Students Will Trade Service for the Opportunity for International Service

Royal Oak students traveling to Costa Rica in June will spend most of their two-week trip in Orosi Valley, but will also work in sea turtle conservation along the Gulf Coast. (Photo via travelocostarica.com)

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“Service for Service” is the phrase used by Royal Oak High School’s Interact students as they raise funds for their second international service trip in Costa Rica this June.

Over a dozen students are determined to spend part of their summer working in an orphanage and in wildlife preservation during their two week trip, but to complete their international service they’re ready to do still more service here at home.

“It’s a pretty simple approach,” says club advisor Steve Chisnell. “Our students will do any number of service projects for individuals around town, and they will accept any donations given for the trip.” Each of the students hopes to raise about $2,400 for the two-week experience, a trip patterned after larger service trips sponsored by their parent organization, Royal Oak Rotary.

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While the skills of the high school students are limited, they are ready to assist in any number of projects, including babysitting, pet care, yard work or snow shoveling, meal delivery, etc. While there are recommended donations for service, any support is welcomed.

“The club traveled to Guatemala two years ago,” says club president and senior Casey Linenberg. “They distributed medicine, installed water filters, and taught in schools.”

The Costa Rica experience, however, will find the students spending most of their time in building projects in the rural Orosi Valley. Later they will work in sea turtle conservation along the Gulf coast. For most students, this will be their first experience out of the country.

This trip, the club’s second at an international level, complements an eight-year record of local and national level service projects by the high school group, which has over 120 members. It annually supports local programs like South Oakland Shelter, Salvation Army, Forgotten Harvest, Greening of Detroit, and dozens of others in both donations and hands-on service. The club also sponsors an annual national relief trip in February to support towns devastated by hurricanes and tornadoes. Its school coffee shop and student union makes monthly charitable donations to local and state charities.

“Trips like this aren’t always just about the service,” says Chisnell. “I’ve traveled with students internationally for 15 years, and it’s clear one of the greatest educations is immersion in a different culture, in living with families, speaking a new language, testing their own limits.”

The club is also running a series of bottle drives and working with Royal Oak Rotary for additional trip funding.

Want to support the students? Contact them at interact@royaloakschools.org for ideas and requests! Find out more about the club at www.chisnell.com/interact or follow them on Twitter: @rohs_interact.