Stanners Travel to DR for Mission Trip

From March 12th to the 17th, Director of Campus Ministry Mr. Richard Costa, along with Mr. Dan Jones, Ms. Dani Espinal, Dr. Alice Prince, and 18 Stanners traveled to the Dominican Republic for the last Project 153 trip of the school year. Once again teaming up with Bold Hope, a Christian organization that connects people from around the world to help engage in service projects, Jason Amaya ‘28, Matt Azriel-Binay ‘26, Gabriella Barros-Devine ‘27, Kelton Camacho ‘26, Leonardo Chavez ‘28, Enda Connolly ‘27, Maria Damiris ‘27, Helen Gonzalez ‘27, Avinash Hemraj ‘26, Alexander Holder ‘26, Jillian Kahn ‘26, Aileen McGuire ‘27, Emily Minchala ‘27, Emily Mussalli ‘28, Dylan Mompoint ‘26, Cameron Picarello ‘26, Katelyn Vargas ‘27, and Emmerson Villaman ‘26 answered a call to serve and put the needs of others before their own. 

During the trip, our Stanners visited bateyes, or rural communities built around sugarcane plantations that are occupied by Haitian immigrants and Dominican workers. Those housed in the bateyes are often provided barely livable conditions, usually going without electricity or plumbing with an average salary of two to three dollars a day. Stanners were tasked by Bold Hope to go door to door and ask demographic questions so that they can better serve the community in the future. With the information from the questionnaires, Bold Hope will help them get proper paperwork and off the bateyes. 

Stanners also volunteered in a transitional community, where workers from the bateyes live while they are waiting to transition into the workforce. There, Stanners spent time with the children of many families, even facilitating a birthday party for about a dozen kids who had never had their own before. Mr. Jones, music teacher at Molloy, brought drumsticks to give out, having an impromptu drum lesson with the kids using buckets found around the community. After about an hour, they had a mini concert for everyone there! 

Also in these transitional communities, students were taught how to create water filtration systems using large buckets, and then were charged with going to the families’ homes and helping them install and learn how to use the water systems. Bold Hope had never performed the community mapping or water filtration program before, but trusted Molloy students to perform the task with precision and compassion. The students also prayed with the families they helped, which emphasized the desire for encounter and not simply service. 

In addition to working with children, Stanners also worked in a facility for senior citizens. There, they played games with the residents, as well as sang and danced with them, even praying with them and other members of the community. Emily Mussalli reminded the group to focus on what the residents had, not what they did not have. Mr. Costa said, “Instead of material objects, we concentrated on family connections, being present, the simple things in life and how they make us full.” 

To close out the trip, Mr. Costa and the chaperones took students to a nearby beach for a day of recreation. Despite the fun, Mr. Costa recalled Cameron Picarello sharing that he would have preferred to spend more time on the bateyes, a sentiment echoed by many of the Stanners on the trip. Enda Connolly described volunteering in the Dominican Republic as a “must,” adding that the experience was “fulfilling in every sense of the word.” 

We hope all Stanners feel inspired to take part in a mission trip during their time at Molloy, following in the footsteps of Saint Marcellin Champagnat and serving as agents of justice and service for those in need.