Why I'm proud of Matt Janczyk

A surefire sign that I have a great group of athletes to coach is this: After a long break from practice -- like our recent spring break -- I am overjoyed to encounter the faces of the runners I haven't seen in 10 days.

Such was the case on Monday as we returned to the track grind after spring break. I was especially happy and uplifted to see junior Matt Janczyk, who spent his spring break in impoverished Mexico as part of a campus ministry mission there.

The Marist Brothers order was founded on the ideals of service to others. While modern-day Marist College certainly is a far more secular place than the one founded by the Brothers all those years ago, it's comforting to know that the tradition continues with activities such as this. Matt and his travel party embodied that tradition last week. For that, I am extremely proud of him.

I asked Janzo to write a brief description of his time in Mexico. This was not some feel-good, photo-op, couple of hours working at a local soup kitchen. This was hard, cruel reality that hit Janzo between the eyes. I submit it here for all to read, and I reiterate my pride in calling Matt Janczyk a member of the Running Red Foxes ...

The goal of Global Outreach is to become immersed in the world and lives of the poor, learning and experiencing from them, while completing service projects to help the community. This year, the group returned to Merida, Mexico, and planned on helping in the initiation of a nutrition awareness program, teaching after-school computer classes to children at the community center, working in a medicinal garden, and helping with the purification and transportation of water.

The hope going into the week was to accomplish these things, and help out a community. Instead, I left more confused and angry than accomplished. We lived in a house on cement floors, with one shower during the week. Houses, at best, were made from cement blocks and garbage was being burned in the streets. Stray dogs roamed freely, and their dead bodies were thrown on the side of roads to decay.

In the worst part of the city people were living in tin huts, with no water or electricity. The trees were all dead, and even the dogs didn’t live here. We heard stories that made us sick to our stomach.

To make things worse, the north end of the city was just like any other American city. Fast food restaurants, car dealers and supermarkets lined the streets. It was clear that money was not a problem here, but 20 minutes down the road was another world.

However savage this may sound, these people were still people. Horrible things happen in horrible situations, but never did I feel unwelcomed or unsafe. The people with nothing were some of the happiest people I’ve ever seen. The love within their families and for their neighbors was incomparable. It was said that although they have nothing material, they are the richest in spirit and love. The question, though, was at what point is a smile not enough to sustain life?

Our projects weren’t completed in the week that we were there, partly because there wasn’t enough time, and partly because the participation of the people was not enough. I left with a feeling of abandonment. Although we came and lived among them, we always knew in a week our plane was going to take us away. The injustice suffered by these people, and people all over the world was so stomach turning, so eye opening that it’s something that will sit with the group forever. And hopefully the small impact we had will do the same with the people of Merida.