St. John's Larchmont-12th Service Trip with Bridges to Community

In June 2018, member of St. John’s Church in Larchmont, NY made their twelfth house-building service trip with Ossining-based not-for-profit organization Bridges to Community (BTC). Although Nicaragua has been the group’s usual destination, this year, political unrest in Nicaragua resulted in their heading instead to the Dominican Republic, where BTC also operates.

BTC, a community development and service learning organization that promotes cross-cultural partnerships and sustainable community development, began its work in Nicaragua in 1993 and expanded to the DR a little over five years ago. Over the years, Bridges has developed a sustainable and replicable community development program focused on four key areas: housing, health, education and economic development.

This year, nine people participated in the St. John’s Family and Friends trip at the end of June. They joined a 26-person contingent from Grace Episcopal Church in Nyack, NY. The 35-person group – 27 of whom were high school students – spent an intense four days working alongside community members to build three houses in the very poor mountainous community of Caimonial, half an hour from the Haitian border.

It was the first time many of the high school students had been exposed to the widespread level of poverty they observed in this rural part of the DR, where homes have dirt floors and there is no running water. Volunteers were particularly struck by the friendliness of the local people and the joy of the children, despite their poor living conditions and meager prospects.

Asked to reflect on how the experience impacted them, many students, including Mamaroneck High School rising junior Luke Swanezy, indicated that they wanted to volunteer more in their local communities, and would be much more comfortable working with Spanish-speaking people despite their limited knowledge of Spanish. Some commented that being unplugged for the week made them realize the value of spending time talking to friends and getting to know people better. For other students like rising Hackley School junior Maggie Broaddus, the week-long trip caused them to think more broadly. Maggie shared that “the trip was very impactful to me. It made me realize how our society is so different; most people at home put a priority on their own needs instead of building something bigger than their individual selves. I am guilty of this mindset, so I hope to bring back to Larchmont some of the community values they had in the DR . . . I hope everyone can have the opportunity to experience a trip like this.”

2018 trip participants included: Maggie Broaddus, Kira McCarthy, Megan McCarthy, Hannah Mockenhaupt, Jane Moore, Frank Pierson, Harry Sober, Luke Swanezy, and Linnet Tse.