By Jim Mahar, Professor Columnist
A first-time volunteer recently asked what would be the biggest surprise on BonaResponds’ upcoming trip to Houston, which is a tough question to answer.
I thought of the surprise that happens on every trip, when volunteers accomplish more than they ever thought possible. These trips can be so tiring and yet so invigorating. I thought about the new friends that will be made and the fact that St. Francis had it right when he said, “It is in giving that we receive.” But in the end, I settled on something that surprised me the most on my first trip: I like some meetings!
As a faculty member, I have attended more meetings than I ever wanted. I have joked that if I ever were to win the lottery, I would love to keep teaching, but I would skip all the meetings. Couple my dislike of meetings with a reluctance to talk about personal things, I cringed when told before the first trip to be sure to have reflections for the volunteers.
However, I actually loved the nightly “all hands” reflection meetings. The purpose of the meeting is multifold: Each team gives an update on what happened during the day. It also allows us to share and reduce stress, tell funny stories, talk out any problems and plan for the next day.
These meetings began on our very first trip to Biloxi, Mississippi in the weeks following Katrina and instantly became a staple. Over the course of many trips, the meetings have become one of my favorite parts of the day (which is saying something, as most days are filled with many great moments).
A great example is from the recent Enactus trip to Freeport, Bahamas, where BonaResponds partnered with Enactus. Whenever it can, BonaResponds collaborates with the club and we have been fortunate to work with Enactus the past three years in the Bahamas. Enactus and its predecessor have made 15 trips to the Bahamas.
That said, the students’ reflections are magical, even if much longer than ours.
The highlight of these reflections occurred late on the last Friday of the trip. After dinner, people spoke about the trip, what they will remember and what they got out of their work. We heard from students on their first trip about how they had left their comfort zones and came out better people.
We heard from students about what their trips had meant. We heard of lifelong friendships made. We remembered those that helped us to be there, those who prepared the way, as well as those who could not be with us. We even heard what the volunteers meant to the Bahamians we worked with, including one amazing story from a Bahamian Court-appointed Special Advocates member who had been helped by Bona students on a trip over a decade ago.
There was not a dry eye in the place. It was truly an emotional rollercoaster of laughter and tears of joy, followed immediately by almost complete silence and tears of sadness. Even now, as I write this, I have goosebumps thinking back to the reflection.
What were the main takeaways? When we all work together we can accomplish so much. A person’s skin color, gender, sexual preference, nationality or religion are all superficial differences that too often hide the underlying fact that we are all the same.
I am sure the same will happen on this trip. So if you are new, just go with the flow. Who knows, you may actually like the reflections, looking back on all you’ve done that you never imagined you could do.
BonaResponds notes:
• We have over 50 people going on the trip! Be sure to look for updates on social media while we are gone. Twitter and Instagram: @bonaresponds
• Our hearts go out to the many people in Port au Prince, Haiti who lost their jobs in the fire at the large public market. We will be teaming up with haitischolarships.org to offer special one-month scholarships to allow children, whose parents lost their businesses, the ability to stay in school. You can donate at haitischolarships.org to help.
• “Love all, serve all” – Sathya Sai Baba
This is the fourth in a series of articles on BonaResponds by BonaResponds leader, Jim Mahar, Ph.D.
