WHAT IS OSR?
Ole Spring Relief is a spring break tour for St. Olaf students, to travel on a bus for a week to assist communities in the United States that need it the most. While traveling to various parts of the country, OSR allows oles to gain a lasting community of friends from inside the St. Olaf community.
What makes it unique is that while many college students use their spring break vacations to enjoy themselves, students who participate in OSR dedicate their spring break to provide relief for current disasters, environmental clean-up or other community projects. While performing these tasks with other oles, the connections that are made with other oles will often be lifelong.
What makes it unique is that while many college students use their spring break vacations to enjoy themselves, students who participate in OSR dedicate their spring break to provide relief for current disasters, environmental clean-up or other community projects. While performing these tasks with other oles, the connections that are made with other oles will often be lifelong.
HOW DID OSR GET STARTED?
Ole Spring Relief got started in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina, a category 5 hurricane, hit the Gulf Coast. Widespread flooding led to total devastation of thousands of houses along the coast; houses were left standing were ruined by mold, water and wind damage. Less than a year later,
In 2006, a group of St. Olaf students decided to dedicate their spring breaks to rebuild lost houses down south. For four years, St. Olaf students traveled to Biloxi, MS an other hard-hit areas of the Gulf Coast.
In 2006, a group of St. Olaf students decided to dedicate their spring breaks to rebuild lost houses down south. For four years, St. Olaf students traveled to Biloxi, MS an other hard-hit areas of the Gulf Coast.
VARIOUS OSR ACTIVITIES IN THE PAST
St. Olaf students who have participated in Ole Spring Relief in the past have partaken in activities such as:
Building houses with Habitat for Humanity
Cleaning-up flooded areas
Volunteering at animal shelters
Building gardens
Working with the elderly or disabled
Restoring houses, more specifically demolishing houses, putting up drywall and painting
Cleaning creek beds
Clearing vegetation
Cleaning up highway ditches
Getting poison ivy
Clearing debris out of trees, ditches, and fields from tornado damage
Separating piles of debris from tornado damage
Wearing costumes and playing with children at the zoo
Feeding, cleaning, and working with animals at the zoo
Clearing out brush and logs from backyards
Assembling and packing boxes of shoes
Beach clean-up
Gutting sheetrock and wood work from flood-damaged basements
Moved furniture for churches and schools
and much, much more
Building houses with Habitat for Humanity
Cleaning-up flooded areas
Volunteering at animal shelters
Building gardens
Working with the elderly or disabled
Restoring houses, more specifically demolishing houses, putting up drywall and painting
Cleaning creek beds
Clearing vegetation
Cleaning up highway ditches
Getting poison ivy
Clearing debris out of trees, ditches, and fields from tornado damage
Separating piles of debris from tornado damage
Wearing costumes and playing with children at the zoo
Feeding, cleaning, and working with animals at the zoo
Clearing out brush and logs from backyards
Assembling and packing boxes of shoes
Beach clean-up
Gutting sheetrock and wood work from flood-damaged basements
Moved furniture for churches and schools
and much, much more
WHY COME ON OSR?
OSR ALLOWS YOU TO:
- meet new people, especially from social groups which you wouldn't normally interact
- partake in great service opportunities and to have an impact on other people's lives
- travel around the United States
- feel productive during your spring break
- look fabulous on your resume
- make long-lasting memories
- have lifetime-defining moments
Not to mention that it is cheap! Last year was around $200 and there is a scholarship application for those in need.