Since 1993, VOLbreaks trips have served as the leading immersive community engagement experience at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Organized by students for students, dozens of participants give their time during fall and spring breaks to engage in meaningful opportunities that broaden perspectives and empower advocacy while engaging in diverse communities. Service partners welcome groups to stay with their organizations to focus on the experience fully.
As the oldest program in the Jones Center for Leadership & Service, VOLbreaks is steeped in history and tradition. Previous trips have traveled to more than 22 states, surpassing more than 65 cities whose unique opportunities prioritize understanding the interconnectedness of community needs and continue to transform our students’ perspectives as global citizens. This year, trips went to Cincinnati, Ohio, and Charlotte, North Carolina, and students worked locally with organizations in Knoxville and surrounding areas in East Tennessee.
Urban Poverty in Cincinnati, OH
In Cincinnati, students engaged in various service projects to cultivate understanding and holistic perspectives on housing insecurity as local organizations educated them on the crisis within their community.
“Learning about the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood in Cincinnati allowed me to understand new perspectives about urban poverty and how the people advocated for each other’s right to affordable housing, accessible and healthy foods, and [provided us with] enriching education opportunities,” said participant McKenzie Nguyen, a sophomore student, “The energy that Cincinnati provided through the people we met, the atmosphere, and the love for the community is unmatched.”
Students partnered with the Greater Cincinnati Homeless Coalition, which works to eradicate homelessness through service and education. They heard from insightful speakers who had experienced or were experiencing housing insecurity and provided their perspectives. A notable trip project involved the Shadowing StreetVibes program, in which students sold newspapers in various Cincinnati neighborhoods and used their income to pay for their next meal. The StreetVibes newspaper concentrates on social issues and features work created by those affected by housing insecurity. Distributors sell the papers throughout Cincinnati and utilize the funds to support housing costs, utility payments, and other necessary purchases.
At the Permaganic Eco Garden, students listened to the founder’s story and learned about the organization’s mission. They sorted donated coats at CAIN and served dinner at St. Francis Church, supporting organizations that provide critical resources. Through meaningful discussion and valuable experiences, students recognized how Cincinnati’s network of nonprofits interconnects through shared concerns and overlapping community needs.
As Vols develop the knowledge of their cities and learn how to advocate and cultivate change, they become powerful catalysts for growth in their communities. One of the trip’s leaders, Georgia Ahrens, reflected, “A change can be made personally instead of leaving it to other people. I think that’s resonated with me a lot, that we have the power to enact change and inspire others.”
Disability Advocacy in Charlotte, NC
VOLbreaks Leaders Matt Billings and Marc Stubblebine infused their trip with their evident passion for disability advocacy, prioritizing volunteering at facilities that support the economic accessibility of their services to individuals with disabilities and their families.
The group began their trip at Shining Hope Farms, an organization that offers therapeutic horse riding in an enriching environment. Students built, repaired, and painted fences for the horses’ pens, cleaned the children’s play area, and tidied landscaping affected by storms on the outskirts of Hurricane Helene’s path. They returned to the farm on their third day in Charlotte to assist in their charity golf tournament. The group’s assistance enabled fundraising to concentrate on supporting the organization’s holistic programs and purposeful activities without diverting funds to pay event workers.
Participants also learned about Hinds’ Feet Farm’s mission to provide rehabilitative and engaging activities for people with traumatic brain injuries, where they cleaned up the land and natural trails struck by foul weather to allow trail use to continue unobstructed. Then, the group spoke with the Office of Disability Services at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte to understand the university’s efforts to implement accessibility measures on a large scale. Participants heard from community partners with unique perspectives on disability advocacy. Amidst reflective conversations, the group cultivated relationships as they connected with the scope of the local need for inclusive programming and infrastructure. One of the trip’s leaders, Stubblebine, said, “It makes [students] realize what is not looked at as much in a major city, understand those lessons and then bring them back to Knoxville.”
As students continue to seek educational experiences to foster their growth in leadership and service, our office looks forward to supporting their efforts to understand and advocate for their community.
Sustainability in Knoxville, TN
The devastation of Hurricane Helene in the Southeast forced the Asheville trip to unexpectedly pivot to concentrate on the needs of the Knoxville community and surrounding areas. The trip strived to maintain its emphasis on sustainability but prioritized going where volunteers were most needed. Recent events have presented unique and evolving challenges, and local organizations have diverted their vital efforts to support East Tennessee and Western North Carolina. Students divided their time between disaster relief efforts with the Tennessee Department of Health and local organizations dedicated to sustainability, including the Second Harvest Food Bank, Keep Knoxville Beautiful, the Old City Garden, and the Beardsley Community Farm.
“These themes go hand-in-hand,” said participant Lily Wegman, “as we must learn to be sustainable in times of disaster for ourselves and for others…I hope more people choose to volunteer to help others as well.”
VOLbreaks Leaders Julia Prince and Jada Lester applauded their group for maintaining optimism and determination despite the initial disappointment of the change. Students watered and weeded gardens, picked up trash and recycled materials on the UT campus while most of the student population was away, and sorted and packaged food to send east to aid victims of Hurricane Helene. The group then traveled to Hartford, Tennessee, to clean debris from a house affected by the storms in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Health. Reflecting on the support and supplies community members offered them, Lester said, “In the wake of a disaster, people are still willing to help us as we’re helping them.”
The Jones Center for Leadership & Service admires how communities unite to persevere through a crisis and encourages those seeking to serve to view the opportunities here. We will continue to update our webpage to reflect timely service opportunities to support those affected by Hurricane Helene.
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The Community Collaborator Continuum serves as the foundation for VOLbreaks. It illustrates roles within communities, with four positions ranging from a member unaware of social issues to a community collaborator who understands, analyzes, and aims to resolve interconnected social issues through intentional service and engagement. VOLbreaks trips enable students to identify their location on the continuum and seek to advance their community engagement.
Through vital service experiences, students strive to become global citizens and catalysts for needed change. The Jones Center for Leadership & Service motivates students to seek continuous learning opportunities through community involvement to understand and acknowledge those who dedicate themselves to serving others and contributing to resolving local challenges. As we conclude a successful season of Fall VOLbreaks, we look forward to announcing our slate of spring break trips and weekend excursions soon.