Jack Bryan, Global Volunteers Digital Media Coordinator, said he learned a lesson on “mothering” in Peru he couldn’t have learned anywhere else. Read his compelling story here: “All that I am, or hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.” Abraham Lincoln A growing body of scientific evidence reveals the extent that a mother’s […]
Seventeen determined Medtronic employees joined a March team in Quito, Ecuador for a week of service and bonding. Pouring their hearts, skills, and strength into their assignments, the women helped paint the exterior of the two-story early childhood development center, tiled the dining room, and cared for the 80 children alongside the center’s teachers. The […]
After a 30-year professional teaching career, Global Volunteers alumna Pat Harper said she’s not finished teaching! In her 80s when she first served with us in Vietnam in 2014, she was drawn to the the opportunity to again help others learn. The joy she found teaching in retirement on a service program in Cuba not […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Three-time volunteers and twin sisters, Kit Prendergast and Diane Clark, have identical perspectives on the value of service abroad. They share how they created lifetime memories on an adventure in volunteering together in Beja, Portugal recently. “My twin sister Kit and I joined service programs with Global Volunteers in Greece and Peru, and both our experiences […]
Geri says serving in Ciego de Ávila, Cuba for two weeks with her daughter Bridget was a journey of discovery. Together they acquired new skills, explored a new culture, and learned something new about each other. Bridget and Geri share a few highlights of “volunteering as mother and daughter” with Marketing Assistant and Greece Country […]