Mark McKown
Illinois, USA

“Six weeks, a month and a half, forty-two days, 1,008 minutes. There are many ways to quantify my experiences in Cape Town and South Africa. However, to me I have gained so much more than a six-week volunteer adventure. I have been able to gain life-long friendships, experience countless breathtaking and stimulating experiences that encourage and support my sense of adventure and travel, but most importantly appreciate and respect all of God’s creatures. My time through Volunteer Adventure Corps allowed me to work for a non-profit organization that helps support communities through working at schools for those who need it most. I was exposed to some really amazing initiatives to help children plant gardens to learn and experience sustainable agriculture and be able to ultimately feed themselves. I was also able to literally climb to new heights through various hikes and activities, earn scuba certification, bungee jump off of the world’s highest bridge, pet and feed elephants, shark cage dive, and so much more. I was able to learn more about what truly matters and myself. I think one of the greatest experiences one can have is one that makes them think and challenge them as a person and for me my time with VAC did just that. After all, ‘we travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us’ – Anonymous.”