by Sharon LeDuc
We asked Sharon LeDuc, an Asheville resident, Senderos supporter, and proud member of the Rotary Club of Asheville, to share her thoughts about why she supports Senderos. (pictured 3rd from the right, back)
“After three visits to Senderos-supported programs in Guatemala, I speak truth when I say that I experienced beauty, hospitality, gratitude, and hope each time. Each visit is a treasured experience which broadened my learning and thus, my understanding.
The school facility is amazing, and I am so proud to have contributed to its existence. Classrooms are clean and colorfully decorated. The music students are gifted and play their music with love and enthusiasm. The mothers contribute their skill in making jewelry and beautiful embroidered shirts to sell and thus contribute to supporting the education of their children. They are gracious in sharing their culture with us. They guided us as best they could when we cooked lunch. We watched them weave and make jewelry which are skills of their culture. We even tried to learn a bit of their native Mayan dialect. It is very challenging!
Sometimes people have asked me, “Wouldn’t there be more benefit if, instead of actually traveling to Guatemala, all that money was donated to Senderos?” ABSOLUTELY NOT!
In traveling there is defnitely benefit to the traveler, e.g. the beauty and majesty of Guatemala: the flowers, Lake Atitlán, the volcanoes, the history, the music, the coffee. And there is benefit to the students as we take needed supplies. However, building relationships with the students is the greatest benefit. Though brief, these experiences have a lasting effect.
The joy of students receiving a learning tool makes me smile, inside and out. For example, the personal whiteboards with colored markers which we gave students on the visit in March 2024 were very special. The students, excited with them, immediately put them to use. I was delighted when a student wrote a message on his new whiteboard. His message is the same as mine and expresses gratitude in sharing joy. For me, the experiences of each trip to visit Senderos in Guatemala pass the four-way Rotary Club test: 1) Is it the truth?, 2) Is it fair to all concerned?, 3) Will it build good will and better friendships, and 4) Will it be beneficial to all concerned? Think about that!!”
