Guest post by Paige Steele, Investor Relations Manager
Chris and Amy Alcorn run a successful construction business in Denver and Phoenix. But when you first meet them, you might assume they run a successful travel blog. Allow me to explain. When I picked them up from the airport in Rwanda, I found that each family member had packed only one backpack for their entire stay in Rwanda. ONE. As I drove them to Hope Haven’s campus, I found myself musing at how these parents managed to pull off such a feat with four school-aged kids. I was eager to hear more about the adventures and life lessons this family surely has experienced together.
I quickly learned that the Alcorns prioritize travel as a family. In fact, they told their kids that their trip to Rwanda was “packing practice” for next year’s 12-week backpacking adventure in Europe. As a self-proclaimed expert in the art of “solo travel,” it’s hard to fathom how one earns their badge in the art of “two-parents and four-kids travel.” But after learning more about their family and their travel hacks, I believe Chris and Amy have it mastered!
For years, the Alcorns have set out on prolonged summer expeditions across the country in their RV in an effort to create meaningful experiences as a family and to provide an enriching outside-the-classroom education for their children. They spend extended periods of time in one place to experience it thoroughly, and love finding themselves on the 4th of July in small Mayberry-esque towns. They’ve been to so many US states that their youngest, a 2nd grader, has less than 10 left on his list!
It’s evident that their travels are not only creating lasting memories, but also teaching important life lessons. At dinner one night, their kids excitedly showed me photos and told stories of their multi-day canoe/camping trip in Minnesota. It was fun to listen to them explain the highs of camping and watching their dad learn how to carry a canoe over his head, and the lows of battling humidity and hordes of mosquitoes. At a young age, the Alcorn kids are learning how to handle discomfort and are experiencing ways of life different than their own, thus developing skills of patience, responsibility, adaptability and compassion – all incredibly valuable life lessons and traits.
I encourage families to visit Hope Haven Rwanda with their children. It is a perfect place to teach youngsters lessons of adaptability and compassion while providing a unique cross-cultural experience they’re certain to grow from. It was a delight to host the Alcorn family here in Rwanda and we are blessed they chose Hope Haven as their latest adventure. I know they’ll have stories to share for years to come and we look forward to their next visit – with their backpacks in tow!