Baton Rouge, LA - Spring Break is a time when many college students head off to sandy beaches to relax from the stresses of studies, but several Southern University students will spend their Spring Break rebuilding homes damaged by Hurricane Gustav.

For four days, the students will strip out and replace dry wall in homes in Lake Charles.

“Lake Charles was one of the hardest hit areas by Gustav other than Baton Rouge and they (Lake Charles residents) are asking for help to restore their homes,” said Rev. Willie Laws, Director and Minister of the Southern University Wesley Foundation.

“I’m looking forward to helping people recover from the hurricanes and letting the Lord use me and my teammates to give some type of relief to others,” said Cory Hill, a junior Music Education major from Baton Rouge.

Hill and about 19 other students will head to Lake Charles on Sunday, March 22 to join other mission groups partnering with the Louisiana United Methodist Storm Recovery Center.  The group is scheduled to return to Baton Rouge on Wednesday, March 25.

This trip will mark the second Spring Break missionary journey sponsored by the Wesley Foundation.  The first trip was taken last year to help restore Hurricane Katrina damaged homes in New Orleans’ 13th Ward.

The Wesley Foundation is asking for churches and individuals to help support the mission trip and the 2010 trip that Laws says will be taking place out of the country.

Monetary donations can be sent to: Wesley United Methodist Center, Southern University, 748 Harding Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA 70807.

For more information about the SU Wesley Foundation or its’ programs, contact Rev. Laws at 225.778.0076.