This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Clemson chapter.
Students Helping Honduras is an organization with a large number of active members on campus, and many who make volunteer trips to build schools in Honduras. We thought it might be worth your while to check out some good looking, strong, kindhearted, charitable guys who love to play with kids. What could be better, right?
Sign up for the HonduRUN 5K on March 30th and you could meet some of these campus cuties! Registration is $25 and includes a t-shirt, a Chipotle burrito, and a raffle ticket for awesome prizes!
Austin McIlwain
Q: What is your favorite part about being involved with Students Helping Honduras?
A: Students Helping Honduras (SHH) has been a true life changing experience because of the people we helped and the lives that we altered for the better. The organization gives young unprivileged kids the ability to gain an education, instead of resorting to actions of negative repercussions, such as gangs and prostitution. My favorite part about the trip is truly being able to interact with the young kids of these poverty-stricken villages and bring a glimmer of hope to their lives. If you believe in helping others, then Students Helping Honduras is the right organization to participate in.
Blakely Schirtz
Q: Why did you decide to go to Honduras and what brought you back again?
A: I first went to Honduras for a pretty simple reason, to make a difference. When I was 19 years old I asked myself what had I done in this world to impact someone or something? Sadly, the answer was nothing and I wanted to change that. I had met some new friends at Clemson that were involved in Students Helping Honduras here on campus and I thought that this would be a great first step in making a change and impact someones life. So, I went on my first trip and it was a expierence of a lifetime and I felt that I had really made a difference to someones life other than my own. When the option presented itself to go again, it was a no brainer. I have always been a person that cared a lot more about the person to my right or left than my own self and thought that Honduras would be a great opportunity to simply serve this world. You don’t change the world by building 1,000 schools, you change the world by laying one brick at a time that amounts to 1,000 schools and that is what I did in Honduras. Now, three years later, I ask myself that same question; and there is no doubt in my mind I would have a good answer!
Brian Vollmer
Q: What was your favorite thing about volunteering in Honduras?
A: One of my favorite things was meeting all of these new people and knowing that we were there for the same reason, so no matter how different our personalities were (and there were plenty of different personalities), we knew that we would be working together, as a team, for this kids. Another favorite thing was how appreciative everyone was–not just the parents in the community and the older kids–but even little kids knew that we were there for them. I know when I was that age, I would have been oblivious and would’ve taken everything for granted, so it was fun to see the kids get excited about what we were doing, and even pitch in to help! Another favorite thing was meeting and playing with the kids–I got to befriend another little, Honduran Brian, and we would trade stories back and forth, and whether the other one understood or not, it didn’t really matter! I also made a bunch of friends, and a cute girl who went down there with me made it all the better!
Charlie Hachat
Q: Why would you recommend that others volunteer in Honduras?
A: I think people should volunteer in Honduras in order to understand how lucky we really are as Americans. It’s difficult to gain perspective on the life you live when you have never seen the other side. Understanding how lucky we really are is the foundation for wanting to help others in any way possible. By going to Honduras, you will not only be gaining perspective but you will also be leaving a lasting impact on those who are less fortunate.
Holt Parker
Q: What was the most memorable part of your experience volunteering in Honduras?
A: The most amazing part about Honduras was how quickly we built relationships with kids. It was amazing how much the kids loved us as soon as they met us. Their day was made just by us being out there with them. It’s something that I will hold with me the rest of my life.
Mike Diorio
Q: How has being involved in Students Helping Honduras affected your life?
A: SHH was something I got involved in through mutual friends at Clemson. They told me about it and convinced me to go on the winter trip in 2012. It was one of the most satisfying experiences of my life. It’s amazing to see what regular students can do by committing themselves to a single cause. And I think that mindset is contagious; all sorts of students branching out to convince their friends to join SHH and it just expands until the 2 friends you once knew in the organization are now 65+ friends. So it’s affected my life because it’s shown me that a small idea between Friends can grow into a movement that changes peoples lives across the world.
Nick Dilli
Q: If there is one thing you have learned from your volunteer experience in Honduras, what would it be?
A: I’ve had an awesome experience being involved with Student Helping Honduras. The one biggest takeaway that I’ve had from my numerous trips is to be appreciative for everything that you have and try to give back as much as possible. The people I met and the experiences I had in Honduras really had a huge impact on me. Seeing people that have so little, yet are still happy is a very inspiring thing. I would highly recommend the trip to anyone that is looking to broaden their perspective of the world and make a lot of great friends in the process.