Upper St. Clair students describe building school and running clinics on Dominican Republic mission

Lee Adams, host of the program, introduced a panel of teachers, medical volunteers and 16 of the 18 students who took part in Kids Helping Kidsa mission trip to the Dominican Republic, a group founded in 1999 to support international school and health projects.

Todd Flynn, a world history teacher who founded Kids Helping Kids, said he returned from a clinic visit in Haiti and proposed a student-led project. "In about 9 months, we raised $20,000, purchased materials here, shipped them to Haiti, and, went down and and literally built a school," Flynn said, describing how students helped install a roof, wiring and skylights.

Why it matters: Teachers and medical volunteers said the hands-on work combined construction and clinical care, giving students practical experience while meeting immediate local needs. Tracy Smith, a physics teacher who will help lead future trips, explained the programaapplication process and selection criteria: juniors and seniors apply with essays and interviews, and organizers prioritize students motivated by service rather than tourism.

Medical perspective: Frank Gaudio, an emergency physician who joined the mission, said clinic work underscored both need and local resilience. "It really became a part of everyone who was there," Gaudio said, describing daily reflection sessions that reinforced the experienceafor students and volunteers.

Student voices: Seniors and underclassmen described concrete memories from clinics and community visits. Colleen Lloyd, who worked with the medical team, said, "I definitely, felt very fortunate to live where I am and to be given all the great opportunities that I've been given." Kelsey Mailman said villagers were "so happy and so grateful for the little things they had," and Brian Lattanzi recounted an on-trip mishap: "I accidentally sprayed it in my eyes." Those anecdotes illustrated both the emotional moments and the plain difficulties of fieldwork.

Fundraising and logistics: Flynn and students described local fundraising (bake sales, "dirt" pudding desserts and other drives) and the programaeffort to assemble and ship construction materials. Organizers said students aided with both clinic tasks (including supervised blood draws) and nonclinical community work such as distributing rice and supplies.

Program continuity: Flynn, retiring after 35 years, said he is handing leadership to DeWillett and Smith. DeWillett, identified as a teacher of geography, civics and American history and a group sponsor, said she and Smith will divide logistics and social coordination for future trips. Smith said the program is expanding to run two trips next year to allow more students to participate.

Next steps: Organizers said applications and information are available through Kira DeWillett at Upper St. Clair High School; students interested in future trips should prepare essays and interviews and demonstrate sustained commitment to service.

The program closed with a reminder from the host and student reflections on the tripaas a life-changing experience for many participants.