Visiting Schuyler county was an experience I'll never forget. A lot of people think you have to travel to impoverished countries to really help people and make a difference. Yes, it's important to help those in need, but our trip to Lancaster proves that you can make a difference right here in the States- right here in Missouri! We got to help work a haunted house that raised food & money for the community and work in the community garden. Members of the community showered us with "thank you's" and words of gratitude. I've never felt so appreciated.
-Madeline Borowiak
This past weekend I went to Schuyler County with nine other incredible individuals. Before our trip I looked up some pretty interesting facts like how Schuyler County is the second least populous county in all of Missouri and William Preston Hall, "Horse King of the World", is from Lancaster, the town we stayed in. However, what the internet does not tell you is how kind and genuine the people in Schuyler are. Everyone we met treated us like family. We were even invited to a local church's potluck dinner after their Sunday service. We saw how close knit the community was, and we were welcomed with open arms and a box of home baked cookies. Over just a few days, we became part of the community, and got to know how amazing the people of Schuyler County really are.We were able to work at a local clothes shop, the community garden, and a local haunted house during our time in Schuyler County. The haunted house was personally my favorite part. Everyone who participated was genuinely excited to be there. Everyone working the haunted house, from middle school to adult, was excited when someone wanted the "hardcore" level - the scariest level in the haunted house. Everyone working would run around screaming "HARDCORE" and you could tell how happy they were to be there. Not only were the people who worked the haunted house excited to be there, but everyone in the community supported it and was excited to be apart of it. Admission was either money for a local emergency fund or cans for the local food pantry and everyone was excited to take part in it. Local high school students came and were excited when they recognized their classmates working the house, the women that ran the clothes shop came, and one group of friends even traveled from Kirksville, MO to join in the excitement. Through the haunted house, we were really able to experience the closeness of the community and none of us were ready to leave at the end of the weekend. I am so thankful for everyone I met this past weekend. Special thanks to Darla for helping Julianna and me plan this whole trip. We would not have been able to do this without you. Thanks to Norm as well for making us feel so at home at the haunted house. Although Schuyler County is small, it definitely made a giant impact on all of us.
-Sydney Delin
This weekend we spent time working at a haunted house and cleaning up a community garden in Lancaster! The people in the town were so welcoming and happy to have us there! Spending two nights in the haunted house was a very different, fun, and unexpected experience. Even though the nights were long, it was so much fun scaring people and knowing that just us being there helped the community. I really enjoyed my time in Lancaster, Missouri and loved knowing that the little good I did helped these wonderful people.
-Jaime Gottlieb
Mizzou Alternative Breaks (MAB) traveled to Lancaster to serve the local community. We worked the local haunted house which raised money and food to help out the community. We cleaned the community garden, which was so much fun! We also worked at the clothes and more shop sorting clothes. We all had an amazing time and thank you to everyone in Lancaster. The trip was a success because of all the wonderful and caring people that helped out with her trip! Shoutout to Darla, she was so sweet and her cookies were amazing.
-Taylor Graetz
It's likely that you haven't heard of Schuyler County in Missouri, but if you are ever nearby and have the chance to go, I'd highly recommend it. Fun facts courtesy of Sydney: it's the second least populous county in Missouri and home to the horse man of the world. Sydney and I led a Mizzou Alternative Breaks trip with eight wonderful participants to Schuyler County to serve in Lancaster for a weekend, and we all had an incredible experience. Our trip wouldn't have been possible without our fabulous County Program Director, Darla Campbell. She is the sweetest lady, who was so welcoming- she even baked us cookies and invited us to church on Sunday. When we first arrived, there was a sign that said "5 ½ people dead," a little terrifying, but it was a prop for the haunted house we were working at. The haunted house began because of Norm Garr, in honor of his wife; it raises money and is a food drive for the local food pantry. He is the most caring and dedicated man, who also works at the Clothes Nook and Food Pantry in town- both places we were able to visit. Hearing about how many people the food pantry serves, and seeing the people at the clothes nook really made me stop and appreciate what I have. That's the power of Mizzou Alternative Breaks- it allows you to step away from your homework, cell phone, and life in Columbia, and expose you to issues that you were somewhat aware of, but weren't completely on your radar. I'm so lucky to have been able to a lead this trip with Sydney, learn about the tight-knit community of Schuyler County, and meet some incredible people.
-Julianna Kubiak
When we arrived in Schuyler County, I immediately noticed the level of care and compassion members of the community have for each other. Everyone was extremely welcoming to us, and they were appreciative of every little thing we did. I think this is what makes the community so successful in helping one another. Everyone in the community cared for each other, and if they saw a need, they did their best to find a solution. Each project we worked on had a purpose to help a specific need in the community. The most impressive was the haunted house. Along with being a creative idea, it has been very successful for many years. It was very obvious that the community supported this project and that they were proud of how much it has grown. I have seen how important the community support aspect of community service is, and I hope I can support more service projects in my community, just by taking part in them.
-Sam McDonald
I loved the adorable little county of Schuyler. Lancaster had such kind people and lovely food at Buddy's. Everyone worked in the haunted house Friday and Saturday night. Our goal was to help scare people. I, with other members, went to Walmart in Kirksville and bought food (soup, tuna, hamburger helper, etc.) to be donated to the haunted house. The group worked in the community garden. We all pulled weeds and made sure the flower beds were nice and clear. Other group members worked at the clothes shop and organized the items. Going to church, sleeping at the warehouse, and eating a home cooked brunch with the other townsfolk made my experience in Lancaster so fun and genuine.
-Jessica Niewald
On my Mizzou Alternative Break weekend trip to Schuyler County I was given many opportunities to serve the welcoming community of Lancaster. Along side other students who were also on the trip I got down and dirty working in the community garden, sorting and organizing clothes in the local Clothes and More store, and finding my inner scare in the haunted house to raise money for those in need. This was a weekend well spent and a truly positive and warm experience. Meeting all the smiling faces of the local community was refreshing and made me remember what service and giving back is really about. I am thankful that I was able to have this experience.
-Natalie Seck
Last weekend a group of 10 of us went to Lancaster and worked with the community members to help them with their haunted house and community garden. Working at the haunted house was a lot of fun and I'm glad it gave people a chance to give back to their community while also having a good time. It was amazing to see how grateful the people were after just working for just a day with them. I loved meeting all the people and I'm so glad we were able to go to Schulyer to help out in any small way we could!
-Carleigh Thrower
My first MAB trip was a huge success for me because of so many reasons. One, it was great to make so many new friends who all cared about making a difference in a community who is less fortunate than most. Secondly, I was thrilled to be able to help in a community garden which helps feed many families who can't afford fresh vegetables or simply don't have enough time to. It was also neat to see and help in the local clothing and food nook, which has very affordable clothing and completely free food for those in need. Mizzou's own food bank in Columbia actually sends generous amounts of food to that local food panty which truly represented the large impact our own community's can have on some over 2 hours away! Lastly, working the haunted house which raised food and money to help those less fortunate was a blast, and I can finally check working at a haunted house off my bucket list! The time I spent with new friends while working in the small town of Lancaster will always be one to remember!
-Tim Williams
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