Lindbergh High School Students Turn Summer Into a Mission

Thirteen teenagers from the Lindbergh High School Interact Club, a branch of the Crestwood-Sunset Hills Rotary, traveled to Panajachel, Guatemala in June. They partnered with the Mayan Families Organization to install 30 cooking and warming stoves, which are made of cinder blocks, sand and other materials, and to assemble 20 water filtration units that prevent parasites and other impurities from threatening families’ health.

Amy Richards, Rotarian, teacher and Interact Club sponsor, said that the Interact Club, a volunteer organization now in its third year, molds activities and projects based on students’ passions.

“We have a wide variety of projects we are involved in. We work on animal endeavors, trail clean up and at the NICU at St. John’s Hospital,” Richards said.

The Interact Club members became interested in what the Rotarian Club does internationally, and the students decided that they wanted to do something more hands-on. The more they studied about Guatemala, the idea for a mission trip was born.

Students fundraised throughout the school year to make the trip possible.

“Once we went over there, it was the most inspirational, heartwarming, meaningful journey—it was life changing,” Richards said. “Not only for the families, but for us. The villages were in the mountains and we had high school kids carrying bags up steep hills.”

The students also spent time at five preschools teaching Spanish to students and participated in cultural experiences such as dancing and tortilla making. Another fundraiser made it possible for more than 200 kids to have shoes, a pair of pants and shirts. The students chose to leave their extra clothing behind as well. Each evening the group gathered to share their most meaningful moments of the day.

Junior Garrett Rogers said he was inspired by the families’ generous spirits: “We saw a lot of people and the bad situations they were in, but they were also willing to help us in every way they could, even if they couldn’t afford to,” he said.

Richards said that a former Lindbergh students and Interact Club president, who is now in medical school, served as a chaperone on the trip. He also helped with medical checks, screening for infections and parasites.

“Fifty-one percent of the population lives on less than $2 a day,” Richards said. “With no water filtration system, they can get parasites.”

In putting together the stoves, Richards said that it was a simple, logical system, but it changes lives.

“Most people had a wood-burning fire with no chimney and you look at the walls and they are just black,” she said. “People are dying because of lack of oxygen to their hearts, eye infections…I was in the house for 45 minutes, and I couldn’t breathe.”

Now that they’re home, the students are selling Guatemalan scarves and bracelets to raise $500 that will provide schooling, clothing, shoes, school supplies and a daily meal to two Guatemalan girls and a boy for one year. The interest to back to Guatemala is high, and Richards said that students will have another service option coming up for spring break.

To watch a video of the trip, click here.