Awarded the Ambassador Scholarship Grant by the Department of State, Greenheart is sponsoring a dozen participants awarded Ambassador scholarships due to their record of community service back home. One participant from Papua New Guinea, Zaffocca Injo, joined a volunteer group from a local church in Wisconsin and traveled to Spruce Pine, North Carolina on a mission trip. She volunteered to help rebuild a community badly damaged by Hurricane Helene. Zaffocca spent 66 hours restoring an elementary school and houses.
Let’s learn about Zaffocca’s volunteering experience!
Hello from Spruce Pine, North Carolina!
It has been a busy few months here in the States. Definitely a whirlwind of excitement, new experiences and growth. When I first came in October, I had no idea of what was in store. After almost four months, I can say that my time in the US was an overall very positive experience. Being placed in a resort in a remote part of Wisconsin was initially a challenge. It was hard to find places to volunteer and people to engage with. Gradually, more of my Greenheart Ambassador friends arrived in Lake Geneva. We got out more and I started to see more more of the community.
Volunteering Opportunity!
We found a beautiful local church in Williams Bay. One of the elderly couples at the church ran an Outreach Clothing Center. The Center gave clothes away for free to the homeless and needy. Seeing this great opportunity, I volunteered on days off-work in December and January. It was great to meet people who cared about other people enough to help and do something for them. It was great fun, really.
The church attended posted a notice that they needed volunteers to go on a mission trip to North Carolina. There had been a hurricane in North Carolina in September 2024. Many families and communities were still very much in need of help. I was stoked! Here was an opportunity for me to get out of my comfort zone and do something amazing. I signed up the very next minute. Here I am in a small town called Spruce Pine in the northern part of North Carolina. I’m doing my best to bring a devastated community back together.
Caravan of Cars for Volunteers!
The church arranged a caravan of cars for the 14 volunteers who chose to sign up. We brought backpacks, sleeping bags, and working boots. We are being housed by a local church at Spruce Pine, using their study/classrooms as bedrooms. Our team has begun by helping to renovate an empty school building into a housing facility for many incoming volunteers. The volunteer work is strenuous and tiring. However, it is a comfort to know that many people will benefit from what we are doing.
This trip serves as a reminder that there are less-privileged people who are in worse situations. I should always do what I can to show empathy and help them as best as I can.
Thank you, Zaffocca, for sharing your inspiring volunteering experience with us! We wish you a wonderful rest of your Work and Travel Program!
Learn more about the Ambassador Scholarship Fund.
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