On Feb. 23, at 7:30 p.m. Damon Arredondo will be presenting his recent trips to Haiti with the Global Orphan Project for a Wednesday Night Wandering by the Outdoor Program.
Arredondo started his journey a year ago with the plan to go to the World Cup in South Africa. The expenses were too much to go see the game, but during his search he discovered the Global Orphan Project.
With the organization only five miles from his hometown of Kansas City, Mo. he went to the see about volunteering.
“I knew I wanted to make a difference,” Arredondo said.
The Global Orphan Project is a global orphan care ministry that mobilizes local churches in some of the poorest areas of the world to care for the needy children in their communities.
“We travel through different orphanages, and bring toys and games to give to the kids,” Arredondo said. “It’s more spiritual than anything. You get to spend time with kids who appreciate you.”
To prepare for his trip to Haiti, Arredondo watched videos, trying to get a feel for what he would see in Haiti, but things were not what he expected.
“You think you will be prepared and the second you get off that airplane, it’s a whole different world,” Arredondo said. “You will see things you don’t expect to see and hear and smell things you don’t expect to, and as prepared as you think you are, it will hit you.”
Arredondo said he encountered several children at the orphanage that changed his life. “You have to lose your bubble when taking these trips because the kids are all over you just wanting to play and have fun,” Arredondo said.
Even though Arredondo is pursuing a business degree, he hopes to use that degree to start a business with the intention to give back by creating scholarships for orphans who don’t have enough money for schooling. Arredondo plans to go back to Haiti in the spring or summer, and then plans to go to Uganda for a semester.
“I want to teach people in third world countries how to create a sustainable business, maintain an income and provide education for their kids and make a living,” Arredondo said.
Hear Arredondo talk more about his experiences and his future plans in the Maverick Center on Feb. 23.
“I want to attempt to change the world,” Arredondo said.

blofton@mesastate.edu