March 30, 2005

Central students support mission

Students donate items for mission trip to Guatemala

By Carol South
Herald contributing writer

       Students and staff at Traverse City Central High School found time before Spring Break to help the less fortunate.
      With retired school counselor Mary Hoiles traveling to Guatemala on mission trip in late April, students in many of the school's sixth hours gathered contributions. Since the trip will help babies and children in need, they purchased or donated items such as diapers, bibs, crayons, colored pencils, coloring books, books in Spanish for older children and chalk.
      Special needs students in two classes at the school were very excited about the project.
      "It makes me feel special that I'm helping out people with needs," said Shane Bester, a student in Central's Skill Streaming class.
      Along with teacher Patty Bears, the 11 students in the Skill Streaming class planned to spend $30 during their regular Wednesday shopping trip on games, crayons and toys for Hoiles to take.
      Nine students in Ben Laird's Cognitive Improvement class went to Wal-Mart before the break to buy bibs to donate.
      "Most of the students' made a selection and some of the parents sent money in," said Laird, who works with developmentally disabled students from around the Traverse Bay Area Intermediate School District.
      Laird also turned the upcoming mission trip into a learning experience for his students.
      "We located it [Guatemala] on the map and saw how far away it is from us and we talked about how the kids are very poor there and don't have many things," he noted.
      Hoiles will travel to the mountains of Chimaltenango in Guatemala for ten days, leaving on April 20. Deanna Lynch of Lake Ann, who previously traveled to that country as part of a mission trip with her former church in Minnesota, will accompany her. After moving to the area last year, Lynch told members of the Lake Ann United Methodist Church, where both she and Hoiles worship, about her travels.
      She described the work of a missionary couple in Guatemala and how her Minnesota church had supported their efforts to provide stable, Christ-centered homes for homeless boys as well as training in a trade. The couple, Becky and Dave Dvorak, also minister to boys in the streets and in prison; they have adopted six of the boys as well.
      Hoiles decided to accompany Lynch and the Minnesotans on this year's expedition. The mission in 2005 will be to build a home for HIV-positive babies as well as reach out to homeless boys on the streets and boys in prison.
      Reluctant to ask for help but determined to help these needy boys, Hoiles sent a letter describing her upcoming journey and the project to 12-15 friends. Her distribution included two secretaries at Central High School with whom she worked closely for years. They posted the opportunity to contribute on the school's website and classrooms like Baers' and Laird's began organizing.
      "This whole thing exploded," Hoiles noted.
      Cash donations have been coming in to help, most sent to her in care of her church.
      "I have $2,000 worth of cash going over there any day now to start buying building supplies," she said. "I know I have $300 of it from the school, I'm sure mostly from adults but not all."
      Hoiles will be taking a 'monster-sized' duffel bag with her, stuffed with donated items. She also plans to use most of her suitcase space to bring more things to the babies and boys, packing only the bare minimum for herself. Some items she received would not travel well so she plans to donate them to Father Fred or Goodwill.
      "First of all you never expect it and all of a sudden all this outpouring," she said. "Anybody who says, what's with kids today isn't paying much attention. Yes, we have kids who are seeking the wrong ways, but look at what they're doing with open hearts and open hands. God bless these kids."