Collegiate Disaster Relief Team plans its fifth trip

The cheapest spring break package this year isn't a group trip to Cancun, Mexico; Daytona Beach, Fla.; or even Virginia Beach, Va. It's to the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans as a part of the University of Richmond's Collegiate Disaster Relief Team (CDRT).

The trip is expected to cost students $50 to $150. Students will depart the first Saturday of Spring Break and return the following Saturday.

"It's cheaper than going home," said senior Grant Weaver, coordinating fundraiser of the CDRT.

But he said people should not confuse cost with value.

"It's the most meaningful, fun experience I've had through the University of Richmond," Weaver said.

Those hoping to become a part of the CDRT this year must submit applications by Jan. 24. It is an extremely selective application process that has had as many as 120 people apply for the 18 available spots.

The CDRT held a meeting for interested students at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 10, on the third floor of the Tyler Haynes Commons. Although only eight students attended the meeting, group leaders said they weren't worried.

"Last year we got 50 to 60 applications with very little advertisement," Weaver said.

Last year the CDRT visited a class at Tulane University and talked with the head of New Orleans EMS about her experiences with Hurricane Katrina. They also traveled to Bourbon Street and ate at some of New Orleans' most popular restaurants. But none of that can be guaranteed by this year's team leaders.

"We'll do things to make it happen, but this year it's different," Weaver said. "We're actually living in the Ninth Ward. We're not going to do our little good deed for the day and then leave. We're going to be living there."

This is a change that the CDRT is very excited about. Although the group has traveled to New Orleans for the last four years, it is not just specific to New Orleans relief.

"We want to educate students on social issues," Weaver said. "We're not trying to completely fix problems."

During the trip, the CDRT will be working with Blair Grocery, an organization with a grass-roots approach toward community building.

Sophomore Asha Phadke is in charge of travel logistics for the CDRT.

"A week is hardly long enough to make a large difference in such a massive natural disaster," she said. "I'd imagine it will give [the residents of the Ninth Ward] a sense of support and hope for the seemingly never-ending task of rebuilding of their home. And equally as important as making a difference in New Orleans is making a difference in our participants."

Ben Sommerfeld, executive officer of finances for the CDRT, discussed his expectations for the trip.

"We are more than manual labor," he said. "We also have an educational component to make it a true service-learning trip. Many times, students come back from the trip with passions for contemporary issues that they never recognized before the trip. So, we are more than a group that exists solely during Spring Break, but a group that hopes to empower students who go on the trip to tackle some of the issues that impacted them the most once they return to UR."

Those who are interested in being a part of this year's trip should contact Ben Sommerfeld (ben.sommerfeld@richmond.edu) to obtain an application.

Contact reporter Zak Kozuchowski at zak.kozuchowski@richmond.edu