GREEN COVE SPRINGS – Spring Break in Florida usually means dragging a cooler to the beach or waiting in line for a ride at Disney World. But for three Illinois Institute of Technology students, their week off was an opportunity to give back. 

Alex Jose, a freshman who is on the executive board of Collegiate Challenge, said volunteering for a good cause in good weather was a good way to spend his break. It was a good time, indeed. 

"I'm going to focus on this and then focus on calculus when I get back," he said. 

Madeline Ritterbusch, a first-year architecture student, said she was excited to gain hands-on experience on a construction site for affordable housing.

"Building homes has the ability to bring everyone together," she said. 

Margarita Espana, a second-year architecture student, said she was thankful to build relationships as much as she is to help build homes. 

"I am excited to meet people, to learn other perspectives and backgrounds. I'm familiar with the technical stuff but being on-site and putting things together is interesting," she said.

Executive Director Carolyn Edwards admired the three students who drove down from Illinois to help put the finishing touches on the  182nd and 183rd houses in the area built by Habitat for Humanity.

"We hope they'll have a great experience. We give them a day off to have some fun in the sun," said Edwards.

Thanks to the help of the students and dozens of volunteers who have been coming out for months, Edwards hopes to receive a certificate of occupancy sometime next month. 

"The families are anxious to be moving in here," Edwards said.

"They'll have an opportunity to thrive. They'll have an affordable mortgage that will not exceed 30% of their income."

The program is called "Alternative Spring Break." It's an opportunity for students to gain practical skills while also giving back to communities.  More than 10,000 high school and college students participate in alternative spring breaks with Habitat for Humanity each year. Many participate through Habitat’s Collegiate Challenge program, a year-round alternative break program that offers students 18 and older the opportunity to spend one week working in partnership with a local Habitat and future homeowner families, according to its website.