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Students and teachers to build home in Jamaica over spring break

A group of local students is heading to Jamaica for spring break, but not to soak up the sunshine. They'll build a house for a needy family in a matter of days.

Alex Karcher is a senior at Maumee Valley Country Day School. He's the head of the school's Community Service Club and he's helped build more than a dozen homes for people in need in the last ten years. "It's just what we do as a family. My parents have taught me the importance of giving back. Maumee Valley has also instilled in me the importance of looking past the walls of my own world into the global community."

Alex and his family spent a number of vacations in Tijuana, Mexico with hammers and paint brushes in hand, but they stopped making the trip to Mexico a few years ago, "When the border violence grew there we got a little leery of the situation so the last couple years we stopped going there. We decided to jump start the mission in a new place."

That new place is Montego Bay, Jamaica, a city known for it's beautiful beaches, but also plagued by high poverty rates. Alex along with other Maumee Valley students, their family members and teachers will be building a home for a family with an income of less than $75 a week.

Maumee Valley junior Dylan McDonough says spring break is often a time to just relax, but he's ready to help change someone's life for the better this year. "Usually I sit around a bit, read a few books and hang out with friends. This is a lot different, but I'm really excited about the opportunity."

The trip teaches the students more than just the importance of helping others. They're learning to make it happen from the ground up. The students have been raising money for months with a goal of $6,500, which will cover the cost of building materials and furniture for the new house. Student Aniroodh Reddy says a teacher has given them a big reason to reach their goal soon. "We've had a pizza sale and the other night at the basketball game we had a bake sale, but the best incentive is that a teacher has offered to have her head shaved if all of our money is collected by February 27th at 8 am."

The Maumee Valley crew will be working with Homes For Hope on this project. It's an international organization that's built more than 3,000 houses in 8 different countries for people in need. The Maumee Valley students will pay their own way for the trip. All the money raised goes directly to building materials and furniture.

Head to this link if you'd like to make a donation -- https://maumeeschool.ejoinme.org/mypages/projectjamaica/tabid/7516/default.aspx