BRHS Students BRHS students Anna Marden, Morgan Mitchell and Carlo Pilgrim will travel to Guatemala over February vacation to volunteer at Safe Passage. (Photo Sue Mello)

February school vacation beckons. While many of us think of ski slopes and tropical beaches, some of our contemporaries are planning working vacations to help others. At least two local groups will be heading south to help those in need and they could use your help and support.

As previously reported, Rick and Celeste Prose traveled with other members of the Midcoast Unitarian Universalist Fellowship to New Orleans last November to help with cleanup and reconstruction of the devastated city. Rick returned to New Orleans in mid-January and met with homeowner Roy Bradley (Prose's 30-minute documentary, "Promises Were Made," features an interview with Bradley) about restoring his house and training more people to rebuild neighborhoods. Serendipitously, during their meeting, they noticed a lot of activity occurring in a building across the street from Bradley's home. What they soon discovered was that an organization called Emergency Communities was establishing a community center in the building to facilitate restoration of the neighborhood. It was a match made in heaven. The logistical, housing, and other support provided by Emergency Communities has enabled Prose to take the next step in establishing an ongoing restoration project in the lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans.

Prose and about 10 other volunteers from the mid-coast area are planning to return to New Orleans from about February 16-26 to reconstruct Bradley's house and to train homeowners and volunteers in the basics of reconstruction. Prose hopes that the Bradley house reconstruction will serve as a training and demonstration project that fosters the rebuilding of the neighborhood.

Prose is looking for individuals who would be interested in volunteering their time, energy or money to this project. Building supplies, such as sheet rock, roof shingles and tarpaper, insulation, nails, electrical supplies, lumber, etc., as well as hand and power tools, are needed. Prose says that he will be towing a trailer to New Orleans that he hopes will be filled with building supplies and tools.

All donations will be made through Emergency Communities, a 501(c) (3) organization, and are tax-deductible.

Anyone interested in learning more about this project or who would like to make a donation should contact Rick Prose at 633-5636, rickprose@verizon.net , or Lynn Orne at 633-6405.

To learn more about Emergency Communities, visit its Web site at www.emergencycommunities.org . Any organization that would like to arrange for a presentation on this project should contact Prose.

Three BRHS students and two of their parents will be heading to Guatemala over February vacation to volunteer at Safe Passage. Safe Passage is an organization, created by Hanley Denning of Yarmouth, to improve the lives and opportunities of the children who live at the Guatemala City Dump.

Carlo Pilgrim, BRHS senior, says that he first heard about Safe Passage from Eric Chamberlin, BRHS teacher, at an Interact Club meeting. Pilgrim was inspired by what he heard and hoped to organized an Interact Club trip to Safe Passage. As he investigated more, it became clear that only a small group would be able to make the trip. Anna Marden, BRHS senior, who volunteered at Safe Passage with the Congregational Church last October, was anxious to return. So anxious, that she decided not to go on the high school's February vacation trip to England as planned and to join Pilgrim. Morgan Mitchell, BRHS sophomore, will be making her first trip to Safe Passage with Marden and Pilgrim. Susan Endicott, Morgan's mother, and Jennifer Marden, will accompany the teenagers.

I met briefly with the group on Saturday, January 20. They were all still stunned by the sudden death of Denning, Safe Passage's founder and director. Despite the sad news, the teens and adults seemed even more committed to the undertaking. Endicott said, "We're still really excited about the trip, maybe we're even more excited because it seems more important now that we keep the energy going." Their plan is to fly to Guatemala on February 15, train all the next day, take the weekend to adjust and explore, and then work with the children all day, every day until their return.

Before they leave town, the group hopes to collect needed items and money to bring with them to help the Guatemalan children. All money collected will be donated to support the work of Safe Passage and is tax-deductible. Some specific items needed include children's toothbrushes, toothpaste, lice shampoo, lice combs, children's backpacks, children's vitamins, and school and art supplies, such as pencils, markers, glue, paint sets, and modeling clay.

For further information or to make a donation, contact Susan Endicott at 633-6506.