New Student Group Heading to Costa Rica To
Volunteer
A new campus group is gathering needed
supplies to bring to struggling communities in Costa Rica and the
Dominican Republic this summer.
The International Student Volunteers of the University of Alberta (ISVUA)
was formed this January on the University of Alberta (U of A) campus.
The group is a branch of the International Student Volunteers (ISV), a
North American non-profit group whose members travel to different
regions of the world for community development and conservation
volunteer work.
This week, the ISVUA is holding a fundraising drive to round up supplies
to take with them on their journeys this summer.
“We’re going to accepts bags of clothing or shoes [and] useful items to
take down to the families and children,” explained Myka Jones, an ISVUA
volunteer.
Jones and other volunteers will be accepting items from 22 to 24 March
in SUB, and on 23 March in Lister Centre in Alberta, Canada. However,
students without items to donate can help in other ways, said Jones.
“We’re going to have a chocolate or jelly bean raffle, so whoever’s
donating gets to enter that for free ... and if you’re not donating you
can just purchase a ticket for 50 cents,” Jones said.
“Proceeds will go towards buying toothbrushes and things like that:
useful articles to take to Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic besides
clothing and shoes,” Jones added.
Club Co-President Melissa Paquette, who went with ISV to the Dominican
Republic last summer, remembers the need she encountered and hopes
students will support the drive.
“A lot of the kids didn’t have clothes or didn’t have very much, so
anything really helps,” Paquette said.
There are a total of 15 U of A students going on ISV summer programs
this year, ten of whom are going to Costa Rica or the Dominican
Republic.
“Students have to bring one suitcase of donations if they are coming on
a community development project,” Paquette explained.
“Anybody who is with ISV will be asked if they want some of our
donations for that. If we get too much we’re going to get it sent down
separately,” Paquette said.
Students must pay their own way, but according to Paquette the cost is
well worth it.
“You’re paying to go on it but it’s an amazing opportunity. It was the
best month of my life - it was just incredible,” Paquette said.
The contributions made by ISV students to struggling communities are
numerous.
“There’s teaching English, there’s just getting involved with kids in
the community, there’s house-building projects and just actually helping
out with the day-to-day activities of the families there,” Jones
explained.
“And then there’s the conservation work, so that could be building new
houses or building attractions to attract tourism and still provide for
the economy so it’s not a detriment to their communities,” she added.
The ISV will also be running conservation efforts in the USA, Australia
and New Zealand this summer.
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