An Enlightened Spring Break: Service In Guatemala

By Jan Howard

A student’s interest in other cultures has led to a week-long ministry that will take her and a team of 11 others to Guatemala to help Habitat for Humanity volunteers build a house.

Beth Ruscoe of Newtown, a senior at Fordham University, will be in San Marcos, Guatemala, from March 10 to 18 as part of a Global Outreach Program of Campus Ministry.

The program provides worldwide service opportunities to students, faculty, and staff. By serving in the local area and in the developing parts of the world, participants enrich their cultural vision and come to a deeper understanding of the Christian principle of justice, a vital part of the Jesuit education.

The activities of each project vary, ranging from tutoring children to working in hospices or building homes for those in need.

The project in Guatemala is one of the 15 Global Outreach projects offered on Fordham’s Rose Hill and Lincoln Center campuses.

“I’m really excited to be part of this,” Miss Ruscoe said recently. “I can’t think of a better way to spend my last college break.” Outreach programs to Mexico and Nashville, Tenn., were also offered during the university’s spring break.

“I would probably be just as happy to do either of those. But I was drawn to Guatemala,” she said. “I wanted to be away from the United States. I wanted to submerge myself in something entirely foreign.”

Miss Ruscoe, daughter of Dolores and Richard Ruscoe, will leave tomorrow (Saturday) from Newark Airport. After changing planes in Texas, she will fly to Guatemala City. From there it is a six-mile bus ride through the mountains.

“It should be interesting,” Miss Ruscoe said. “The western highlands average over 8,000 feet. It is one of the most beautiful areas of the country.

“I’m really interested in learning about other cultures,” Miss Ruscoe said. “I want to make a difference. After graduation, I’m considering a volunteer service.

“Another volunteer program abroad is my main goal, but I think I will have to work a while to earn money to go. It’s going to happen, I just don’t know when.”

Miss Ruscoe said she is considering volunteering through the Jesuit Volunteer Corp, which is similar to the Peace Corp. She prefers service in South or Latin America. “I think that would be really neat. I’m drawn to Spanish-speaking cultures.

“It is something I feel is important,” she noted. “I know I have a lot going for me. I’m part of one percent of the population that has a college degree.

“I’m concerned about the unequal distribution of wealth. I’m interested in social justice issues.”

Miss Ruscoe believes she will learn to appreciate non-material things through working in Guatemala. “I think I will gain greater appreciation for living simply and learn about the unimportance of material things and consumerism,” she said. “I want to carry that back to the United States with me.”

Miss Ruscoe went through an application and interview process to be considered for the outreach program. She said the four standards of Global Outreach are simplicity, spirituality, community, and culture.

“To participate, you must have an open mind. You have to be receptive to a simple lifestyle. You have to be open to the religious aspects of the culture you are going to,” she said. “You must be willing to work as a community in a cooperative effort. You need to recognize the difference in cultures between the United States and Guatemala and to each other. Most of all you need a sense of humor and patience.”

 Miss Ruscoe is eager to work with Habitat for Humanity. “I’m looking forward to doing manual labor, the physical work of it,” she said. “We’ll be working in solidarity with the people who will be living in the house. It’s an awesome thing.

“We will be working on a house in an impoverished village,” Miss Ruscoe said. “I’m not sure what stage it will be in when we get there.”

To prepare for participation in the Global Outreach project, her team held weekly meetings, went on a spiritual retreat, and did “tons and tons of fundraising,” she said. “The trip costs $1,600 per person, and we must raise it ourselves.”

The group has sponsored “Eat Ups” at $5 each, cleaned student apartments after the Super Bowl for $15 per apartment, and held bake sales. The money raised from team fundraising efforts is divided 12 ways, she said.

If the outreach participants don’t raise enough money through fundraising, “We’re responsible out-of-pocket,” she said. Fundraising is ongoing, and donations can continue to be made after the group returns from Guatemala, she added, at which time she would be reimbursed for her contribution. Anything she raises over the cost of her trip would be split with other members of the team.

Miss Ruscoe said she has received several donations from members of St Rose of Lima Church, where she and her family worship. She is an alumna of St Rose School and was an active member of the parish youth group during high school. “They put my trip in their bulletin, and I received a bunch of donations. I’m halfway there in fundraising. Other people I know have sent donations.”

She is also to receive part of the proceeds from a concert by Dissipated Eight, an a cappella group from Middlebury College in Vermont. Miss Ruscoe and James Dunseith, one of its members, were in the St Rose youth group together.

 Miss Ruscoe said she has not experienced any problem raising money. “There was a great response from the parishioners of St Rose, and I got checks from people I don’t know. It’s so heartwarming.

“I’m leaving it up to Providence, and everything will come out all right,” she said.

The week in Guatemala is not Miss Ruscoe’s first visit to a foreign nation. She spent her spring semester last year studying in Italy. “I had an amazing time in Italy,” she said.

It is also not her first experience with Campus Ministry. During her freshman year, she participated in a weekend at a Native American reservation in upstate New York.

“That’s the way I started college,” Miss Ruscoe said. “I thought this would be a nice way to end my college experience.”

To donate toward Miss Ruscoe’s outreach project, send checks to Global Outreach, c/o Campus Ministry, attention Beth Ruscoe, Fordham University, Bronx, NY 10458.