BARRINGTON, Ill. _ Just before my daughter's wedding, an indulgent trip to the nail salon recently gifted me another great story of the selfless neighbors who live among us.
Over the gentle rumbling of pedicure tubs, Cindy Hesselbein, a Barrington-ian and teacher at Barrington School District 220, shared the exhilaration of her recent mission trip to the Dominican Republic and Jordan with the nonprofit INGAGE Unlimited.
The team was led by Arlington Heights resident Carolyn Muir, who founded the nonprofit with the mission of addressing global needs with resources. The recent mission trip focused on local teachers providing training to other teachers and local teenagers providing leadership training.
Cindy and Cherie Kolder, a former teacher at Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, coordinated the week-long family affair of volunteers, who came from Arlington Heights, Barrington, Bartlett, Elk Grove Village and elsewhere in the Chicago area.
This was Cherie and Cindy's second INGAGE trip to the Dominican Republic. The first trip proved to be an "eye opening" experience for Cindy and a "rewarding and joyful" one for Cherie, both said.
The locale for the trip this year was a Santa Domingo private school that was created by a benefactor who "saw a neighborhood that needed love, a church, school and community," according to Cindy. Adults did academic workshops and social emotional learning. Teens helped with academics, built a sidewalk and painted the playground and classrooms.
"Service projects serve as a way to spend time together," Cindy said. "We want it to be a bridge. We are learning from them as much as they are learning from us."
If that inspirational week wasn't enough, five of the seven women on the trip immediately went to Amman, Jordan, to train 66 teachers. Those who participated included Cherie, Cindy, Carolyn Muir and her daughter, Cassidy, as well as Mary Gibson, who has a Palestinian heritage and speaks Arabic.
A second group, who had served in Egypt, met up with them and did professional development and coaching. That group included Carolyn's husband, Cameron, and her son, Caleb, as well as Brian Eckhaus, of Algonquin, and Fady Eldeiry, of Chicago.
Because the trip revolved around workshops, the teachers brought locally donated materials with them. But they eventually ran out and ended up hunting for supplies in stores at Jordan.
"We made a little shop owner's day," Cindy recalled, laughing.
Yet, despite the issues, Cherie said, "When we left we made sure all of the women could go home with what they made."
Cindy and Cherie also agreed that language was the only barrier during the trip.
"When we were training, it was a room of Muslim and Christian female teachers," Cindy said. "Because of the language gap, it took a little more time to get to know them, but the women who spoke English helped with that. The teachers were actually warm and friendly _ even outspoken and proud."
Cherie added, "We talked about their dreams and what inspired them to become teachers."
The team also helped serve 150 Syrian refugee women and children, and raised money for food, diapers and cleaning supplies.
"It was rather surreal when we were handing out supplies to Muslim women in a Christian church and the call to prayer was sounding in the background from a local mosque. ... It was just woman to woman, and your heart went out for them," Cherie said.
Cherie said they also compared teaching mottos.
"The three main rules in District 220 are be respectful, be responsible, be safe. In the Dominican Republic, instead of safe, it was, 'Be tolerant.' In Jordan it was, 'We are equal.' Everybody had to be equal with everyone."
INGAGE's next fundraiser happens Sept. 27 at Stonegate Conference and Banquet Centre in Hoffman Estates. The dinner will feature a silent auction with an international flair.
Tickets are $50 each, and guests will receive a "passport" to see what the teachers experienced, Cindy said. Roslyn Elementary School teacher Sharon Kranz also has been busy making vignettes from each country.
INGAGE's trips are self-funded by teachers and students, and the nonprofit welcomes donations. Information on how to donate can be found at www.ingageunlimited.org.
"We are super excited about the rest of the teams traveling this summer and looking forward to sharing more about the work of our partners at the benefit in September," Carolyn Muir said.
