Mandy Buell wanted to make her spring break worthwhile.

Buell, a senior management major, went on a mission trip to Washington, D.C., with a group of others from the Wesley Foundation to talk to U.S. representatives about homelessness and poverty.

The Wesley Foundation hosts a mission trip every spring break, said Pat Lindstrom, a sophomore sociology major.

This year they decided to go to an urban setting for the mission trip, he said.

The group heard about the United Methodist Program in New York and Washington, D.C., and the group voted to go to D.C., Lindstrom said.

Sarah Holman, a junior music major, said she decided to go on the trip because she wanted to have an effect on important matters.

Holman and the others spent the first two days learning about mental illnesses and poverty. By the third day, everyone put their knowledge into action by speaking to representatives of Senator Barack Obama and Senator Dick Durbin, Holman said.

The group did not get to speak with the senators directly because Illinois has important representation with Durbin as the Assistant Majority Leader, and Obama is running for president.

The students instead talked to the senators’ interns about the homeless and issues surrounding affordable housing.

The group then spent a day at America’s largest homeless shelter, Carpenter’s Center, which reports to house nearly 1,300 homeless people each night. Carpenter’s Center is located in Alexandria, Va.

Buell said she knew she had an impact on the people in the homeless shelter.

“You can tell they were just happy that we were talking to them,” Buell said. “A lot of people go to talk to them for research, but we just went to talk.”

Lindstrom said he thinks they had a positive impact on the homeless people because the homeless kept telling the students they were brightening their day.

He said after visiting them he realized that he shouldn’t take anything for granted because anyone could become homeless.

He said he recalled one man who owned a restaurant and became homeless after he developed schizophrenia.

Buell said the visit changed her perception of homeless people.

She said she used to think they were just lazy, but most of the people at the shelter had a bachelor’s degree, or a job for 30 years, before they lost their homes.

The students did other various acts of community service while in the city.

Lindstrom said they went to a food bank to pack boxes of food for people in the area.

The trip also included painting a cabin at a camp for inner-city kids.

Still, Holman thought the best thing they did was advocate on important issues and stand up for people whose voices aren’t usually heard.

“My eyes were opened to the idea of helping people in a different way,” Holman said.

Buell, Holman and Lindstrom all agreed they believe they made an impact on people during their trip.

Sara Cuadrado can be reached at 581-7942or at slcuadrado@eiu.edu.