A Trip Worth a Thousand Words

This is an interview with a fellow student, about her family's yearly charity trip to Mexico where they give Christmas presents and more to children that live in orphanages.

Suzanna Jinnett, the daughter of the orphanage trip co-founder and a current University of Tampa student.

1. Who started the orphan trip and what was their inspiration to do so?

 My dad started the orphanage trip around 15 years ago because a close friend of his who used to live in Mexico knew the head caregiver of the first orphanage we ever went to, and he would go down and help them out sometimes. So he was just telling my dad about it and my dad decided he wanted to go visit and see it all for himself. After he got back, my dad and his friend John decided they wanted to start to help in some way. It first started with them just bringing them shoes in the summertime and then it turned into what it is today, which a whole big Christmas trip where we bring all types gifts and supplies to two or three orphanages, along with a small remote village, and just give them things they need.

2. Where do the gifts come from? How do you guys fund the trip and items that are handed out?

We mainly try to use sponsors, but we want every kid to at least have something so if there is a child who showed up really close to Christmas or a sponsor backs out we try to supply extras that we buy just in case of any emergency that could take place. The sponsors originally started with just my dad and his friend asking family, friends, and people they knew to help them and to donate either money or presents. After a couple years and after the trip started to grow in the number of people going and the amount of people who we wanted to help we started to reach out for sponsors in other ways. We now have made a video so people can know what their money is being used for, anyone who attends the trip or even knows about it will ask people in their life, also my dad will go and talk to schools about the trip to try and get people to become sponsors. We definitely couldn't do any of it without our sponsors.

3. Can you describe a rough step-by-step of how the trip goes?

So most of the people who attend the trip live in New Mexico or the bordering states so they all just drive to meet up with us, but a few people fly from out of state. Once we have all met up in New Mexico we will take a big van, with a massive trailer that holds all the goodies in it attached to it, and we'll drive across the border and go to a bigger city at first to load up on supplies then we just start heading to all of the places to hand stuff out. After it's all said and done we are usually there for three days and then we just drive back to New Mexico and wait for the next trip.

4. What part of the trip do you think is the hardest?

Honestly, I think the hardest part is trying to find enough sponsors. We want to continue to grow and be able to increase the amount of people we are helping but we need others to want that just as much and be willing to take part in it. Another downside, that I think is more personal for me, is getting to know these kids and know what they have been through then not knowing if you will see them the next year, because they either move in with other family members or they get too old to stay at the orphanage. Lastly, I think something that breaks everyone's hearts who is involved is knowing that adoption isn't legal in Mexico so these kids are thrown into an orphanage with little chance of getting out until they are adults.

5. What has the trip taught you about life and what is your favorite part about the trip?

I think the trip has taught me how fulfilling it is to give than to receive. Seeing the joy and happiness we can bring to so many people with giving them something as small as a blanket or giving a child playdoh shows you how much your actions of giving can turely make a world of difference for someone. My favorite part of the trip every year is when we sit down after opening presents and watch a movie with all the kids, it's just so amazing to see them be so happy with their new things and be so content with their life in that moment while watching the movie.

The interview has been edited for brevity, clarity, and style.