Doug's Trip: A Labor of Love

Each spring ninth grade students at St. Anne’s-Belfield School take part in Doug’s Trip, a week of service in an area of the country in need of assistance where students’ energy and empathy will have a genuine impact.

Douglas Wardle was a rising leader at his school. He had been elected co-president at the end of his junior year. Douglas saw the inequities in the world and stood up for people in need. He wanted to change things. Among his contributions to the school was advocacy for service learning. Douglas realized that these efforts helped build school community as well as assist others.

During the summer of 2006, he and his mother took a community service trip to Nicaragua with other students from his school. He loved the trip where they built houses for families. After long hours of building, they would stay in the community where they were working. Douglas played with the local children and spoke Spanish. Before that trip was over, he had decided to return the following summer.

In July 2007, he and his father went to Nicaragua again to build houses. During that trip, Douglas collapsed and later passed away from a brain aneurysm.

His senior classmates dedicated their class gift to the freshman class and it was named Doug’s Trip after Douglas. The first year, students traveled to Pass Christian, Mississippi to aid victims of Hurricane Katrina. Over the years students have returned to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, as well as traveled to the Appalachian Mountains in Kentucky. Working with Christian Appalachian Project, students have built ramps, replaced windows and siding, installed drywall, and painted. Douglas’ parents have participated in the trip for the past four years. Last year, his sister participated as well.

“We are so honored and proud to have the school recognize our son Douglas in this way,” said Nancy Wardle. “When you lose a child, your one hope is that they will not be forgotten. Through the dedication of trip leader Bob Troy, the administration and staff at St. Anne’s- Belfield we feel that Douglas has remained a role model for students.”

The work of the ninth graders has had an immediate impact. One group built a ramp for a participant that was bedridden. The plan was to have the participant come outside on the last day and use the ramp. That happened, but not as planned. On that last day, the participant had a medical emergency. The ambulance was called. Since the ramp was finished, the emergency medical professionals were able to bring the participant down the ramp to get to the ambulance.

“What’s incredibly special is that there are things that happen that remind us of our son Douglas,” said Bill Wardle. “He wanted to right the wrongs. He wanted to fix things. He wanted people to respect others. To see the young people from St. Anne’s-Belfield coming here and seeing some of those same things [in them], it has just been extraordinary.”

Nancy and Bill Wardle honor their son with their dedication to YouthFest and Christian Appalachian Project.

PHOTO COURTESY ST. ANNE’S-BELFIELD SCHOOL