Ryan Bye, the Director Strategy and Partnerships for the Office of the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, has attended several of our club meetings.
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At our April 13 meeting, he agreed to speak about the upcoming 2026 Prairie Stars Volunteer Trip through the ImaginingGuatemala program (image above). A participant in last year’s trip, Ryan will return this May and noted that openings are still available.
The May 10–18, 2026 trip is a non-credit, community-based learning program hosted by the University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) in partnership with ImaginingGuatemala. Participants work alongside local masons in Antigua to build safe cinderblock homes for families living in makeshift shelters.
The $2,400 program fee includes airfare, housing, meals, and local transportation. Volunteers stay with Guatemalan host families, with breakfast and dinner provided.
The link below provides more information on this exciting program.
We thank Ryan for informing us about this excellent program and opportunity. We hope that he will continue coming to our meetings. He is clearly a Rotarian at heart!