Mi casa es su casa, nuestra casa

Some Peninsula students volunteer their time to give back to communities near and far. Over the spring break, junior Michael DiMatteo and freshman Mariah Watts traveled with 50 members of their church, The River, to Ensenada, Mexico. Working with the organization Baja Bound, the group’s goal was to build a home for a small family there.

“[The family was] living in a very poor region in Ensenada, [Mexico],” DiMatteo said. “They were living in really bad conditions.”

After nearly three days, the group succeeded in constructing a 16 by 20 foot frame house for the family.

DiMatteo said that he learned to value the comforts of having a home after being a participant in building one himself.
Watts volunteers often and said that volunteering has taught her to not take the small things for granted.“[The experience] made me appreciate the people who build houses and what they do and how much work goes into it,” DiMatteo said.

“When I come back from either working at the hospital or from overseas or anywhere, you feel different and you want to help people again,” Watts said. “You [volunteer] and you think you’re going to change something, but ultimately you get changed.”

While Watts enjoys volunteering outside of the U.S., she encourages others to lend a hand locally as well.

“I would tell people to get involved with their community,” Watts said, “because there are always little things right where you live and you don’t really realize.”

The River has made multiple trips to Mexico in the past three years and hopes to continue with its mission work in the future.