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Friday, May 18, 2012
Covering Dallas, Monmouth, Independence, Falls City and surrounding areas since 1868
Students in Judy Stuck's class at Morrison Campus in Dallas assemble "Hope Kits" Friday. The kits containing basic personal care items will be distributed worldwide.
January 24, 2012
DALLAS -- Most teenagers living in the United States don't think of toothbrushes, soap, hair brushes and abundant clean water as luxuries.
But to teens living in third-world countries across the globe, those simple necessities are rare, if not nonexistent.
The 55 students attending Morrison Campus Alternative School were given a glimpse into how people in such places live at Medical Teams International's "Real. Life." exhibit in Tigard.
And now they want to help.
"It makes you look back (on your life) and not complain about anything," said Morrison senior Danny Long.
The exhibit shows conditions of poverty, famine, war and disaster in eight different locations in the world in which Medical Teams International has provided relief efforts. It uses a multisensory format, so not only do people see and hear what life is like in those places, they smell it, too.
Morrison has taken its students to the "Real. Life." exhibit for several years, said Morrison teacher Judy Stuck.
The exhibit features displays of locations, including a camp in Uganda where a terrorist group routinely kidnaps children and forces them to serve in its army, a Haitian tent camp among the rubble following the 2010 earthquake, a village in Mozambique devastated by HIV and AIDS, a garbage dump in Mexico where people live and scavenge to survive, and a Romanian orphanage.
Anna Morris, a Morrison senior, said she was overwhelmed by what she saw. The deplorable living conditions "Real. Life." shows brought her to tears almost immediately, she said.
Harvey Henry V has been through the exhibit three times. He said it's no less devastating on the second and third trip. In fact, he's found something new to contemplate each time.
"I don't think it loses anything," he said. "The way it impacts just changes."
Others said it made them reflect on their own lives. The students were asked to take notes while touring the exhibit and afterward write an essay about how it affected them.
"The problems we face on occasion pale in comparison to the entanglements these people wrestle every day," wrote senior Alex Berish. "The only thing that ever stopped us from being them was luck. We were born in our country, and they were born in theirs. No one got a choice."
"Real. Life." offers a sobering view into the lives of those much less fortunate, but it also emphasizes a more hopeful message: Just one person can make a difference.
Morrison's 55 students are taking that to heart. Stuck said that in years past students have raised money to help support relief efforts, but this year they opted to collect supplies for "Hope Kits."
The kits contain either school or personal care supplies. Morrison students chose to make personal care kits, which contain soap, toothbrushes, wash cloths, toothpaste and hair brushes or combs. Medical Teams International distributes the kits throughout the world.
Their goal is to pack 55 kits -- one for each student at the school -- but they will put together as many as they have supplies to create.
The students are planning to share the stories of what they have seen in hopes that others will feel compelled to help.
"When I saw the exhibit, I was almost in tears," added senior Mary Taylor. "It's definitely something that everyone should see."
Morrison students are seeking donations to help fill kits. Donated itemscan be dropped off at the school at 1251 Main St., Dallas. For more information, call Morrison at 503-623-8480.
Items needed for each Hope Kit:
* Two combs or hair brushes.
* Two large bars of soap or six to eight hotel-sized bars.
* Two new wash clothes.
* Three adult-sized toothbrushes (different colors).
* Three child-sized toothbrushes (different colors).
* One large tube of toothpaste or four travel-sized tubes.
* One plastic gallon zip storage bag in which to pack the items.
Items donated for Hope Kits should be basic and colorful -- meaning basic soap and toothpaste. Toothbrushes should be colorful.
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