other small tasks.
Junior Seth Buckley said he didn’t think the work was too bad during the week.
“I didn’t think we worked that long,” he said. “The work was fun, which may have been why. I had a good time.”
The tasks grew a bit more demanding as the work went continued. On Tuesday, people were divided into two groups. DeSpain’s group separated cement from dirt and then placed the dirt in the backyard, and it also did some landscaping and cleaning up.
“The work was strenuous,” DeSpain said. “It was a challenging day.”
Sponsor Susan Wade took the other group to a warehouse to work.
Every other night either the men or the women would cook dinner for the others, making such meals as spaghetti or taco salads. The men picked fresh strawberries, and freshman Wes Comfort cleaned them. Two nights they all went out for seafood, and DeSpain said he made everyone try oysters.
Sophomore Ashlee Cornett said she wasn’t thrilled with the experience of tasting the oysters.
“Everyone took it well but me,” she said. “I will never do it again.”
Besides working on the house, Buckley said they played Frisbee, went to the beach, perused through souvenir shops, went to an outlet mall and watched some movies.
Buckley said DeSpain also provided some entertainment.
“One night in a van we had some rap on, and Ira was dancing in the front seat, and some people pulled up by the stoplight and looked over and he instantly stopped,” Buckley said. “It was so funny.”
Although the trip was fun, Cornett said there wasn’t a lot of time to just sit and relax because the group was constantly doing something.
DeSpain said one important part of the trip was bonding with fellow Baker students.
“Part of the beauty is you’re put into places where you haven’t been before,” DeSpain said.
Cornett said the overall trip was a good experience.
“I got closer to people who went to Baker that I didn’t know,” she said. “I plan on going next year if it works with my schedule.”