My name is Eric Reutter, and I would like to take a second to tell you how easy it is to form an Esperanza volunteer group. First, I should back up for a moment. I am currently the long-term volunteer in Tijuana, and I have been
When I say that
organizing an Esperanza group is easy I, of course, understand that putting together a volunteer group from the United States to spend a week in Mexico has its inherent challenges. The easy part is that there are so many tools available to those with the desire to bring a
group down.coming down as a participant/l
That is where my job starts. I am here to give the most thorough and complete information to any volunteer with even the slightest inkling of bringing their friends/colleagues/associates down to Tijuana.eader on Esperanza trips for the past 8 years. I am currently the Alumni Trips Coordinator for the Esperanza Alumni Association (EAA). If there is one passion I have in this life, besides being part of bucket lines here in Tijuana, it is for organizing Esperanza volunteer groups.
There are many people who have made such groups, and who have invaluable experiences fundraising, trip-planning, and promoting. All of these leaders have shared with me that
they would be glad to pass on any information to those who would like to form new groups. On top of all that, we have the Esperanza network of volunteers, in which we can help promote and assist the trip process.
Without going further into all the details about planning a trip, I will just say this: If you are like me and have been changed by the Esperanza experience; if you feel like I felt, that you need to share that experience with others: don’t hesitate to act on that impulse.
When I first formed a group I wondered if it would be worth it; if I would recruit enough people or be able to plan everything correctly. When I finally organized a trip and saw how i
t impacted the participants as much as it impacted me, I realized something important. No matter what the uncertainty, having someone’s life dramatically affected by an Esperanza experience is well worth the risk.
-Eric
Contact eric.reutter@esperanzaint.org
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