April 16, 2003

Belize isn't necessarily the mecca of spring break sun seekers, but for two St. Bonaventure soccer players, it's exactly the destination they were looking for.

During the University's week-long spring break, 10 St. Bonaventure students went on a service trip to Belize, a small Central American nation that borders Mexico and Guatemala. Included in the group was senior Mike Curran, a four-year letterman at back, and freshman Lois Bennett, a defender who made the Atlantic 10 Conference All-Rookie team this past fall.

It was Curran's third such trip; he traveled to Jamaica in 2000 and Vietnam in 2001. Bennett, on the other hand, was experiencing the culture shock for the first time. Helping the natives in their hospitals, clinics and schools, Curran showed Bennett how to use their soccer experience as a bridge to people, particularly children, who they barely knew. The student-athletes handed out game-worn St. Bonaventure uniforms and t-shirts and spent time playing soccer with the children.

"Soccer is such a huge thing there," said Curran. "It's a good tool to reach out with. We used that to build a relationship with them, but they were really happy for someone to just come visit and hang out with them. They come up to you, a complete stranger, and put their hands up and want to be picked up."

Lois described her encounter with two boys at the orphanage: "There were two kids about 15 or 16 and they thought because I was a girl I couldn't play," Bennett said. "So I started juggling with them and they said, 'Oh my God, we've never seen a girl play before.'"

Despite being saddled in poverty and poor living conditions, Curran found the people to be generous and welcoming.

"They have nothing," Curran marveled, "and they offer you a drink or food. They're fantastic, just amazing. The sense of community is so strong there. I was welcomed with open arms."

Both players described their experiences as life-altering.

"It's changed my perspective in life," Bennett said. "The little things mean more to me. It opens your eyes to a lot of things. It's a very humbling experience. It makes you feel good and you want to do more here."

"I learned a lot about myself, about what's really important in life," Curran said. "Every time I come back from these trips there's a certain morality culture change. Material things aren't important. Problems that we face here are nothing compared to what they go through every day. You learn how to see things in their perspective there and apply it here."