Project Switch Leads to Priceless Insights

A new service opportunity in Greece enables volunteers to befriend, exercise and play with, and work with adults with disabilities at a breezy mountaintop day activity center. The following post is excerpted from an article in The Coastal Journal by Annee Tara. Read the entire story here.

My recent volunteer vacation in Crete was my second trip with Global Volunteers. This organization has been in this business for more than a quarter of a century and has projects all over the world. The first thing they tell you when you agree to serve on a Global Volunteer project is to be flexible. A few days before my departure date, I got an email from Samantha (Sam), the country manager for Greece. She wrote that (because of a teachers strike), instead of teaching English in the local primary school, we would be working at a center for youth and adults with disabilities on crafts projects that they use for fundraising. I'd say I was disappointed, but I was somewhat relieved. I don't know anything about working with people with disabilities, but I figured I at least couldn’t be held responsible for not having prepared!

The Center is nominally supported by the municipality; but times are tough in Greece, and it is clear that St. Spiro's is funded by a fragile patchwork of sources. This includes crafts that are made by the staff, some of the participants and volunteers, and sold locally. Prior to our stay, the Center received an order for 500 icons to be attached to candles for an upcoming baptism. Only three or four of the participants were capable of helping with this project, so my sub-team was assigned to the task. We were shown how to do the work by a couple of the participants.

We had been at St. Spiro's for only two weeks, but in that time we learned many things. From the participants I learned that these are people who truly live in the moment; they seem to enjoy doing new things with new people, without judgment. From our teammates I learned that each one brought a special history to the group - from the sheetmetal worker who was the favorite among the participants, for just being who he is; to the 85-year-old woman who was on her twelfth Global Volunteers trip - a role model for us all. About myself, I learned I could really enjoy a relationship with people who don't know anything about me, but accept me for who I am - as I came to accept them for who they are.
-Annee Tara

Painting, Gardening and Flippin' Burgers on the Rez

Montana Team 78 has fulfilled a wide variety of work requests this week...culminating today with meal preparation and serving at the Blackfeet Tribe's annual staff appreciation day outside Browning. Six more teams follow this summer. It's not too late to join us for a week of meaningful service in the foothills of the Rockies in Northern Montana!

Always Remain Flexible!

Today started with another incredible breakfast of bacon, eggs, and coffee here in Costa Rica. We were a couple minutes late leaving for Canitas, but soon got underway with sunny skies ahead and great hopes that we would arrive and see a truck filled with tile sitting there waiting for us so we could begin the community center tiling project. We had no such luck so me, CK, and Roberto cleared out the drainage ditches up near the health office and lumber yards, while Cathy, and "Captain Kirk" put the finishing touches on the bare floors for the tile.

They joined us soon after our lightning coffee break to rake up the grass in the front yard of the health office, while me, CK, and Roberto explored the area a little and took some pictures. Lunch was bomb, we had steak and more beans. I love beans! About ten minutes before lunch was over the rain came and washed our morning work down the drain, literally.

Hanging out with Don Nicco's family was a humbling experience, seeing them so happy, just in each other's company, made me want to toss away all my televisions as soon as I get home.

Training While Serving

While NFL Star Devone Bess and Manager Chris Kidawski are locked out of their offices at the Miami Dolphins, they're serving with Global Volunteers in Costa Rica. In between weekend orientation sessions, they took a couple hours to train on the hills of Monteverde in the Cloud Forest.