By Kim Manahan (Whetstone Staff Writer)

Wesley’s Student United Way spent their spring break in Biloxi, Miss., helping hurricane victims.

Erica Howell, president of the organization, was excited about her new experience.

“We cleaned the area, helped build homes and helped non-profit organizations down there,” she said.

Howell was placed in a group to help at a women’s domestic violence shelter.

The attendees stayed at a United Methodist volunteer camp in Biloxi.

Howell thinks the Student United Way’s alternative spring break trip is great for learning about service.

“We’re able to bring back ideas of how to volunteer in the Dover community,” she said. “This gives you an idea of how differently people live and that there’s a big culture difference.”

Rev. Erica Brown, the advisor for Wesley’s Student United Way, was fascinated while working with Miss Sylvia, a woman who chose not to evacuate during the hurricane.

“Miss Sylvia had been waiting five years for her house to be repaired,” Brown said. “At her home, we tore off rotting siding, painted, put up siding, and replaced insulation.”