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Nursing student: Haiti is ‘an experience I will never forget’

MUH students to share details of mission trip today  at Egghead Cafe.

Miami University Hamilton’s AmeriCorps*VISTA Community Placement Coordinator Jessica Reading (from left) and nursing students Allison Konrad and Brittany Zimmerman pose with a Haitian teen who helped them at one of the medical clinics.

Contributed photo Miami University Hamilton’s AmeriCorps*VISTA Community Placement Coordinator Jessica Reading (from left) and nursing students Allison Konrad and Brittany Zimmerman pose with a Haitian teen who helped them at one of the medical clinics.

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By Richard O Jones, Staff Writer 1:53 AM Thursday, July 29, 2010

HAMILTON — Three Miami University Hamilton nursing students will share their experiences as volunteers in the island nation of Haiti, still recovering from a devastating earthquake six months ago, at a special Egghead Cafe program.

Jeff Gambrell, Allison Konrad and Brittany Zimmerman will share the photos they took during an informal discussion that will be moderated by Jessica Reading, Miami Hamilton’s AmeriCorps*VISTA community placement coordinator, from noon to 1 p.m. today, July 29, at Miami Hamilton Downtown, 221 High St.

Financial and logistical support for the mission, which took place July 11-18, was provided by the Fairfield and Hamilton Rotary Clubs in collaboration with Caring Partners International. With the students was Mark Keoninger, director of international programs for the Fairfield Rotary Club, and Dr. Robert Lerer, a Fairfield pediatrician and Butler County health commissioner.

“It proved to be a fulfilling, yet heart-wrenching experience. It was truly a trip I’ll never forget,” said Gambrell, a political science major and an active member of Miami Hamilton’s Rotaract Club, the college version of Rotary International. “The destruction was evident as soon as we stepped off the plane.”

Each member of the team carried a duffel bag filled with medicine and medical supplies, which represented the bulk of their flight luggage. In one week, Lerer and the volunteer team treated more than 1,100 patients at five makeshift clinics in different parts of Haiti. The 13-member team stayed at Destiny Village, an orphanage in the village of Pierre Payen.

Reading said the medical mission was coordinated through the efforts of the Fairfield Rotary Club in hopes of establishing partners to brainstorm ideas for sustainability, and figure out how Rotary’s efforts can contribute to the long-term change needed in Haiti.

“Miami Hamilton’s Rotaract students and members of the Fairfield Rotary Club met with the Rotary Club of Haiti, with each group feeling empowered by the desire to make a positive impact in an overwhelmingly distressed place,” she said.

Zimmerman said that through the collaborative efforts of Rotary, Miami University and Caring Partners, the team was able to accomplish its goals of conducting medical clinics, serving others, and making a difference in people’s lives.

“We saw hardship, turmoil, and injustice throughout every city, street and village we traveled to. We accomplished a great experience that is difficult to explain in words, pictures, and even videos. This is a trip you have to witness yourself in order for it to make an impact in your life,” Zimmerman said.

“Returning home, I notice myself continuously thinking about what I can do to help the Haitians. There is unfinished business there and we have to return to help those people,” she said. “Haiti is an experience I will never forget and will be in my heart forever.”

Konrad said serving in Haiti taught her a lot about who she wants to be.

“I know realistically that I may not be able to rebuild a nation, reform a government, or end world suffering,” she said. “I can, on the other hand, have a direct impact on improving the lives of individuals, who in turn may go out and do the same for others.

“Not only does this leave a lasting legacy, but it also makes for a rewarding, fulfilling, and well-spent life,” Konrad said.

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