Building Hearts with Hand in Hand in Belize
Twelve students and two faculty chaperones from Sacred Heart Academy spent their Winter Break warming hearts and building character in Central America. The students traveled to Belize with Hand in Hand Ministries for a service immersion trip, where they worked hard to build a home for a deserving family. This is the third group of Valkyries to take this trip in as many years.
The girls dove into the hard work of constructing a new home in just four days. Nicole Burke, SHA Director of Enrollment, participated in the trip as a parent chaperone. “The girls put the notion of “strong women of great faith” into action, by hammering, painting, drilling, and lifting the walls of a new home for someone in need,” she said. “The smiles and laughs were endless, and even when a challenge presented itself, they all worked together to figure it out.”
The home was the 530th house built through the nonprofit Hand In Hand’s “Building for Change” program. Some students on the Belize trip were able to participate thanks to the recent generous gift of the Katy Brown ’83 Endowed Global Hearts Travel Program. The new program helps develop students into globally minded, compassionate leaders through international travel, education, and service.
“This trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said SHA junior Lila Burke. “And a trip that will forever change my view on the world around me. The best part was the community we built with the people we were serving. I learned so much about Amarie, the woman we were building a house for, and her family. Each day as we headed to the work site, I looked forward to learning more about their family and expanding my knowledge on Belize and their community.”
Being immersed in the service experience and building the house side-by-side with the new homeowner, Amerie, was a powerful experience for senior Annie Williams. She felt "encouraged to take on any opportunity" and "was inspired by the way Amerie and her family always found joy in small things." Both within the group of SHA students and among the Belizean people, Annie "felt very connected to our (Ursuline) core value of community on this trip."
Nicole Burke added that the students came together for the common good. “In Belize, it did not matter what sport they play, what grade they are in, or what their ACT score is,” she said. “Our girls came together as a community, learning more about themselves and each other and immersing into a new community. It was a great experience.”