Cambrian prez, students spent Break building classrooms

Cambrian College president Bill Best, his wife Fay and the couple's three kids spent their March Break on a Caribbean island, but they definitely weren't there to relax and soak up the sun.

The Sudburians were taking part in a service trip to build classrooms at Three Angels Children's Relief, an orphanage, elementary school and medical clinic in Port Au Prince, Haiti.

“It was very labour intensive,” Bill said. “On top of that, it was a very unique experience. As we were doing this work, the schoolchildren that were going to be benefitting from it were all around us, which was very motivating.”

The group of 12 adults and children who took part in the service trip were all associated with Sudbury Christian Academy, a local private Christian-based elementary school where Fay teaches.

The school raised US$6,000 to build two new classrooms at Three Angels Children's Relief. The group also brought along 600 pounds of supplies for the organization, including medical supplies.

Until recently, many schools in Haiti taught students on half-day shifts, Fay explained. However, the government recently decided students should attend school all day. That means more classrooms are needed.

Bill said he had a great experience, although it was a big adjustment to go from -10 C temperatures in Sudbury to 31 C in Haiti, where he spent all day carrying bricks, gravel and sand for the new building.

The volunteers, working with local labourers, were able to complete two classrooms before they left.

Haiti was hit by a devastating earthquake in 2010, from which its citizens are trying to recover. The country is also challenged by poverty and political unrest. But the Bests said they didn't feel unsafe.

“It's definitely an experience you wouldn't have unless you went to a [developing] country,” Bill said. “But during the day, during the lighted hours, I'd say it's very safe.”

Fay said she likes to give her students and own kids experiences that inspire an interest in giving back to others, whether that's here in Sudbury or in another country such as Haiti.

The students, she said, “will have a different perspective from this day forward.”

“It has the impact of changing their career choice. It has the impact of changing their priority on how they view material items. I think it was an extremely valuable trip from that perspective.”