As students across the country eagerly count down the days until spring break, many students in the Fresno community are looking forward to the time off from school for a different reason than most. This Easter vacation, Peoples Church is once again holding it’s annual Breakaway, March 20-24. Through this event students receive numerous opportunities to serve the community and minister to their neighborhoods.

Breakaway is a five day camp in which campers have the opportunity to witness and serve in their own community. The goal of the event is to prepare youth to become involved and actively participate as members of the church.

Last year alone, more than three hundred high schoolers participated in Breakaway. They represented seven churches from across the state. The students are split up into smaller groups and dispersed throughout the community to visit different work sites. Service sites can range from sports activities for the community to park cleanup sites.

Many students build long lasting friendships from the times spent together at Breakaway. To some, spending time with friends is one of the main reasons why they choose to take part in the event.

Harjot Chhina, ‘19, looks forward to attending Breakaway after being convinced by his friends that the event would be worthwhile.

“I have never been to Breakaway but I have heard about it before when I was younger,” Chhina said. “This year I am going and I look forward to having fun and enjoying time with the groups. A friend got me to go and I am looking forward to it.”

To others, the appeal of spending time with friends is not enough to make them commit to spending their break at Breakaway. Timothy Melendez, ’17, decided that he would rather stay at home with his family than to attend the camp.

“I am not going to go to Breakaway this year because I want to spend time with my family,” Melendez said. “I have friends who are going, but to me spring break is about getting away from school. I don’t want to come back to school.”

Although much of the reason why students attend Breakaway is to spend time with their friends, many also attend for the unique service opportunities it allows them to become involved in. The event allows students to make a difference in the lives of people all around their community.

Sophia Kalugin, ‘19, appreciates the different opportunities the event has to offer and enjoys making a difference in the community.

“I have gone to Breakaway last year and the year before that and it has always been a really fun experience,” Kalugin said. “I am looking forward to serving the community. Hopefully I can play with some little kids and really make an impact in their lives.

At night, the campers gather together for worship and a message. The messages challenge those who come and helps equip them for the next service day. Breakaway encourage youth to be a witness for Jesus Christ and be a light in their own communities as well as other places they might go.

Breakaway will be held on March 20-24, 2016. For more information on the event, visit their website’s contact page. Another article will be written about this event after it has concluded.

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