Alternative Spring Break Opportunity

The Hope CommUnity Center (HCC) in Apopka, Florida, is a joint project of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur and the Catholic Diocese of Orlando since 1971.

Our program is a deep immersion that seeks to help students and adults understand the life experiences of immigrant and farm working families in Central Florida - a group who provides a great deal of our nation’s fruits, vegetables, and horticulture. The themes which this Alternative Break Service Learning Program explore include: Environmental racism, fair food, immigrant rights and immigration reform, institutional racism, agricultural labor practices, community organizing, and storytelling opportunities with members of our community.

Within our program, we offer homestays with immigrant families, as well as farm working experiences in vegetable fields, citrus groves, and plant nurseries. Participants come face to face with the lives and context of farm workers and immigrant families, entering experiences that build solidarity and a sense of mission to serve and learn from the immigrant community.

We hope, through our immersions and beyond, to help people see from a different point of view and build community and solidarity on a nationwide scale.