Volunteer vacations link you into chain of serving others

Can one truly be on vacation without sunbathing at the beach, soaking in a Jacuzzi or sleeping in until noon?

A growing number of Fox Valley residents are finding a new way of combining human service and a little bit of adventure into their travels through volunteer vacations.

This relatively new concept of travel appeals to people like Joan McInnes, a 72-year-old retired teacher from Batavia who has been on 11 such trips all over the world.

A highlight of her experiences came in a dank, stark orphanage in Romania several years ago.

Although McInnes was assigned as a high school teacher for three weeks, other members of her travel team were serving at a nearby orphanage and invited her to visit.

"There were babies there from newborn to 3 years old and only two staff for the 35 kids," McInnes said. "Because the staff was so overwhelmed -- they had no washing machine and were washing cloth diapers by hand -- the babies stayed in their cribs all day long. They received four bottles a day and four diaper changes a day, period. Even the toddlers received a bottle of blended food. The babies rocked themselves for comfort and didn't even know how to laugh or smile."

Knowing the infants would require much more attention after she and her group left, McInnes left the Romanian orphanage discouraged. But two years later, she returned to the very place that made such an indelible impression on her. She was amazed at what she saw.

"The kids were eating solid food and running around acting normal. It was just incredible -- like night and day," said McInnes. "We learned that 22 service teams had come into the orphanage since we left. The orphanage had a washer and dryer. You learn you are a link in the chain."

McInnes has coordinated each of her service vacations through Global Volunteers, a private nonprofit based in Minnesota. The organization, now in its 24th year, is one of fewer than 2,000 non-governmental organizations worldwide granted consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. The designation allows Global Volunteers to work with UN agencies and other private groups to help achieve UN goals related to human and economic development.

The group is hosting two informational seminars locally, at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday in the Elgin Community College University Business Center, 1700 Spartan Drive, Elgin. Potential travelers can also receive information at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. on June 11. For information, contact Getaway Travel in Elgin at (847) 888-2525.

Melissa Garcia, a 24-year-old bilingual reading teacher with West Chicago School District 33, took her first trip with Global Volunteers last summer. Her three-week stint in Peru was her first volunteer vacation, although she also recently traveled and studied in Costa Rica.

"I wanted to use a reputable program related to child service," said Garcia. "I really wanted to interact with the kids and the people in Peru, rather than just helping out in the office somewhere."

Garcia called Global Volunteers and made an online reservation the very same day. Her travels last August took her to one of the largest orphanages in Latin America, housing 250 kids ranging in age from newborn to high school. During off hours, she stayed at a hotel in Lima, where she picked up a bus for the five-minute ride to the orphanage. An on-site facilitator helped with all logistical arrangements.

Garcia said she bonded with some of the kids, especially Miguel, a bright-eyed sixth-grader who had three other siblings at the orphanage.

"He would come up to me during recess and we would sit down and talk in Spanish," she said. "On the last day I was there, he wrote me a long, beautiful letter and included a picture of himself. He wrote, "Tell my parents, 'Hello' for me.' After reading that, I knew I had made a difference."

Garcia said she also noticed the kids took a huge interest in items volunteers noticed about the Peruvian culture.

As an example, she said she asked several youth about a strange fruit she saw them eating for lunch. The kids told her the name of the fruit and the intricate way to prepare it. Garcia acknowledged her thanks by buying a piece of the fruit herself at a local grocery store and having the kids demonstrate to another volunteer how to prepare it.

"The kids were so excited to share their experience with a foreigner," said Garcia.

"The next day, one of the kids stayed up watching TV and made sure to watch news from the United States. He reported back to us on watching the bridge collapse in Minneapolis. He had taken a strong interest in the U.S."

Garcia said she loved the chance to do volunteer work while on vacation that related to her professional expertise.

"I would do it all over again in Peru," she said.

McInnes said her 11 trips have brought to places like China, where she and her team enjoyed the distinction of becoming the 100th Global Volunteers team to serve.

"They treated us like dignitaries," she said.

But she would trade nothing for her experience in Romania, or the dozens of new friends she's met on her 10- to 12-member service teams.

"I think this is the most fascinating way to travel," she said. "It allows you to experience a culture from the inside out. I think that's better than looking at a new country through the windows of a tour bus with other Americans just like you."