The document summarizes an alternative spring break trip taken by 11 University of Idaho students and 1 advisor to Cedar Rapids, Iowa from March 13th to 21st, 2009 to help with flood recovery efforts. Over the course of the week-long trip, the group helped demolish ceilings, bleach basements, rake leaves, power wash foundations, and paint garages of homes damaged in the 2008 flooding. They also attended the local St. Patrick's Day parade and learned how to tap trees and make maple syrup. The trip provided meaningful service and bonding experiences for the group while helping flood victims in the community.

1. Alternative Service Break 2009 Cedar Rapids, Iowa March 13 th -21 st , 2009 University of Idaho: Team Awesome!

2. Friday, June 13 th , 2008

4. … at the crest on the 13 th , waters rose to 31 feet…

5. ...5,000 homes & businesses…

6. … fast forward nine months.

7. 11 UI students, 1 advisor, 2 mini vans, 32 face masks & 0 sense of direction.

8. After a day of flying, and a cold, late night in our new home, it was a little rough to get going…

11. … and soon we were ready to go.

12. Our first full day in Iowa, we drove around town for several hours, taking in the sights.

13. We knew immediately there wasn’t going to be much supervision. But after seeing the houses up close and personal, there was no question why we were here.

24. The next day, we ate breakfast and then spent the afternoon learning how to tap trees and make maple syrup.

35. Our first day of work we tore down a ceiling…

38. … along with bleaching a basement.

42. Entertainment consisted of “99 Bottles of Bleach on the Wall.”

45. … and back to work we went!

52. The next day, we went back to the house for some final touch-ups and the bleaching of the upstairs.

53. We went to the St. Patrick’s Day parade downtown, before heading to another house to bleach, bleach, bleach.

59. … and that Wednesday, we were back to the moldy, bleachy basements.

64. Thursday gave us our first bleach-free day, with the raking of leaves, power-washing of a foundation and painting of a garage.

65. This was the first time we were able to meet whom we were helping, and spent quite a while playing games with Bethany, the four year old daughter.

72. Sally crunching the leaves down was a good idea at the time…

73. … as are most things.

76. Friday was spent mapping out the disaster area…walking from home to home, evaluating what stage it was at.

77. Most hadn’t been touched in months. In a six block radius, Jordan and I met three residents.

78. The next day we headed home bright and early.

80. Our trip was meaningful in so many ways and, there definitely are some moments that won’t be forgotten.

81. Doc, the pastor of our home, Cedar Hills Community Church.

88. We had two vegetarians and two vegans along for the ride!

93. We had a knack for not being able to read directions and getting lost.

94. … and some of us had more adventures than others…

96. … but it all worked out in the end.

97. We came away with some strong opinions…

98. … awesome new friends…

99. … and hope for Cedar Rapids.