By Allison Cormier | Observer Contributor
Service learning and volunteer work are major components in achieving a well rounded college experience, in addition to helping yourself become a better person in society. Forward in Heath, an organization that travels to Haiti and provides medical care, has been helping Mount Wachusett students achieve this for the past two years, and other volunteers for the past 10 years.
Co-founder and vice president of outreach and travel, Paula Mulqueen has been traveling to Haiti to provide medical treatment since 2001. She believes that providing service through international travel helps create a different perspective on life and shape individuals into more compassionate and caring people. She strives to create the best experience to those in her program.
Mulqueen explained that the trip is extremely organized and well planned out even before the trip begins. Planners are handed detailed outlines on what will be happening every minute of every day they are there, prior to departure, so volunteers will know exactly what they are getting into.
Jessica Leggude, a nursing student from MWCC who went to Haiti with Forward in Health, agreed with Mulqueen, stating, “The trip was extremely safe, very controlled of who comes in and who goes out.”
Over the years, Mulqueen has learned how to make a successful and productive work day for volunteers while in Haiti. Work days are from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., any longer and productivity decreases, and high school kids get a nap in the middle of the day. Legudde said that she liked the fact she was able to go into an empty room and personalize her workspace to her work style.
However, the trip is not all about work. After their work day volunteers get to go out and explore the island. Another nursing student, Amy Moison, reflected on the fun times she had in Haiti: going to the beach, waterfalls, biking, and elaborated on the time they were caught in a Mardi Gras parade and they all stood up and danced in the back of the truck.
Mulqueen wants potential volunteers to know that even though the medical work they do is great, the social aspect of the trip is far more important. The best thing volunteers can do for the people they are helping in Haiti is to, “smile, touch, interact”. The children in Haiti just want to be held, be in your presence, and interact with you, said Mulqueen.
Moison recounted the time when she and Legudde were delivering care packages to children and one girl ran up to them, held their hands, and walked with them until they got back to the gate. She explained how much it touched her heart just how happy the little girl was to just be in their presence.
Not only do they care for those in Haiti, they teach as well. Most nurses are not educated on the basic practices of medicine like CPR. Legudde thinks back on the time she and Moison taught a CPR class to one of the best nursing schools in the country, and the nurses claimed it was the best lesson they had ever had. This shows just how behind they are in modernization.
Forward in Heath is a huge player in getting students out of their comfort zones and allowing them to expand their minds and do great work internationally. However, if you are not a nursing student, it is not the only opportunity Mount Wachusett offers to achieve your service learning internationally.
Shelly Nicholson, director of community learning at the Mount, recently visited, with student volunteers, Costa Rica to work with the animals. Nicholson explained that international travel can be nerve-racking, but in the end the personal and spiritual benefits are tremendous and allow you to be more conscious and grateful for the things that surround you every day.
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