Abolishing Abuse in El Paso, Texas

The Trip That Changed Our Lives...

Top Back Row (left to right): Kenny, Anjali, Ruchika, Jen, Ayushi, Amy, Cecilia (e-board member)

Middle Row: Shannon, Zina, Sarah, Ashlea (staff member)

Bottom Front Row: Scott (sight leader), Emily (sight leader)

Left to right: Scott, Ashlea, Cecilia, Emily

While countless students returned to school with new tans and well-rested minds after a relaxing spring break, I along with my 12 group members returned with permanently changed lives. During our RUAB trip entitled Abolishing Abuse, Amending a Life we served the Child Crisis Center of El Paso, a foundation that protects children from abuse and neglect by providing shelter, advocacy, and family support services. The Child Crisis Center offers a loving environment which strives to reunite families and eliminate abuse. Working at the center with the children and the staff members was all we had dreamed of and more.

We arrived in Texas on a beautiful Sunday morning with the sun brightly shining and not a cloud in the sky. Despite the fact that we had just traveled for the last 10 hours and were largely sleep deprived (due to the fact that the journey began in the airport at 2AM), everyone was excited and flooded with a new wave of energy as soon as we stepped off the plane. No one in our group had ever been to El Paso, and we were all eager to see a part of the country so foreign to us. While we knew that the region would be mountainous, everyone was taken aback by the enormous mountain ranges into which the city had interwoven itself. Everywhere we looked it seemed as if the mountains were reaching into the sky and towering over us. At times the mountains’ peaks disappeared into the clouds and it became impossible to see where earth ended and sky began. The magnificent landscape filled us with awe; although we saw it every day for a whole week, it never failed to amaze us.

 When it's Cloudy...

A Pit-Stop on our Drive Home from the Child Crisis Center

That first day consisted of unpacking, exploring the city, and settling in to the hospitable Texan lifestyle. Every RUAB trip has a free day, and our free day happened to be that first Sunday. However, before we could jump into all of the exciting events we had planned for the day, we needed to unload our luggage at the University Presbyterian Church – our lodging for the next week. The church, like the mountains, surpassed all of our expectations. When we heard that we were staying in a “church basement,” we didn’t expect the “basement” to be a beautiful, open room with expansive windows covering a wall. The rest of the church was just as pristine as this room and provided the most comfortable and welcoming home-away-from-home that anyone could have asked for.

Wyler Aerial Tramway: Checked off the Bucket List 

After unpacking, our exploration of El Paso commenced! During our pre-trip meetings we had agreed to spend the free day visiting the Franklin Mountains State Park and going on the Wyler Aerial Tramway, a must-do activity for all tourists visiting El Paso. As it turned out, the park was situated in the midst of tall mountains overlooking the city, and the aerial tramway brought us to the highest peak from which we observed a breathtaking view of Texas, Mexico, and New Mexico. Even Ashlea and Shannon – who are afraid of heights – successfully made it up and down the mountain and stated “it was definitely worth it.” After completing a full day's worth of sight-seeing, we returned to the church and made our first family dinner: "breakfast for dinner"!

Pictures on a Mountain = Lots of Wind and Excitement

All in all, it was a great start to an even greater week. The next morning, after a much-needed restoring sleep, we awoke to another beautiful day with excitement and anticipation coursing through our bodies; at last we would be going to the Child Crisis Center and meeting the brave children we had heard so much about. After eating a quick breakfast and drinking our essential fills of coffee – for some of us – we loaded into Scott and Emily’s rented minivans, which served as our week’s primary mode of transportation. Within 20 minutes we arrived at the center, and that is where our lives would become permanently changed.

From Monday to Friday, we worked in the Child Crisis Center from 10AM to 7PM. While a majority of our service pertained to working directly with the children, we also served by organizing and cleaning the center, working at a partnering thrift store, and engaging in manual labor. To say the least, our service encompassed a wide range of activities, and all of it uniquely enriched our lives. While it’s easy to overlook the importance of cleaning or organizing a room, our group always remained cheerful. We understood that all service is valuable because it ultimately contributes to a safe environment and saves time and money for the Child Crisis Center.

 Sorting Load upon Load of Clothes

 Anjali and Ayushi Taking Charge of the Books, Magazines, etc.

Best Dressed & Most Spirited: Sarah and Scott

Out of all of the valuable service we did, our group was, nevertheless, most deeply moved by directly working with the children of the Crisis Center. On day one at the center, the first two children we saw and interacted with were Cyprus and Ashley. Cyprus, a 9-year-old boy genius with the manners of a chivalrous gentleman, instantly put smiles on all of our faces and didn’t hesitate to beat us in board games (poor Scott was demolished in checkers). Ashley – an adorable 3-year-old immediately won all of our hearts simply by looking at us with her big, beautiful eyes. Later that day we also met Isaac (Ashley’s brother), who – like his sister – is quiet and shy but a happy sweetheart, and Xavier, who is a spirited and carefree boy with a large, caring heart. Sarah, who plans to be a Special Education teacher, immediately got along with Xavier and built a strong relationship with him throughout the week. Watching her interact with Xavier was inspirational and made it obvious to us all that she would undoubtedly fulfill her career goals.

 One of the many activities we did: Paper Mache Eggs for Easter! 

A Perfect Morning for Playground Fun (especially Slide Races)

Throughout the next few days, more kids arrived at the center. The new children included Zachary, Sadie, and Tristen (three siblings), Hannah and Dylan (siblings), Noemi and Brian (siblings), and Destiny and Luis (siblings). With the influx of children, our group members were able to have more one-on-one time with the kids, which allowed for various different individual relationships to bloom. For example, Shannon and Kenny were absolutely amazing with the younger children like Sadie and Tristen, as were Anjali and Cecilia. I found that I was becoming continuously closer with Noemi – who always wanted to be held – and her brother, who was shyer but just as loving. In addition to these relationships, countless other bonds were built between my group members and the kids; so many bonds were made, that it would be impossible to name them all.

Overall, the week presented us with so much more than we had anticipated. Not only did we experience new children arriving at the center, but we experienced children leaving. One day – which was likely the most difficult and upsetting day for us all – a child’s parent came and forcefully demanded to have her child removed from the center. After extensive debate, the child eventually left with his parent. Before leaving, the child hugged us goodbye and left us a note with his signature and drawings. His leaving left a hole within all of our hearts but he would never leave our memories. That day we made the terrifying realization that although we want all of the children to leave the center and reunite with their families, it may actually be healthier and safer for the children to remain within the center’s care. This paradoxical realization burdens all of our minds and illuminated a problematic issue, which we realize may never be fully fixed.

Nevertheless, despite our heavy hearts, we remained positive and optimistic. We hoped and prayed that children leaving the center, such as the one that we befriended, would enter a happier and healthier lifestyle than the one they initially had upon entering the center. Our hope for the children’s well-being in the present and future is a hope that we will maintain forever. While we realize that abuse and mistreatment of children is a terrible issue that cannot be cured within one mere week - let alone a century - we understand that every effort, no matter how small, is important. All seemingly small actions truly make a difference; by raising awareness about the problem, we encourage others to examine their own behavior and may even cause them to become involved in aiding the cause. Ultimately, there are no limits to service. All service has value, which is a concept that we definitely learned throughout our trip.

Our service throughout the trip and interactions with the children has undoubtedly shaped our lives and helped us grow. Although the experience included upsetting and heartbreaking realizations, our group remained positive and just as strong as the brave children that we were serving. As Dave Nabours – the shelter supervisor – said “while we cannot replace blood, we can plant a seed of love within the children’s hearts.” That is precisely what we did; we planted seeds of love and hoped that they would blossom and enrich the children’s lives, just as they had enriched ours. Although it was a short week, we had all gained many years’ worth of experiences. Interacting with these brave and inspiring children touched our lives and has left everlasting fingerprints on all of our hearts.

Family photo (taken at University of Texas in El Paso)

El Paso, we will miss you!

RUAB Atlanta: ImPEACHing Poverty

Day 1 AM: Our Alternative Breaks trip to Atlanta, Georgia began with a trip to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Center. It is a museum that showcases MLK's life, his struggle, his successes and of course his movement; his efforts to change the world that began with the simple desire for his fellow brothers and sisters to be called "Sir" and "Ma'am" and given the curtesy and kindness that all humans deserve. The trip to the center included a movie that reminded and enlightened us of his history and a walk around the exhibit. Overall it was emotional and almost overwhelming to be so close and connected to such an important part of history; we could appreciate the struggle and grasp the impact of his heroic efforts on a personal level. It is much different to be taught about this history and then actually visit the site, such as his birth home and his Church Ebenezer; it makes things tangible and gives you a bit of perspective. It really set the tone for our week long trip of service and finding the courage to help others. 

Day 1 PM: Our first service was with a group called Books for Africa where we helped sort through boxes of books. In simple terms, this organization sorts through thousands of books and ships them off to African countries so that they may have greater sources of education; however it was much more complex than that. One of the members of the organization was a parttimer who bled passion for this cause, and was very inspiring to listen to. He explained how the simple act of reading books for these readers in Ghana, Ethiopia and more, could actually change the world. Not only are these readers given the chance to advance their knowledge and education, but they are given an opportunity to escape in a story; which in turn fosters imagination. From this growth of imagination, hope is developed in the readers for a better society, for more opportunity, for the chance to make their and their families' lives a little better; the readers will have the drive to then to transform their laws and lives. The readers are transformed into wise adults who know there are better ways than what they are being given. As our host said, "No one is going to corrupt books" so hopefully their readings will lead to a reformed lifestyle; one without corruption but opportunity and justice.  

Day 2 AM: We arrived at Senior Connections, a organization/company who's goal is to feed the elderly on a daily basis. We had the opportunity to package food, make boxes and arrange the boxes with the meals for the day. What makes this organization rather unique, is the healthiness and nutritional value found in every meal. But it does not stop there; there is an overwhelming depth of care and kindness that went into making, packaging and delivering to the seniors. It is not so much a job for the workers and volunteers, but a lifestyle caring for the seniors. Their goal is to make sure the seniors do not feel isolated or lonely; in fact most of the delivery workers have become close friends with their clients. Interestingly, with this system, seniors can live in their own homes longer adding at least 2 more years in their life span. If that's not caring, I don't know what is. 

Day 2 PM: Our second service project of the day was volunteering at the Centennial Academy, a recently created Charter School. What was so impressive about this school was how they are creating a setting that empowers the students to great heights. The Academy looks to enrich the students, create an equal opportunity environment, regardless of economic status, race or religion; as well, allow the staff to grow into their profession and nurture their passion for teaching. Uniforms are required at the school so that there is a sense of unity and less discrimination socioeconomically. The students are given numerous chances to play sports, learn about music, express their artistic skills and delve into science projects. We were each able to jump into a classroom either in pairs or as singles, and help out for the afternoon. Each classroom had their own rules, some more strict than others, but it was a lot of fun to talk with all the kids and see what they were working on. Almost ironically, some classes were working on MLK projects so we were able to share our experience from our trip to the center. All of the students were adorable and it was amazing to hear them talk about their future aspirations; from being teachers and football players, to engineers and nurses. Once school ended, we went to the YMCA after school program where we helped out with snack time, homework and dinner. Overall, it was mighty impressive to see the work put in to make this school the best it can be. It really resonated with their motto: Heroes today, but legends tomorrow.     

Day 3 AM: Nutritional value and tasty food is hard to come by, let alone cheap and for those in need. Fortunately, this company specializes in just that. Open Hand makes food for seniors, those terminally ill or with a chronic disease, as well as those wanting a better eating lifestyle. Open Hand is open 7 days a week starting their day at 4am. With new meals daily, and rarely ever repeating a recipe, clients get their meals hot, healthy, and homemade. In addition, the delivery service is above and beyond and solely volunteer base. Members come in each day and spend their time delivering each meal and practically becoming family members with the client. We spent the morning packaging, weighing and organizing the meals for the day. It was a very upbeat kitchen and all of the staff members were friendly and passionate about their work. Such passion is rare to find, and super refreshing to see. 

Day 3 PM: The afternoon consisted of a trip to Gateway Center, a center that helps the homeless. Homelessness has a stigma; a stigma that those who are homeless chose it; they are lazy, stupid and ignorant; they ran away from home and weren't smart enough to figure out a better lifestyle. But, that is not always the case. In fact, the majority have numerous health concerns, suffering from diseases and mental disorders, an unsupportive household, victims of abuse or sometimes just bad luck. Luckily, this center in Atlanta (and huge shoutout to Bec for such a positive, empowering and informative intro and closing session and a huge thank you for being so raw and honest) is looking to overcome homelessness and care and raise those suffering from it. They have programs and sermons set up so that the homeless can begin to be integrated back into society. It was awe-inspiring to listen to Bec and learn about the depth it takes to rid homelessness by being less judgmental, more understanding of circumstances and going out of the way to simply listen. We had the pleasure of painting nails for the homeless and making new posters for the center. The posters were created in the hope of brightening the center with either cheeky messages or one with an MLK quote to express a lil' bit of faith. The nail painting session was a great opportunity to listen to the homeless, discover their stories and give them a little pick-me-up. Because in the end, everyone deserves a chance to be better and redeem themselves; you just need to open your heart to the character of a person, not their situation.   

Day 4: Our fourth day we revisited Senior Connections and Centennial Academy. Quoting from our site leaders we used, "this opportunity of revisiting a site to make it better there the first time and do things we may not have done the first day. It was a test to be in the moment." With this in mind we changed up the stations we were at from the former day and were really involved in the food packaging activity. We got to know the fellow workers and volunteers and hear their stories on how they became involved. In the afternoon we headed over to the school; it was exciting for the kids to yell at all of us, "You came back!" because it showed they were just as happy to have us as we were to be there. Overall, it was such a positive time and as the coordinator stated, "It is really nice for the young students to see college kids so that they know it is possible to get there. That college students actually exist." It was really enjoyable to revisit two of our sites and see familiar faces. 

Day 5 AM: One of our last services was probably the most different from all the other ones we were involved with. Cafe 458 is a restaurant that serves lunch to the homeless, but with a twist. With the idea of Service with Dignity, this restaurant gives the homeless an opportunity to sit down for their meal and have waiters bring their food out. Half of us helped with setting the restaurant up for it lunch by setting the tables, making the food and drinks, and giving out the food and waitering. Others helped sort through donated clothing and filing. This restaurant is giving the homeless a chance to integrate back into society and do something that many other civilians do on a regular basis: sit down and order lunch at a restaurant. One of the other volunteers was a man who was serving his community service and he even plans to continue to volunteer after his hours are done. This just shows you that good things can come from bad situations. Tina, the chef and one of the leaders of this program, was very passionate about making the homeless clients feel empowered; you can even taste the love that Tina poured into the food as she cooked everything for the meal. She obviously knows that everything taste better when it's made with love. 

Day 5 PM: Our afternoon service took place at Buckhead Christian Ministry. This food pantry is especially large because a couple of the surrounding ministries and churches all contribute to this one food pantry. We split into groups for this project where half of us filed papers for a program that is helping people learn about managing their money and getting jobs, while the others sorted the food. This indirect service was more relaxed then our previous activities and it was a good ending to our week long service.

Say hello to our amazing site leaders Shireena and Andrew. 

After packaging and making over 2000 meals, going through 100s of books, filing pounds of papers, and connecting with dozens of individuals, our group learned a lot about helping urban poverty, the Atlanta community and also ourselves. We learned that we had the ability to perform both direct and indirect services, make a difference just by listening to others, be more compassionate and kind and find things we as individuals find fun, inspiring and valuable. We had the pleasure of listening to a guest speaker, Mr. Blake Canterbury and he explained, "Do something. Because nothing gets you no where." He described his highs and lows of starting a nonprofit and then it being taken away. His idea BeRemedy, cliche as it may be, began on twitter.

Though losing his company could have been the last point we took away from his speech, it wasn't. It was really quite the opposite. It was the fact that he had an idea and made it epic; he worked from the heart and, though it can sound overly ambitious, he helped lives and changed the world. Ultimately he shared with us that we can make a small project into a worldly action, even make it epic. Just make sure you live what you love. 

We thoroughly enjoyed tasting Georgia pizza, but nothing beats good old Jersey pies. 

A visit to Dr. MLK jr's Church and below his birth home.

Two members in action with leading worker Moe. 

Centennial Academy's motivational poster. 

Did someone say selfie!

Enjoying some southern eating. 

The whole tray of Broccoli cauliflower and cheese was gone, it was that good. 

Street Art in Atlanta.

View of Atlanta, from 74 floors up!. 

A visit to the CNN headquarters.

We would like to shout out to and thank Medici Project, PJ + Andrew, for spending the week with us and taking care of us; we loved our experience with you! As well, thank you to each service: Books for Africa, Senior Connections, Centennial Academy, Open Hand, Gateway Center, Cafe 458, and Buckhead Christian Ministry. It was inspirational to work with all of you. 

I believe that my group and I, to honor our experience, will continue to serve; it doesn't need to be too big or small it just needs to come from the heart. And we encourage everyone to get active. Just think, if you don't take on a service, who will? 

photos taken by our group
January 11-13, 2015
Atlanta, Georgia
Rutgers University
Alternative Breaks