Sympathy knows no boundaries when it comes to Texas State students Lindsay Gattis, Valerie Garza and Jessica Mejia, who spent their Spring Break not in Padre, but volunteering at an orphanage in Haiti.
These three students paid out of pocket to travel to Haiti last week, and participate in a program called Alternative Spring Break Haiti organized by Phil Anglade.
“I’d say I’m a pretty compassionate person,” said Gattis, communication design senior. “When I see things, devastation-wise, on TV, it brings me to tears. I came to a point in my life where I was like ‘Why don’t you stop thinking about what you can do and make it happen?’”
Gattis settled on going to Haiti long before Spring Break, whether she had to go alone or not.
Garza, communication design senior, and Mejia, Spanish graduate student, decided they, too, wanted to make a difference.
Gattis began sending out e-mails to different organizations in efforts to make plans, and finally received a response from Alternative Spring Break Haiti three weeks before Spring Break.
The three women conducted fundraisers in the short time remaining, and collected $500 to help pay for air fare. The trio raised $360 per participant for food, shelter and ground transportation.
Anglade established the Alternative Spring Break Haiti program three years ago. He said the interest from college students was low until the earthquake happened in January.
One hundred percent of the money received goes to the Haitian community, Anglade said.
Gattis, Garza and Mejia arrived in Haiti Monday, along with four U.S. students and an individual from Canada. They helped at an orphanage established in January by a pastor in Haiti.
Participants utilized their skills in providing various types of recreational therapy to the children, ages two to 11, in range.
Garza and Gattis brought along 30 disposable cameras for an art therapy project.
“It was like a photography/art therapy project,” Garza said. “The whole concept behind it was we wanted them to take pictures of what they love about Haiti. We wanted them to show why they needed help. The kids had a lot of fun doing it.”
A pre-dental student from Florida donated toothbrushes and toothpaste, and demonstrated how children should brush and floss their teeth.
“The next morning the children greeted us and they were excited about having brushed their teeth after waking up,” Garza said. “It was pretty cute.”
Garza said the experience was bittersweet.
“It was overwhelming at times because you want to do more, but it was gratifying in every sense of the word,” Garza said. “These children look at you with such love and compassion, and (they) don’t have much, but want to take care of you. You’re there to do something good for them and they’re worried about how comfortable you are, from wiping the sweat off your neck to carrying your backpack.”
Mejia said she looks forward to seeing how their journey will affect Haiti.
“I know we made a difference and it’s a wonderful story to be able to share with my son,” Mejia said. “As a single mother I know the heartaches of living in a home without both parents but these children had no parents and it really has changed my life in the most spiritual, educational and emotional way.”
Garza said despite her fears, having a daughter helped convince her to go.
“I was unbelievably scared,” Garza said. “Every time I’d go to bed and kiss my child goodnight I just thought ‘I have so much love to share, but am I really willing to risk my life and my child’s welfare?’ and I felt like it was something I had to do. I thought of all the children who weren’t getting a kiss goodnight.”