Recently, Olancho Aid Foundation welcomed back four volunteer alumni who all taught for a year in Santa Clara classrooms. Here is a note from one of them, Dana, describing her experience returning as a mission team member:Going back to Honduras with some of my roommates and co-teachers from the 2014-2015 school year was one I will never forget! At times it felt like we had never left, but it was also great to see the progress that the Olancho Aid Foundation has made over the past few years. … [Read more...]
Joy and Inspiration from St. Philip’s
Joy is the word that keeps popping up for Pat Thompson when she describes her experience in Honduras.Pat was introduced to Olancho Aid about 5 years ago, through a neighboring parish, Holy Family Catholic Church of Brentwood, TN. She joined their mission team so she could participate in the group's clean water initiatives in Honduras. When she returned from the trip, she was full of joy and inspiration. That inspiration turned her into the leader of a mission from her home parish, St. Philip … [Read more...]
Advice from a Team Leader of 25 Years
Advice from a Team Leader of 25 Years In 1993, Mary Roy reluctantly traveled to Olancho, Honduras after being asked by a friend who needed a female chaperone for his mission team. She describes those 10 days as “life-changing” and says she knew right away she would return, but could not have imagined she would lead 26 teams over the next 25 years.What keeps her coming back? On average, Mary’s teams consist of 15-18 people, some return year after year and others are “newbies.” Both the … [Read more...]
Woman on a Mission
At age 17, Hannah made a decision. She was at the end of a 10-day trip as a member of her godmother’s mission team. Full of energy and passion about the experience, Hannah knew that this first visit to Honduras would not be her last. She decided then to lead a team herself so she could share the experience with even more people in her community.It’s hard to say if right then she truly understood what it would take to lead a team. She’d need to inspire a group of people to join her, seek … [Read more...]
My experience during Mission California 2017
Mission California was more than a beautiful and priceless experience of traveling with my friends, it was an experience where I gained a lot of knowledge and got to know a lot of other cultures in the world. I learned a lot about education in the United States and also about the different behaviors and talents of the students of Sonoma Academy in Santa Rosa. I think all my expectations were fulfilled, and I felt also very proud of representing my family, my school, and my country.Our … [Read more...]
“Honduras Mission Trips are Transforming Lives” – Tennessee Register
In January, Bishop Bonello of Juticalpa joined Olancho Aid's executive director, Carlos Najera, and director of advancement, Jessica Santavy, to visit several parishes and high schools near Nashville. During their visit to Father Ryan High School, which has organized student mission trips, they were invited to speak with a representative from the Tennessee Register about Olancho Aid's work. " Mission trips can take different forms depending on each group’s focus and talent, and could include a … [Read more...]