Three Dallas Youth Given an International Service Opportunity of a Lifetime

Globe Aware, a Dallas based nonprofit organization that mobilizes teams of volunteers to carry out international service projects in 15 countries around the world is proud to announce that 3 local Dallas Independent School District (DISD) students have been chosen to participate in Globe Aware' s Costa Rica Caribbean program free of charge as a result outstanding support for the Globe Aware Scholarship Fund.

Top Five Items to Add to your Volunteer Vacation Packing List

Preparing for your upcoming volunteer vacation shouldn' t be a chore and your luggage need not be so full that it is ripping at the seams! With just a little planning, preparing a vacation packing list for your upcoming volunteer experience will make packing a breeze!

Of course, your specific packing list will ultimately depend on what country you will be visiting, but Catherine McMillan, with Globe Aware, a nonprofit leader in the world of volunteer vacations, names the top five items to add to any Volunteer Vacation Packing List:

1.       Number one essential to add to your packing list, advises McMillan, is a copy of your passport and extra credit/debit cards stored in a different location from your primary ones.  If for whatever reason you lose your wallet you will still have a photocopy of the passport and a back-up way to get your hands on cash. It' s also a good idea to email yourself a copy of these scanned documents in the event you lose access to your luggage.

2.       Your packing list should include a refillable water bottle.  Plastic water bottle waste is becoming a huge issue. Do your part by using your own washable and refillable water bottle.

3.       Does your packing list include sun block? It should! Even in a cold environment or a high altitude location you need protection. Ideally the sun block should be sweat/water resistant.

4.       Umbrellas or rain ponchos are a common item volunteer vacation travelers tend to leave off their packing list. Especially in tropic regions, chances of at least some rain are very high. Don' t dampen your volunteer vacation by getting stuck out in the rain unprotected.

5.       Flash lights are also commonly left off of many volunteer vacationers' packing list.  Flash lights don' t take up a lot of room in your luggage and can really help you out, especially if you are working in a community where electricity might go out. Also, don' t forget some extra batteries!

The above items should be on any volunteer travelers' packing list. To get specifics on other items needed for your particular volunteer vacation location, visit Globe Aware' s website at www. Globeaware.org or call 1-877-588-4562.

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Teaching English in Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Why Go Now: Philanthropy is fantastic, but a one-week, hands-on stint volunteering in Cambodia' still in need of much aid' can be much more personally satisfying. It can also pretty quickly make a person grateful for his life back home. Globe Aware' s volunteer vacations in Angkor Wat engage travelers in making a genuine influence on others' lives in a very short time: teaching English, working with children, distributing wheelchairs to adults and children in rural villages. The accommodations will be modest, but the Khmer food and magnificent Angkor Wat temples make the authentic experience entirely welcome.

Read the full article.

BY ANNETTE ARNOLD

When Tom Shumate decided to take a vacation this year he didn’t want to go to Disney World or on a cruise.

He wanted to go on a “volunteer vacation.”
He found on the Internet a group called Globe Aware, a nonprofit organization which offers volunteer vacations in Peru, Costa Rica, Thailand, Cuba, Nepal, Brazil and India. These 1-2 weeks in service focus on cultural-awareness.

So Shumate got in touch with the group and took a 10-day vacation to Peru.

I wanted the vacation to be more of an experience-type thing and I wanted to help out the kids who are there,” shumate said.

Shumated helped special needs kids who were in an orphanage in Peru.

The 19-year-old 2002 Chesterton High School graduate still beams when he talks about his experiences there with all the children.

“I was working with the children from 6 a.m .to 8 p.m. every day and would play with the kids,” shumate said. “Many of them taught me sign language. About 70 of them were deaf.”

The children at the orphanage ranged in ages ffrom infants to age 16.

“It was very hard to leave there when my trip was over,” Shumate said. “I bonded with many of the older boys and got along with the girls as well. The kids really made this trip enjoyable.”

The kids made it so much fun that Shumate didn’t mind the 17-hour flight to Peru.

“My parents were a little nervous before I left on the trip but now they are happy that I had a good time and know I was there doing something good.”

Shumate hopes to return there and do another volunteer vacation through Globe Aware. When he went the first time he took soccer and tennis balls with him because the kids there don’t have too much as far as sporting equipment.

“Seeing the kids and how happy they were made it all worth cominghere and makes up for what the trip costs,” Shumate said. “People from all over take these trips and volunteer their time in different countries.”

Shumate said people are welcome to check out the Web Site at www.globeaware.org. The group is always looking for people to either attend the trips and they also are looking for donations. “THey are in need of sunscreen and all types of sports equipment,” Shumate said.

When Shumate does go back he will be a volunteer coordinator for a few months while there. He eventually wants to be a policeman.

The Latin American and Caribbean Student Health Organization (LAC Health) and the greater Harvard School of Public Health community, generously donated funds to Globe Aware to buy medical supplies for the medical clinic in San Pedro de Casta, Peru. To raise these funds, LAC Health engaged in a week long sale of handmade Peruvian jewelry to the students and faculty at the Harvard School of Public Health.

LAC Health is a student organization aimed at promoting, analyzing, and resolving health problems affecting Latin America and the Caribbean.

Our objectives are:

• To increase awareness throughout the Harvard community of health problems effecting the countries of Latin America And the Caribbean;
• To promote healthy practices and give exposure to successful health programs unique to LAC;
• To create an arena for raising concerns and discussing issues about public health problems and policies with experts from LAC;
• To create an informal setting/environment for all students interested in making LAC a healthier place to share experiences, ideas and concerns with fellow students and faculty.

Sharlene Bagga, who collaborated with Globe Aware, Harvard’s attention the need for medical supplies at the clinic in San Pedro de Casta and they were happy to work with her on this fund raising event.

Their hopes are that their contribution will benefit the workers and clients at the medical clinic in San Pedro de Casta. They reiterated how much they enjoyed working on this venture to help Globe Aware’s Latin American activities.

Special thanks to the Organizers:

• Leah-Mari Richards, Founder and Co-President LAC Health – Harvard School of Public Health
• Moira Breslin, Founder and Co-President LAC Health – Harvard School of Public Health

SMU Alumni Magazine

They help Buddhist monks teach poor children in Thailand, make
wheelchairs for victims of Vietnam-era landmines in Laos, and build
stoves to save families from respiratory illness in Peru.

And during their trips abroad, Globe Aware volunteers also find time to
be tourists.
Kimberly Haley-Coleman (M.A., art history, ¹97) founded in 2000 the
Dallas-based nonprofit Globe Aware, which also sponsors weeklong
volunteer vacations in Costa Rica, Cuba, Nepal, Brazil, Vietnam, and
Cambodia. As its executive director, she runs the nonpolitical,
nonreligious organization with two principles in mind.

³We promote cultural awareness, which means we work to appreciate both
the real beauty and challenges of a culture,² she says. ³And we promote
sustainability, which means we train people using local resources; we
don¹t create dependence.²

Globe Aware grew out of Haley-Coleman¹s experiences as an international
businesswoman and volunteer. The Dallas native, who also earned an
M.B.A. from the University of Texas at Dallas and a B.A. from Emory
University, has worked for companies including Infotriever in Canada,
CNBC.com, and the Capstone Japan Fund, where she often has focused on
strategic partnerships and development. During business trips and
between job changes she squeezed in international volunteering with
organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and Volunteers for Peace,
which usually require commitments of at least several weeks.

³I always came back thinking there had to be a better way for busy
Americans, who have almost the least vacation time among developed
nations but are the world¹s most generous volunteers and donors,²
Haley-Coleman says. Through her travels, she built a network of
like-minded volunteers­ many of who now serve on Globe Aware¹s board
­and together they launched their first weeklong program in Thailand.

Today Haley-Coleman, who devoted herself to the organization full time
in 2003, spends time in Dallas communicating with coordinators in the
field and re-evaluating and developing programs, such as this year¹s new
trips to Romania, China, and Africa. She seeks out communities that are
safe and culturally interesting, and with needs they want groups of
volunteers to address.

Community service was a significant part of her life, says
Haley-Coleman, as was SMU. Her parents, aunts and uncles, cousins,
grandparents, and great-grandparents are all alumni of the University,
where she recalls hours spent analyzing art with University
Distinguished Professor Emerita Alessandra Comini and Associate
Professor Randall Griffin. ³They helped reinforce my passion for truly
examining and appreciating cultures.²

Learn more at globeaware.org.

­ Sarah Hanan