A group of 120 students from DePaul University in Chicago won't be celebrating spring break in the traditional manner this year. Instead of lounging at the beach and partying until dawn, the students have chosen to participate in community service trips in 10 cities and towns across America from March 21-28.

The students will work in homeless shelters and soup kitchens in Washington. D.C. and assist people living with HIV in New Orleans. They'll explore urban anti-poverty programs in New York and participate in community activism in Baltimore. In Cranks Creek, Ky., they'll repair homes and they'll build homes in Leland, Miss. Some will work with students in Head Start programs in St. Louis and others will explore issues of race while in Montgomery, Ala. Other students have chosen to promote ecology in Plymouth, Wis. or to care for endangered animals at a wildlife refuge in Eureka Springs, Ark.

The students who volunteer for these projects tell us they want to do something that gives something back," said Scott Gross, assistant coordinator for DePaul's community service programs, who planned this year's alternate spring break service trips. "They have no desire to go to Cancun and sit on a beach. They want to feel they are doing something important."

With community service as one of its central missions, DePaul has sponsored alternate spring break activities for 10 years. Gross said this year's program of 12 projects in 10 cities involves more students and projects than ever before.

It's not just religious studies or public policy majors interested in these projects, Gross said.Students majoring in a wide range of subjects plan to participate.

Students each contribute $100 -- $50 out of their own pockets and $50 through fundraising – to defray some trip expenses. Catholic organizations in the project cities arrange the students' meals and accommodations, often housing students in convents, seminaries or religious retreat centers.

The groups, led by an adult leader and student leader, will gather at DePaul to leave for their trips the weekend of March 21-22. They travel by van to their destinations. Gross said the long ride helps the student groups bond.

Gross will accompany one group that will live and work in a homeless shelter run by the Community for Creative Non-Violence in Washington D.C. Immersion in community service projects such as this one provide eye-opening learning experiences for college students who come to realize their roles in promoting social change, he said.

When students work directly with social service agencies and the people they assist, they are able to better understand their relationship to other people and the social problems that affect communities," he said. "Students see a part of themselves in the people they help. It's a humbling and valuable experience."