BJ Perkins works in the foster home garden

UNC Asheville political science major B.J. Perkins has had his share of relaxing spring breaks, but for his senior year he decided to use the week off from classes to help make the world a better place. Perkins and 13 additional UNC Asheville students traveled to South America last month to volunteer at the Highlands Bolivian Mission (HBM). The charitable organization, based in Highlands, N.C., operates a medical and dental clinic, foster home, house building program, prison outreach and woodshop in Montero, Bolivia. Students helped with all aspects of HBM's work and also provided the first lead testing in the community.

Perkins learned some construction skills and picked up a few Spanish phrases during the trip. He worked with a team laying bricks to rebuild a classroom damaged by a recent flood, and helped students in the orphanage with their English and computer classes.

Perkins had traveled to South America before for surfing and sight-seeing but he stressed that this time he wasn't on a tourist outing.

"This trip made me reevaluate my personal values," he said. "For me, it was a very humbling offering of my time and energy but I gained so much in turn. That's why this kind of volunteerism is called 'service-learning,' because that's exactly what it is."

The trip has left a lasting impact on Perkins. After graduation next month, he will take a year off before heading to law school. During that time, he plans to return to HBM to continue his volunteer work.

Sarah Buchenberger conducts lead tests

Perkins wasn't the only one who was deeply affected by the experience.

Pre-med student Sarah Buchenberger applied her interest in medicine and her knowledge of Spanish to assist with lead testing during the trip, and was pushed beyond personal boundaries.

"The trip was a very good experience because it put me in unfamiliar and uncomfortable situations. At times, I was deeply challenged," she said. "But I knew before I left home that this work would be difficult and that's why I chose to go. It helped me measure my reactions under stress, which is important as I prepare for medical school."

Buchenberger joined Linda Block, UNC Asheville's Lead Poisoning Prevention Program Coordinator, in conducting the first lead testing in the community. On the first day of the trip, Block educated the UNC Asheville student volunteers as well as local doctors and nurses about potential lead sources and health effects. The next day, after a hands-on training for nurses with the new lead-test kits, they fanned out into the schools and homes to check blood lead levels in children and in household items.

Linda Block (bottom right) with students and nurses

The testers found some suspicious sources of lead in water spigots, bowls and batteries. Then they were able to instruct families on how to reduce their exposure. The time working in homes throughout the community also provided ample opportunities to educate parents about the dangers of lead to children. UNC Asheville students were involved in every step of the process.

"I'm always impressed by UNC Asheville students and I am even more so after this trip," Block said. "They were ready, willing and able to help others and really wanted to make a difference. They tried new things, stretched themselves and opened up to accepting differences in the world."

The students' trip to Bolivia was funded, in part, through UNC Asheville's new Mountains to the World Travel Fund. The Fund was created in fall 2007 through a grant from the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina to make international volunteerism a reality for UNC Asheville students. The $100,000 anonymous gift provides a stipend for travel to destinations around the globe, allowing students to experience new cultures while volunteering to help the neediest people in those countries.