Frequently Asked Questions:
List of Questions:
Registering for a Trip:
Where can I find registration forms?
What does the cost of the trip include?
What are the due dates and deadlines for payment?
Where do I drop off my application and money?
How does financial aid work?
I signed up and paid my fees. Now what?
Working in Biloxi:
Do I need to be experienced or skilled in construction?
What kind of work will I be doing?
What is a typical day like?
Will I get to meet the homeowners?
Staying in Biloxi:
Where do we stay and what is it like?
What is Ocean Springs like?
What else will we be doing besides working?
Answers:
Where can I find registration forms?
A complete listing of registration forms for download can be found on our Registration and Forms page. A Word file of the complete packet can be downloaded here, and a PDF can be downloaded here.
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What does the cost of the trip include?
The cost of the trip includes: your transportation, t-shirt, housing, and food for the week. The transportation for the January, February, and May trips will get there by plane. Participants should not purchase their own plane tickets. We do recommend that you bring approximately $75 for food on the trip to and from Mississippi or souvenirs.
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What are the due dates and deadlines for payment?
The current year's deadlines are as follows:
January 2010 Trip:
Completed Application due: Monday, October 26, 2009
Complete Payment due: Monday, October 26, 2009
February 2010 Trip:
Completed Application due: Monday, October 26, 2009
Complete Payment due: Monday, October 26, 2009
March 2010 Trip:
Completed Application due: Monday, October 26, 2009
$100 Deposit due: Monday, October 26, 2009
Balance (Remainder of Payment) due: Monday, February 1, 2010
May 2010 Trip:
Completed Application due: Friday, March 12, 2010
Complete Payment due: Friday, March 12, 2010
Where do I drop off my application and money?
MacVittie College Union, Room 353 (Center for Community) between Monday - Friday 8:00 - 4:15 P.M. Other arrangements may be possible if you are not able to stop by the office.
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How does financial aid work?
First, obtain an application by either:
Financial aid is offered to students who demonstrate need. Once you turn in your application, a committee of Geneseo staff/students and local community members will meet to discuss your application. Please allow up to 2 weeks for a decision to be made. You will be notified through e-mail by a committee member when a decision has been made.
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I signed up and paid my fees. Now what?
- Spend some time looking at Camp Victor's website, www.campvictor.org and this website. This will help ease any concerns you may have.
- Attend orientation. Orientation is held approximately 2 weeks before the trip departs. The will go over what to expect, what to bring, and will give you a chance to meet others on the trip.
- Check your email! This is the easiest way for Livingston CARES to communicate with you about any changes in departure time or last-minute items. When you sign up, please provide your Geneseo e-mail or the e-mail you will check regularly. [back to top]
Do I need to be experienced or skilled in construction?
No! The sites have supervisors and experienced AmeriCorps members who teach you how to do everything. They're also there if you need to ask questions once you have started a project.
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What kind of work will I be doing?
We won't have a very good idea of the actual work we will be doing until 1 week beforehand. Projects are constantly progressing and being completed, so it changes quickly. Work we have done in the past includes: hanging drywall, mudding, painting interior/exterior of the house, demolition.
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What is a typical day like?
Here is the daily schedule that we generally follow while on our trip:
| 6:30 - 7:45 |
|
Rise, eat breakfast, make lunch |
| 8:00 |
|
Leave for work sites (about 15 minutes away) |
| 8:15 - 4:30 |
|
Work, minus 1 hour for lunch |
| 5:00 |
|
Free time (showers, computers, hanging out) |
| 6:00 |
|
Dinner at Camp Victor |
| 6:00 -10:00 |
|
Free time (showers, computers, hanging out) |
| 10:00 |
|
Lights Out |
Will I get to meet the homeowners?
Most likely. The place that we get our work from, EBCRRA, strongly encourages the homeowners to visit the volunteer groups each week to share their story. Some homeowners' schedules allow them to stay and visit more than others, but all very much appreciate our work.
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Where do we stay and what is it like?
We stay in a place called Camp Victor, located in nearby Ocean Springs. It is a comfortable and clean place to stay. Guests can use the Internet, watch television, play games in the large dining hall. There are bunk beds to sleep in. For more information and to see pictures of Camp Victor, please visit their website: www.campvictor.org [back to top]
What is Ocean Springs like?
Ocean Springs is a small town, similar to Geneseo. You can walk to a small grocery store and there are restaurants nearby. The Gulf of Mexico beach is a mile away.
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What else will we be doing besides working?
As a group, we go out to eat at the Shed once while we are there. It is a BBQ place and a Livingston CARES tradition. Usually people go to the nearby casinos (Beau Rivage and the Hard Rock Casino). Each trip has done different things, such as a house dedication, ceremonial flagpole dedication, bonfire, gone to the beach at sunset. [back to top]
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