Instead of palm trees and parties, University of Wisconsin sophomore Meghan Crehan played card games of “21” with homeless people over her spring break.

Through the UW Alternative Break Committee, Crehan volunteered in Boston, Mass., at Caspar Shelter, a “wet” homeless shelter that specifically cares for people under the influence of drugs and alcohol.

“So many shelters don’t let drunk people in,” Crehan said. “That’s why the shelter was so amazing — there’s just so many people out there that need help that they couldn’t get at the other shelters.”

Crehan traveled to the program’s Boston site with 10 other UW students, all selected through a rigorous application process that includes three essay questions chosen by the UW student Alternative Break Committee.

Crehan said her favorite memory of the trip was the Boston-area shelters’ First Step program. For the program, four volunteers drove around in a conversion van and picked up inebriated people from the street and transported them to the shelter, free of charge.

First Step also transported people from Women’s Centers and graduates of alcohol and drug rehabilitation programs to job interviews.

“These people have no money, literally zero dollars, and they can’t pay for a cab,” Crehan said. “It’s so awesome to see what these people do to help people who need it.”

Crehan’s trip to Boston was one of nine Alternative Break options, including locations in the Florida Everglades; Washington, D.C.; and New York City. All trips range from $135 to $190, a cost that includes food and lodging. Each trip offers different learning opportunities, such as working and living on a Native American reservation in South Dakota, working with low-income families and playing with the families’ children in New Orleans and focusing on environmental health issues in the Florida Everglades.

“The Alternative Break experience is going to a new community somewhere different in the country, and working with the community to meet a need,” Sarah Hissom, advisor of the UW Alternative Break Committee, said. “Part of our educational program is helping students prepare for that experience.”

Hissom also said the Alternative Break program goes beyond spring break, including winter, summer and even weekend service trips as well. The service program operates on a cooperative leadership system, which does not designate one student leader but allows all 10 students to be leaders at their site.

“It’s about coming together and working as a team,” Hissom said.

Although Crehan worked in homeless shelters previous to her Boston trip, Hissom said many students that participate in the program have no previous experience. Hissom said the diversity of the student groups at each location, paired with an innovative leadership structure, makes the program an excellent learning experience.

“All kind of students from all academic disciplines are involved in the program,” Hissom said. “The students have different levels of volunteer experience, and that’s the beauty of the cooperative leadership model.”

Hissom said the Alternative Break program is looking for students who are open to new experiences.

“We are looking for students willing to take some risks as part of team.”

Interested students can visit the Morgridge Center, where applications will be available for summer trips at the end of March.

“The best candidates are students who are willing to learn about a new community and try to be a part of a solution,” Hissom said.