Over Spring Break, 25 members of a campus group called The Frasority embarked on a journey south of the border to aid orphans.
Equipped with $700 in donations from private donors and 20 bags containing clothes and toys for the children in the Orfanotorio Emmanuel Orphanage, the group flew to San Diego and rode a bus to La Gloria, Mexico, just south of Tijuana.
La Gloria was chosen due to its proximity to the California-Mexico border.
“We wanted to do something fun and cheap,” said senior accounting major Michelle Montgomery of the trip.
The trip stemmed from an idea that came up last year and is Frasority members’ first trip of its kind in the group’s four-year history.
Members spent their days doing everything from playing with the children and helping with their homework to grocery shopping and purchasing tables for the children to eat their meals on.
One of the biggest challenges members faced during the trip was the language barrier. No one within the orphanage spoke English, so the group of 25 relied on two members fluent in Spanish to communicate with employees and children in the orphanage.
While the orphanage conditions weren’t deplorable, they were definitely “shabby,” said Brandon Welch, a senior in biology who is the founder and president of The Frasority.
Many mattresses were placed on milk crates and the grounds were surrounded by a cement yard.
The majority of the residents were between the ages of two and 10, and many did not attend school on a daily basis.
Despite their circumstances, trip participants said the children were in good spirits.
“Every one of the kids was truly happy. They were always smiling,” Montgomery said.
In what Montgomery said was “the highlight of the trip,” a woman seated next to one of the group members on their flight back to Salt Lake City became interested in their cause. She is now working with information provided by The Frasority to adopt two children from the orphanage.
“Going on trips like this makes you realize a lot of things you’ve taken for granted,” Welch said. “It makes you a better person.”
While both Montgomery and Welch are graduating seniors this semester, they said they hope to have started a new tradition to be carried on by current and future members of the group.