Summer Update: Gopher Global Trip

July 20, 2015

Recently five Gopher softball players, Erica Meyer, Sydney Fabian, Danielle Parlich, Sam Macken and Paige Palkovich, teamed up with other Gopher athletes on Gopher Global's first trip across international borders to Winnipeg, Canada. Gopher Global took its first trip in 2012. Its mission involves Gopher student-athletes striving to make a difference in the world through community involvement. We had the chance to ask the recently returned softball players about their experience in Winnipeg in the latest summer update. Check out gopherglobal.org to see more pictures from the trip and find out information about Gopher Global's history and purpose.

Gopher Sports: How was the experience? What did you learn and do while there? Was the trip what you expected? If not what was different?

Paige Palkovich: The entire experience was incredible and extremely eye-opening. We volunteered at two places in Winnipeg: a homeless shelter called Siloam Mission and a food shelf, Winnipeg Harvest. At the food shelf, we were in charge of sorting vegetables and packaging grains in portion sizes that were suitable for families in need. At Siloam, our time was spent preparing/serving food, sorting clothing donations, and interacting with the patrons while they ate their meals.

Sydney Fabian: My experience in Winnipeg was great. Working at the Siloam Mission, we had many opportunities to speak to the people who worked there full time. We got to learn all about the facilities the mission provides and learn about and meet the patrons that use the Mission's facilities. Often time homeless people are not treated with dignity and respect, but at the Siloam Mission, they are. The trip was more than I could have expected and I learned more than I ever thought I would.

Sam Macken: In addition to volunteering we got to spend some time exploring the city of Winnipeg. We went to The Forks, which was a quaint little place with shops and restaurants surrounding the Red and Assininboine Rivers. Many of us split up to do different things and I decided to tag along and go tandem biking around Winnipeg and the rivers with Danielle Parlich (Softball), Tereza Brichacova (Tennis), and Derek Wiebke (Track and Field/Cross-country). I had a blast because this is something I have never done before and doing it in a new city with new friends was awesome!

Gopher Sports: Was there a moment that left an impact on you?

Erica Meyer: One of the days on our trip we were able to take a moment to visit the Canadian Museum of Civil Rights. The museum has seven levels, where the bottommost layers were darker and filled with the nation's history. As you worked your way to the top, each level became progressively brighter and more focused on ways to improve the future. It was very interesting to see how their nation's views on civil rights have progressed over time and how it compares to our nation's history. I wish we could have spent more time there.

Danielle Parlich: The best part was just volunteering at The Siloam Mission. I have never in my life seen something like this before and was just amazed at how it was set up. They had so many people willing to volunteer which really helps this mission run smoothly. They have the kitchen where they serve unlimited breakfast every day and one meal for dinner and lunch. They have place where people drop off donations daily and has to be sorted everyday so the pile does not get to big. A counselor area where people can go to talk and start to get their life back on track. They even have a medical area where they can get doctors appointments and dental work for free (go free healthcare!). I was just absolutely amazed at this place and how much those people cared about helping. They would take the time and listen to each and every person no matter what and did everything they could to help them.

Paige Palkovich: The one moment of the trip that stood out most to me was on the last day, when I had the opportunity to converse with the patrons and hear their stories/backgrounds. There were a few people who had college degrees, some who had even worked a 9-5 job for over 20 years, and were now sitting in a homeless shelter with not a dollar to their name. At first glance, you would have never known that one man, specifically, had been a successful lawyer in Manitoba years before. It was very moving and humbling to realize that it only took these people experiencing a few unfortunate events to land them on the streets of Winnipeg without anyone (besides Siloam) to support them.

Sam Macken: One thing that really left an impact on me was one of the nights I got to serve dinner and I stood next to Louise who was another volunteer from Winnipeg. Louise had been working there for about a year and we were talking the entire hour that we were serving. She was telling me everything she could think of about her experiences. She pointed to one of the people who came to Siloam and she told me the story of why he was there. She said that he was a family friend and he was a lawyer and lost absolutely everything that he had and is living paycheck to paycheck. He is trying to get by and he needs to come to Siloam when he has nothing left. This really hit me, hard! Many of these people were just faced with bad luck and they cannot seem to find a way out. Hearing this story has made my view of homelessness change so much and makes me want to try and help rather than just ignoring those on the streets.

Sydney Fabian: One moment that really impacted me was when I was working the drop-in at the mission. As a volunteer in the drop in you have the opportunity to bring Patrons plates of food, clear plates and sit down and talk with the patrons. I did not really know what to expect or if anyone would want to talk to me, but so many people invited me to sit, and share conversations and stories about our lives. I met many incredible people that I would not have had the opportunity to if it was not for Gopher Global and the Siloam Mission.

Gopher Sports: On the lighter side do you have a funny story from the trip?

Danielle Parlich: Over this trip we had plenty of funny things happen that it's hard to pick one. One that really stands out to me was that Kelsey, the founder of Gopher Global, was also on this trip and she has a lot of hair. Why that is important is because when we had to put hairnets on, one hairnet didn't cover it all so she had to wear two every time. It was really funny to see someone do that and to be able to pull it off!

Paige Palkovich: On the first day, a group of us were serving breakfast in assembly line style. Some patrons preferred their oatmeal without brown sugar or their toast without jelly, and it was Peyton's (Assistant Athletic Director in charge of Student-Athlete Services>) job to announce these preferences down the line when they conveyed it to him. He decided to make it fun (and hilarious) by yelling "TWO TOASTS!!!!" or "NO SUGAR, NO JAM!!!!" down the line when we were literally standing right next to him. We enjoyed it, obviously, and it seemed as though the patrons appreciated it too.

Gopher Sports: How was it having four of your teammates with you?

Erica Meyer: I am so glad I was able to share this experience with a bunch of my teammates. It makes me happy to see that they find it important to give back our time and volunteer in the community as well.

Sydney Fabian: Having my teammates with me was awesome. It was a very special experience and sharing it with some of my best friends was amazing. It will be cool to be able to share our stories from the experience and the stories of the people we met!

Danielle Parlich: Going on this trip with my teammates was a lot of fun because majority of the time we are together, we are usually doing some type of softball activity. So when we can do some other things, it's always a good time. One other thing to add was that this trip actually allowed me to get to know other people from different sports that I may have never been able to during school! I got to know people from track/cross country, swimming, tennis, and even soccer. It was fun to get the chance to sit down and talk to them and get to know some new people. It was also interesting to see how other sports work and hear how their seasons were straight from the players.

Gopher Sports: Would you recommend a trip like this to other Gopher athletes and what advice would you give to them before they leave for or in general about the trip?

Erica Meyer: I would definitely recommend this trip to other student-athletes. It is a great way to not only give back your time, but also travel and learn about poverty and hardship in other parts of the world.

Sam Macken: Absolutely! This trip was so fun and getting to go to another country to volunteer while meeting other athletes made the experience memorable! I did not know everyone when we left but by the second day everyone got along like we had been friends forever. If I had to give advice to someone before they leave for this trip, I would tell them to step out of your comfort zone and get to know those around you. My most memorable experience was talking to Louise and this would not have happened if I did not open up with conversation.

Paige Palkovich: My only piece of advice is to renew your passport OVER two months prior to leaving so you are not stressing and waiting for it to show up in the mail the days before.

Some pictures from the trip below