Barb Holdridge was intrigued when her good friend recommended a new type of travel. But, she didn’t know she’d also catch the volunteering abroad “bug” so quickly! Sixteen years and 10 trips later, Barb says that international volunteer travel is “the” way to learn from local people, build long lasting friendships, and have fun while […]
Fed up with a harsh Minnesota winter, alumna Alan Maclin boarded a plane bound for sunny St. Lucia to volunteer and get his mind off snow drifts. In his own words, Alan reflects on his service experience, and explains how the warm and friendly primary school students he taught helped him forget the cold back […]
Global Volunteers’ Team One shares their reflections on their first week of work on our inaugural Nepal service program in Kathmandu! Saturday – Nepal Arrival Throughout the day, the team assembled, some coming from a trek out of Pokhara, some after long flights from the USA, and others having arrived early, from other parts of […]
Judy Marx, a three-time Global Volunteer alumna, said an ancient Judaism tradition, Tikkun Olam (Hebrew for “world repair”), propelled her search for international volunteer opportunities. The world is imperfect, the lesson teaches, but is in our own hands to make it better every day. Judy and her husband John said they’ve since discovered that volunteerism […]
Forty years ago, Laura Tomlinson and Kim Berge worked together in Colorado Springs. They parted ways soon after college to pursue their careers – Kim attended a Physician Assistant program in CT and Laura pursued a graduate degree in Education in CA. They never lived in the same town again. Each got married, raised their own families, established […]
Allyson Olson said her service program in Romania made such an impact on her that she inevitably decided to complete her Master’s Degree in Child Development/Child life. It was the opportunity to truly make a difference, she said, that clarified her career choices. “It was time for me to stop being a bystander in my […]
The benefits of volunteering are endless across the spectrum of life. Service to others helps us understand the world and ourselves, connect with people, impact events and make a difference. During her gap year, 18 – year – old Cassidy Richardson learned all these lessons and more in the Cook Islands with Global Volunteers. She […]
Having served on Global Volunteers programs in Peru and Cuba – each a unique cultural experience – Tom and Rondi Olson were eager for their next service program in Crete, Greece. In a two-part blog post, Rondi and Tom share their insights and expectations about the people of Crete – the host, the students and […]
In her second installment, Vietnam Volunteer Diana Swansen reflects on how she and her teammates experienced compassion while volunteering in Hanoi, Vietnam. As an aviation trainer, she transmitted her passion for aviation to a classroom full of sixth-graders, fascinating them with maps and charts; and nurturing their dreams of become pilots. As a volunteer, she inspired her […]
“Seeing the children’s faces light up as they held on tightly to their new dental tools was so heartwarming. At that moment I was so proud of our fundraising efforts and the people who helped my dream become a reality!” This was the first testimonial from “Marvelous Maddy,” a student volunteer who raised over $6,000 […]