My Volunteer Trip to Guatemala!
Donation protected
"We make a living by what we do, but we make a life by what we give" - Winston Churchill
I am currently back in school taking undergraduate courses to fill requirements for the admission into a Graduate Program in Occupational Therapy. Along the way, I stumbled upon a study abroad opportunity for A Service Learning through experience in San Lucas, Guatemala. As many of you know, I am a very active volunteer. Volunteering with great organizations such as SARNCO (The Sexual Assault Response Network of Central Ohio), Twin Valley Behavioral Health, Westminster-Thurber Assisted Living Community, and most recently, Goodwill Columbus.
This course is not only an academic requirement for the Occupational Therapy Program I am pursuing, more importantly, fulfills the volunteer requirement beautifully. This course allows the opportunity to work closely with the already successful Toliman Mission which provides needed community services (such as a school, a medical clinic, a women's center) to the native populations. This trip allows me to volunteer with Guatemalan coffee farmers & their families encouraging fair trade practices for them to better enjoy the "fruits of their labor" in a globally competitive market and also interacting with indigenous Mayans by learning & cherishing the simple life & ancient traditions that they still maintain over the years.
The total trip will cost $2350. In addition, I will be responsible for a variety of vaccinations necessary for this region of the world... And being that I will be in a rainforest during the rainy season with Jumanji-sized mosquitos flying around, I am opting for this particular course recommendation. I was told by the instructor that all the vaccinations should run me around $300. The main cost factor possibly standing in the way of my participation in this opportunity is the fact I am currently paying out-of-pocket tuition for the remaining 17 semester hours of prerequisites, including but not limited to several Biology, Chemistry, and Psychology courses.
Ok. Friends & Family here is the part where I need your help, in order for me to help others that need it in ways that our industrialized lifestyles may not even comprehend without walking in their shoes. Even though I will only walk beside them, seeing their struggle for a short 10 day period, I hope it opens my eyes to all aspects of humanity and allows me work hard to help stranger for their own benefit. Also, secretly, my inevitable smile that usually follows whenever I volunteer with people. It just feels good to give, right?! :)
I have been saving $10 per work shift since October, because any money I can set aside goes directly into the never ending tuition fund invested in my career path towards becoming a practicing Occupational Therapist. First, the remaining undergraduate prerequisites and then my Graduate Studies in Occupational Therapy. Unfortunately, by the April 20th fee deadline this will put me at roughly $700-800 saved, falling $1900 short, including my necessary vaccinations.
On a side note, I'm not a fan of reaching out monetarily to you all like this. It's just that I budgeted my income to handle the additional educational requirements needed for my current career path towards Occupational Therapy. Who would've thought volunteering your time and effort could be so expensive? Yet once I read the objective of this Social Science course/Volunteer experience I knew that this is something that I have to do for myself and this once in a life time experience.
So in my effort to gain compassion for different kinds of people and reinforce my professional decision to help people as a career with the goal of enriching their lives in some way. Help ME, HELP OTHERS!! It's a win-win!!
For your perusal, I have included a link to the Columbus State Community College course description of which I am enrolled:
http://www.cscc.edu/academics/study-abroad/#guatemala
And also the link to the San Lucas Mission website, as they are the cooperating organization I will be volunteering with. Please click around and check out the wonderful things they are doing for this native population and also the world with its conscience efforts of a reforestation program.
http://www.sanlucasmission.org/
This is Acxel Geovani Sosof and he is the child we are sponsoring as a class for his education fund. He is the youngest of 8. His father died in 1999, shortly after he was born. His mother washes clothes every day to survive. On previous exams, he scored 89% showing the potential to thrive academically. He just needs a little financial help to shine as bright as his smile! :)
Photo credit courtesy of San Lucas Mission
I am currently back in school taking undergraduate courses to fill requirements for the admission into a Graduate Program in Occupational Therapy. Along the way, I stumbled upon a study abroad opportunity for A Service Learning through experience in San Lucas, Guatemala. As many of you know, I am a very active volunteer. Volunteering with great organizations such as SARNCO (The Sexual Assault Response Network of Central Ohio), Twin Valley Behavioral Health, Westminster-Thurber Assisted Living Community, and most recently, Goodwill Columbus.
This course is not only an academic requirement for the Occupational Therapy Program I am pursuing, more importantly, fulfills the volunteer requirement beautifully. This course allows the opportunity to work closely with the already successful Toliman Mission which provides needed community services (such as a school, a medical clinic, a women's center) to the native populations. This trip allows me to volunteer with Guatemalan coffee farmers & their families encouraging fair trade practices for them to better enjoy the "fruits of their labor" in a globally competitive market and also interacting with indigenous Mayans by learning & cherishing the simple life & ancient traditions that they still maintain over the years.
The total trip will cost $2350. In addition, I will be responsible for a variety of vaccinations necessary for this region of the world... And being that I will be in a rainforest during the rainy season with Jumanji-sized mosquitos flying around, I am opting for this particular course recommendation. I was told by the instructor that all the vaccinations should run me around $300. The main cost factor possibly standing in the way of my participation in this opportunity is the fact I am currently paying out-of-pocket tuition for the remaining 17 semester hours of prerequisites, including but not limited to several Biology, Chemistry, and Psychology courses.
Ok. Friends & Family here is the part where I need your help, in order for me to help others that need it in ways that our industrialized lifestyles may not even comprehend without walking in their shoes. Even though I will only walk beside them, seeing their struggle for a short 10 day period, I hope it opens my eyes to all aspects of humanity and allows me work hard to help stranger for their own benefit. Also, secretly, my inevitable smile that usually follows whenever I volunteer with people. It just feels good to give, right?! :)
I have been saving $10 per work shift since October, because any money I can set aside goes directly into the never ending tuition fund invested in my career path towards becoming a practicing Occupational Therapist. First, the remaining undergraduate prerequisites and then my Graduate Studies in Occupational Therapy. Unfortunately, by the April 20th fee deadline this will put me at roughly $700-800 saved, falling $1900 short, including my necessary vaccinations.
On a side note, I'm not a fan of reaching out monetarily to you all like this. It's just that I budgeted my income to handle the additional educational requirements needed for my current career path towards Occupational Therapy. Who would've thought volunteering your time and effort could be so expensive? Yet once I read the objective of this Social Science course/Volunteer experience I knew that this is something that I have to do for myself and this once in a life time experience.
So in my effort to gain compassion for different kinds of people and reinforce my professional decision to help people as a career with the goal of enriching their lives in some way. Help ME, HELP OTHERS!! It's a win-win!!
For your perusal, I have included a link to the Columbus State Community College course description of which I am enrolled:
http://www.cscc.edu/academics/study-abroad/#guatemala
And also the link to the San Lucas Mission website, as they are the cooperating organization I will be volunteering with. Please click around and check out the wonderful things they are doing for this native population and also the world with its conscience efforts of a reforestation program.
http://www.sanlucasmission.org/
This is Acxel Geovani Sosof and he is the child we are sponsoring as a class for his education fund. He is the youngest of 8. His father died in 1999, shortly after he was born. His mother washes clothes every day to survive. On previous exams, he scored 89% showing the potential to thrive academically. He just needs a little financial help to shine as bright as his smile! :)
Photo credit courtesy of San Lucas Mission
Organizer
Leilani Lovell
Organizer
Columbus, OH
