Immediately after competing in the NCAA Division II Indoor Track and Field Championships last March in Winston-Salem, N.C, freshman distance runner Breanna Colbenson and three University of Minnesota Duluth teammates headed to Theriot, La., where they spent five days during UMD's Spring Break engaged in some physical volunteer work.. The group, which also included freshmen Katerin Ocariz, Brittany Platt and Caitlin Richard, joined members of the Calvary Baptist Church (Eau Claire, Wis.) and the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire Navigators and the University of Wisconsin-Stout Navigators in digging trenches and hauling and stacking wood at a lumber mill.  They also cleared brush at a local church and assisted with flooring, siding, and cleaning work on a Theriot home.

"When we weren't working, which was about seven hours a day, we had Bible study and community events where we'd get the chance to meet many of the residents," said Colbenson. "I have three older brothers who were involved with the Navigators and one of them moved down to Theriot so that's how we ended up there. It was a rich and rewarding five days for us, but it was sad to see so many people still suffering from the hurricane."