During a busy packing day in Belmont’s Physical Therapy Department, Dr. Renee Brown took a few minutes to talk about the 2009 trip to Guatemala. This year, a team of about 28 will be traveling to Guatemala City over Spring Break (March 8-14) for a medical mission trip. The team includes: occupational therapy students, faculty, and clinicians, physical therapy students, faculty, and clinicians, a speech therapist, an interpreter, and a guiding member of the Shalom Foundation. The Shalom Foundation is an organization that sends several missions to Guatemala every year and they have been an instrumental part in organizing this trip.

The team will provide physical, occupational, and speech therapy to children at a local hospital, as well as supplies and up-to-date knowledge and treatment techniques to the hospital staff. The OT and PT students will also have the opportunity to visit a local school and inspire students to pursue health professional goals. At the end of their mission service work, the group plans to visit the historic city of Antigua, Guatemala.

Our heartfelt thanks goes out to all of our family, friends, churches, co-workers, The Gabhart Mission Fund, the Shalom Foundation, and the healthcare facilities that have donated supplies and money to make this trip possible. We ask that you keep us in your prayers as we embark on this trip.