News Release

Contact: Michael G. Gaffney, APR
Vice President, Marketing
Office: 330-643-5532
Cell: 330-701-8080

Date:  March 13, 2007   

AREA COLLEGE STUDENTS VOLUNTEER

FOR ALTERNATIVE SPRING BREAK IN GULF

Six Summit County area college students will be spending their spring break with United Way in Lake Charles, Louisiana, volunteering time and talent to help rebuild homes and lives shattered by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in September 2005.  They are participating in ‘Alternative Spring Break,’ (ASB) a United Way program aimed at engaging young people between the ages of 18 and 24 years old in meaningful volunteer service. The program is sponsored by FedEx, MTV and video game retailer GameStop/EB Games.  Each company is interested in United Way’s youth engagement efforts.

The six area participating students are, from The University of Akron: Mary Dunn, Courtney Mason, Martin K. Mayer II, Sarah Mullaly and Zakiyyah A. Sneed, and from Otterbein College, Tallmadge native Allison Hayes.  United Way of Summit County staffer Kiren Bansal, who is participating in ASB as a team leader for the second consecutive year, will travel to Houston and then drive into the remote area of Lake Charles later this week.

“As a part of our Youth & Young Professionals programs, we have been working hard to provide valuable volunteer opportunities for the upcoming year. We found Alternative Spring Break to be a perfect fit because it is a unique opportunity for young people to showcase their talents and desire to make change – while having fun!” stated Kiren Bansal. “We hope that people will be inspired by this effort to volunteer locally during their Spring Break and year round.”

The six college students will be in Lake Charles March 17-23 - termed ‘Week 3’ for the program, which runs through the month of March. Approximately 100 to 150 volunteers have been scheduled each week of ASB from across the country. Participants were selected through a rigorous application process of thousands of their peers.

They will stay in a former school building now converted to the United Way volunteer center where they will be split up into groups of 10-12 to work on a variety of weeklong projects throughout the area. 

Courtney Mason said, “I am excited to be a part of this experience. I want to use my last spring break to give back to the community, even though the community is in another part of the country.”

Marty Mayer has traveled to the Gulf Region several times on his own in the year and a half since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and he’s looking forward to participating in this group effort.  “I look forward to meeting and getting to know the local population.  Volunteerism means helping people... I think it’s something everyone should do.”

Bob Kulinski, president of United Way of Summit County, said, “This group of young people, and our own Kiren Bansal as a team leader, are a living embodiment of the caring and generous nature of our community.  We know they’ll do us proud, and through their efforts, the people of southwest Louisiana will know that people in Summit County are supportive of the rebuilding efforts.”