A group of five students from Jones Leadership Academy of Business and five Toledo Public Schools staff members have returned from a weeklong service trip to Honduras.

In partnership with the Art Tatum Zone, they assisted with the construction of a home for a family in need.

For freshman Gabriel Cortez Castellanos, the trip was life changing.

“The kids there had very little to nothing, and they were happy to run around and play with their friends,” Gabriel said. “They were happy with the little things they had. Sometimes kids here take a lot of things for granted because they want things they do not have. I did too. I think we need to not take things we have in this country for granted. Don’t complain about what you do not have.”

Linda Ruiz-Bringman, assistant superintendent of student, family, and community engagement, said the students and staff were all changed by the work they performed.

“It was amazing,” Ms. Ruiz-Bringman said. “I have always thought that I would want to go on a mission trip, but I was not sure I would be able to. This trip was life changing for all of us.”

Eli Lipman, a science teacher at Jones Leadership Academy, said the program follows the mission statement of the school.

“The trip helped students gain practical experience in social enterprise and community service,” he said. “They strengthened their leadership abilities and returned as more informed, engaged, and compassionate global citizens.”

The home the group helped to build was for a family that was living in a home that would get flooded during the rainy season.

The new home is 16 feet by 24 feet and cost $5,500 to build. The three-room home does not have an indoor kitchen, bathroom, or running water.

“Their prior home had a tin roof that leaked,” Ms. Ruiz-Bringman said. “They now have a home with wood windows and doors to keep the rain out.”

The family helped where they could to build the home.

“I saw the father’s mother helping to move sand and rocks,” Ms. Ruiz-Bringman said. “She told me she had received a home herself a few years ago, just down the road [from] where we built her son and his family’s home.”

The money to pay for the trip and the materials to build the home was donated by the Art Tatum Zone, a neighborhood revitalization organization located in Toledo's Junction neighborhood. The furnishings for the home came from donations raised at the school, Mr. Lipman said.

“The team got donations to be able to purchase a bed for the parents, bunk beds for the kids, a table and chairs as well as household items and kitchenware,” he said. “The family did not know they were also getting home furnishings. They did not expect that. To see their faces when they opened the door to the home. To see the glow, I will always remember that.”

The work was coordinated with the Child Development Center, Mr. Lipman said. The center is run through the Great Commission Latin America. The commission collects funds that are then given to churches that then help fund the social projects in Latin countries.

An after-school program, a coffee farm, a tilapia farm, and a tortilla factory were all funded by the center.

“Before the tortilla factory was built, there were a lot of respiratory issues in families,” Mr. Lipman said. “The women used to be up all night making tortillas and cooking them in the home over an open flame. Now, women can make their dough and use a machine to flatten, shape, and cook the tortillas. They then package them and sell them. Respiratory issues have been lowered, and women can make and sell their product quicker.”

The students were also able to see a tilapia farm. They learned that when the fish are harvested, the water they were in is collected and used to irrigate and fertilize the farmland that crops are grown on.

There was a lot of culture shock for the students and the adults accompanying them, Mr. Lipman said. The day before leaving, the group decompressed and learned about business at a coffee plantation.

“On our last day there, we stayed on a plantation that had an Airbnb,” Mr. Lipman said. “The students were able to learn about how coffee is grown, roasted, packaged, and shipped. That was a great way to learn about international business.”

For the students, it was a process of getting passports, going through customs, and going overseas. Many of them have not been out of Ohio before, Ms. Ruiz-Bringman said.

“I think they have learned not to be afraid of the big world out there,” she said. ”They also saw what poverty is. We have poverty here, but in Honduras it is next level. Many homes there have dirt floors, the clothing is washed by hand, and cooking is done outside. That was impactful on the kids.”

They now know they can make a difference in the world and in Toledo, she said.

“They can help at food banks or help their neighbors,” Ms. Ruiz-Bringman said. “They saw firsthand that they have the power to change lives.”

“They gained a lot of experience in leadership skills, entrepreneurship, and they learned about business,” Mr. Lipman said. “They now understand what community service is and just how good it feels to change a life. This trip allowed the students to see the world. It was a home run. We had picked 10 students to go, but not everyone could get the passports and more done in time. We will be doing it next year, and we plan on taking a larger group.”

Gabriel said he was excited to go on the trip, but was also overcome with emotion many times.

“I could not wait to go,” Gabriel said. “I was so happy to help this family, but it was emotional at times as well. To see the family so happy, it touched me.”

Gabriel, who is bilingual, was able to help everyone communicate and could also speak many times with the Honduran family.

“I got to know the family and the kids,” Gabriel said. “The dad was so happy that we came from Ohio to help his family. He said his children could actually have a good environment to live in.”

Gabriel explained the family’s home had been destroyed in a hurricane. The father had taken walls and whatever he could find on the side of the road to try to rebuild their home.

“It took him a long time to build the house they had,” Gabriel said. “He is a security guard, and he built the house little by little. It had leaks so when it rained the floor became mud and his kids’ homework would get dirty and wet. He had a rough childhood, and he told me he was so happy his kids would now have a better life.”

Building the home was an accomplishment. Learning life lessons about being grateful was a bonus.

“I told my mom that I was affected by this trip a lot,” Gabriel said. “I got to learn a different point of view. I think other kids should do this. It will open their minds and their hearts.”

“I have a dream that in five years we will go back to Choluteca, and there will be five houses there that we built,” Mr. Lipman said. “Now, there are connections to Toledo and America in Honduras. The students have also learned they can change the world. Our students represented our school and Toledo wonderfully.”

“It poured down rain the day we left,” Ms. Ruiz-Bringman said. “I can tell you that our hearts were full knowing the family had a dry place to live that night.”

First Published February 20, 2025, 10:14 p.m.