As Jay-Z says in his new song "Minority Report," the Gulf Coast region of the United States is still suffering after the 2005 Hurricanes. Homes have been destroyed, communities have been scattered, and lives have been shattered. Experts say it will take years - if not decades - to help residents recover and rebuild broken lives and shattered dreams.

As hopeless as it seems, there are things YOU can do to help this region.

Some of us came for the scenery, some for the kids, and some for the escape of California itself. As someone with a younger sibling, what brought me along was the belief that an introduction to nature was one of the simplest, yet most effective, ways for kids to begin to realize that they are part of a bigger world. Compared to most alternative spring breaks (ASB) that help people rebound from already existing problems, our trip was unique in that we were trying to preserve something that was already good. The focus on positivity and hope, rather than adversity, let our fun boost the success and spirit of the program.

ASB Gulf Coast is United Way's program to send young people to help rebuild this region. In 2006, they sent almost 100 young people from every state in the country to regions devastated by Hurricane Katrina as a part of STORM CORPS. Over the course of their Spring Break, these young people spent a week rebuilding homes and restoring hope to communities in desperate need of assistance. For the 2007 program, United Way sent 300 hundred young people to Lake Charles, Louisiana, a region hit hard by Hurricane Rita. These young people replaced roofs, installed drywall, and repaired fences of people's homes; they constructed new dorms and cleared a nature trail for Camp Wi-Ta-Wentin, a facility for at risk youth; they built new houses; and rebuilt school playgrounds and ballfields. Not a bad list of accomplishments for some kids on vacation.

Unfortunately, United Way's 2007 ASB program is over and is no longer accepting applications. However, make sure to check out their website their website for details on other opportunities.