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Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Oak Bay High School Grade 12 students Olivia Walton, left, and Cathleen Evans, along with 28 of their fellow students, spent their spring break building homes in Mexico. Don Denton/News staff
Hero holiday leads to appreciation of home Oak Bay High students build homes in rural Mexican village Brittany Lee News staff
Spending a week in Mexico seems like the ideal spring break getaway. But helping others during the trip made it more worthwhile for a group of Oak Bay High students. In mid-March, 30 students from Oak Bay High School travelled to the rural agricultural town of Vicente Guerrero, Mexico to help build houses for two families in need. The trip was part of the Hero Holiday program, organized by the Live Different movement. The program allows high school students to participate in humanitarian efforts by providing practical assistance to people living in extreme poverty. Grade 12 students Cathleen Evans and
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Olivia Walton both went on the trip and “You realize you’re making them so said it was an amazing experience. happy by doing this, but what you don’t “We throw around the word ‘life-chang- really know, before you go, is how happy it ing’ a lot ‌ but that’s honestly the best will make you, and how good it feels to give way to describe it,â€? Evans said. something so important,â€? Walton said. The group of students, ranging from the While both girls agreed the trip was age of 15 to 18, was split emotionally straining at into two groups. Each group “I’ve realized how times, they said the trip worked on a house, along made them realize not to with the family the house valuable (my parents) take anything for granted. was being built for, Evans are and how much they “It was really shocking explained. when we first got there,â€? do for me.â€? Walking around the town Walton said. “We got to - Cathleen Evans and seeing houses that had go inside the houses that been built previously, “we they had and they weren’t saw how much of a difference one house even houses. They were made out of cardreally did make,â€? Evans said. board and tarp. ‌ They don’t have elecThroughout the week, the students tricity and they don’t have running water quickly grew close with the children there, and their bathrooms were just like a hole Walton said. inside.â€? Seeing the kids each day was exciting Seeing how close the families are with and knowing they were equally excited how little they have made the students remade her realize how much their help was evaluate what’s important to them, Evans appreciated, she said. said, adding that since coming back, she
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tries to help out more at home. “I’ve realized how valuable (my parents) are and how much they do for me,� she said. The part that really hit home, Evans said, was when they presented a young girl with her very own bedroom -- something she didn’t have before. “She started crying and she kissed all the toys on her bed and everything, she kissed her bed and her pillow,� Evans said. “That’s kind of when it hit home for me -- what I’d done, what we had done.� Through fundraisers such as bottle drives, a silent auction, and a Mexicanthemed dance, students spent the majority of last year raising funds for the trip. Supplies to build the two houses cost $24,000. Any extra money raised went to furnishing the houses and to the local school, Evans said. PLEASE SEE: Volunteering, Page A7
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