People can be happy, even in the face of extreme poverty.
That’s a key insight Tim Barden gained last July as he took a weeklong break from directing service crews at U-M-Flint to volunteer at a Guatemalan orphanage.
There, the annual average household income is $350, Barden says. “But no matter what money they make there are a lot of smiles on faces,” says the group leader for skilled trades who has been with U-M-Flint 13 years.
“In fact the principal of the school was asked what people in the United States take for granted. His response was ‘happiness.’ Down in Guatemala they have nothing but still maintain their happiness amidst that poverty.”
Barden and his son Nick, 16, traveled to Agua Viva Orphanage north of Guatemala City in response to a call for volunteers from their pastor Gary Beck of Flint’s St. Mark Lutheran Church.
In his job at U-M-Flint, Barden is group leader over the skilled trades. “I pretty much give out job assignments and job duties through the day and work on different University projects and still do some air conditioning and refrigeration calls,” Barden says.
His workday opens at 7 a.m. “We have a group meeting with the trades guys every morning, we talk about daily activity and what happened the previous day,” Barden says. “I distribute service orders to the employees.”
Key work in the winter months includes fine-tuning heating systems and prepping main cooling systems for the upcoming season. Barden says crews are working on a better way to economize by using sensors to regulate outside air dampers.
Barden also serves as liaison with contractors on projects including a student housing project to create the first U-M-Flint dormitory. “It’s 30-percent completed, the walls are up; they plan on being completed by July or August,” he says.
Taking on a new project
After Beck asked his congregation for volunteers, Barden saw it as a perfect opportunity to use his professional skills to help others. After talking with his family, including wife Stacy and youngest son Justin, he and son Nick decided to go for a week in July. Barden says the entire family plans to go to Guatemala on a future trip.
Upon arrival Barden and Nick were surprised to find tolerable summer weather. “The temperature was in the low- to mid-70s — that surprised me. I figured we’d go down there and get cooked.” They were among 17 other volunteers from the church.
“They were in dire need of some electrical work,” Barden says. “They had problems with the area where they housed 6- to 9-year-olds, they were getting shocks in their showers.” That’s because 230-volt, 50-amp showerheads were used in the showers to heat the water, instead of a conventional water heater. Barden suggested that two water heaters be placed outside of buildings, and the church funded the plan.
While Barden installed the water heaters, which served 30 students, son Nick helped volunteers erect a cement panel fence to protect the orphanage and its holdings.
Appreciating flavors, home
“The food was great — it was healthy, organic and cultural. There were small portions and lot of rice and tamales,” Barden says.
The orphanage and school house 78 orphans ages 4-18. “A lot of them are found on the streets. They’re taken to court and the parents give them up,” he says. “If the mothers remarry it’s hard for the mothers to have other males in the house U+00E2U+0080U+00A6 or the mother has five or six kids and can’t handle the sixth one. The government decides if they’re eligible for the orphanage.”
Outside of class, the boys constantly play soccer, Barden says.
“I coach soccer. Three or four boys could easily play college soccer in the U.S., they are just phenomenal players.”
The Guatemalan experience inspired Nick to take on sponsorship of a 4-year-old child for $30 per month — a commitment he is expected to maintain until the boy is 18.
“It makes me appreciate what I have in the United States,” Tim Barden says of Guatemala’s lessons. “You should always appreciate happiness and not take it for granted.”
The weekly Spotlight features staff members at the University. To nominate a candidate, please contact the Record staff at [email protected].
