CARRABASSETT VALLEY – A recent vacation to Mexico, the first taken in years by Robin Turner, has led to a life-changing journey for the 43-year-old mother of three. With her children grown and on their own, Turner embraced her newfound freedom and planned a resort vacation with her boyfriend.
“The resort was wonderful,” Turner said. “We were waited on hand-and-foot and there was a lot to do there. It was when we left the resort that I truly gained an eye-opening experience. We went out into the country and I saw a Third World country for the first time.”
What Turner saw, just miles from the posh resort, were villages in poverty – cinder-block houses with no doors, windows or indoor plumbing.
“I realized then just how much we really have,” she said. “Yet the people were very happy, content with what they did have. It stayed with me long after we got back home.”
Turner began to think of ways she could give back to the world that could make a difference. She researched the Peace Corps, applied and was accepted. But, after longer consideration, she knew she couldn’t make the necessary two-year time commitment.
She conducted more research and found an organization called Cross-Cultural Solutions, which offers international volunteering experiences. Volunteers can sign on for a two-week program or up to 12 weeks in one of 10 countries.
Going to Andes
“What I really like about the CCS program is that they stress we learn the local culture and language and that we have a healthy respect for the community we are there to help,” Turner says. “We will become a part of that community by working alongside local people.”
Turner chose to volunteer for four weeks in Ayacucho, Peru, a village in the Andes Mountains. She hopes to work in a local orphanage and clinic, and also with children who have disabilities.
“I chose Peru because it’s a place I probably never would have thought to travel to,” Turner says. “I made my choice of work based on my own past experiences and I feel I can be of some real help there.”
One of Turner’s three children has Down syndrome. As a single working mother, she learned early in her son’s life to find the resources available to help her and her family. It was often a struggle, she notes, both financially and emotionally, so the support system became a lifeline. It struck her that people in the world are experiencing the same difficulties she did, but without the safety net of resources.
She hopes to help the people in the village establish those resources and build a support system.
In preparation, Turner traveled to Cross-Cultural Solutions headquarters in New York for a seminar. She’s learning Spanish and reading about Peru’s culture and people.
Turner will be fundraising in the coming weeks to help pay for her volunteer services. She’s sending out letters asking for donations and may hold a 50/50 raffle, as well. Contributions may be made to CCS and are tax-deductible. According to a pamphlet from the organization, 88 percent of the fee goes toward the volunteer program and field expenses, and 12 percent is spent on administration.
More trips later
Turner doesn’t plan to stop with the Peru trip. She says she hopes to take several such trips each year, and her boyfriend will join her when he can. She has given her notice to the town of Carrabassett Valley, where she has been town clerk. She doesn’t plan to pull up all of her local roots, however, since the Carrabassett area will be her home base.
“Call it a case of empty-nest syndrome if you will,” Turner says. “I love my family and friends, but this is something I feel I need to do, to give something back. I’ve had so much, really, without ever truly realizing it. I want to share that.”
Turner may be reached evenings at 237-2005; by mail at 3128 Carrabassett Drive, Kingfield, ME 04947, or e-mail at [email protected].
To find out more about the Cross-Cultural Solutions programs, visit crossculturalsolutions.org.
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