Published: July 15, 2009 12:32 am      

Allegany graduate on a mission

Teen spending 3 months in Zambia

CUMBERLAND — After high school graduation, most students begin preparing for college. But Allegany High School grad Aaron Trumbule has decided to take a less conventional course. The 17-year-old LaVale resident will be taking a “gap year” and is preparing for three different mission trips through Global Vision International.

“I will be starting on a three-month journey to Zambia (in September) where I will help with the HIV/AIDS pandemic there,” he said to Rotary members Tuesday. “Zambia is one of the hot spots and this particular village is in pretty bad shape itself.”

And though GVI sends away 2,000 volunteers to more than 40 countries each year, Trumbule will be the only volunteer headed to Zambia.

“I wasn’t really too hot on going if I was going to be the only one ... but I said I’ll go ahead and do it anyway because I know they need the help,” Trumbule said. “So during my stay in (the village) Monze, I will be working with local children, all of whom are affected, if not infected, by the situation. Most of them are AIDS orphans who have lost one or both parents to the disease.”

Trumbule will join the two GVI staff members who are there year-round. As a project volunteer, he will work in a sports program already established there and will mentor the children in Monze, teaching them healthy lifestyle choices and helping to empower them for the future.

Trumbule will return to the United States in December for a short stay before heading off to Antigua, Guatemala, in February. His plans for Belize are still up in the air due to financial uncertainty.

“Even though I’m a volunteer, I have to pay for all of my travel expenses, including airfare, passports, visas and all the official travel documents needed,” he said. “I also have to pay for my living expenses while I am abroad; so the cost of a year of travel is quite similar to a year at college.”

Trumbule has been preparing and saving money from his part-time job at Quiznos on Park Street. Rotarians showed their support of Trumbule’s missions by giving him the fundraising money from Tuesday’s meeting.

“I just hope to go there and work hard and do the best I can to help out,” he said. “I had a couple of friends who have done missions through this company and had a lot of success. I’ve always wanted to travel and help people so this was a great way for me to be able to do both.”

Trumbule plans to attend Towson University in the fall of 2010 but has not declared a major.

“I’ve been looking into music, but who knows, maybe this coming year will spark an interest to go into international studies.”

Global Vision International began in 1998 and provides support and services to international charities, nonprofits and governmental agencies through volunteering opportunities and direct funding. For more information, log on to www.gvi.co.uk.

Contact Tess Hill at thill@times-news.com.