Jonestown - Alternative Spring Break - 2025 - Michigan State

Hi Everyone,

We are back for another trip to Jonestown, MS in early March 2025 with the students of Michigan State University! As you know, Sr. Kay passed away in 2022 after a battle with cancer. Prior to her passing, she had done a lot of work to ensure her programs, including Alternative Spring Breaks, would continue coming to and helping the people of Jonestown. Myself, along with a few other folks, have taken it upon ourselves to continue these trips and ensure they continue for the foreseeable future. We have also taken it upon ourselves to work on expanding the reach within the community and getting new groups to come down yearly.

While things change yearly, the ultimate goal of the trip has not changed:

To help the residents that live in Jonestown and improve their life through service and donations.

Last year and the prior year, we worked a lot on our building. With your donations, we have been able to increase the usage of the building and provide a safe space for the many programs that go on throughout the year. We continue to utilize the building and make minor improvements every year.

This year, we have some projects in the works that will help a few different families in their daily life due to some disabilities. One project is to build a ramp to a house to allow easier access for those with disabilities. We also are looking into building multiple raised garden beds along with a greenhouse so the community can continue the garden that Sr. Kay used to manage. These garden beds will be in the backyard of the building we stay at and would be maintained by the younger generation of kids within Jonestown.

We have some other projects pending finalization at this time. Once those are finalized, I will update this.

With the projects this year and the needs of the community in mind, we are looking for help in covering the costs of the materials. As you know, material prices have gone up. Any donation you provide is used to cover costs while down in Jonestown. The funds we gather are used to supply fuel for vehicles, supplies for the building, and any other items we need while down there. Without your donations, many of these projects would not be possible.

We are continuing Sr. Kay's legacy of service and this is just the beginning. The Team, Students, and Sr. Kay appreciate anything you provide to help us in our endeavors.

Thank you for your donation!