MCB Summer: Lexie Overholt lends a helping hand in AFRICA!

Lexie Overholt

Lexie Overholt

Corps de ballet dancer Lexie Overholt writes about her eye opening, emotional journey in Africa as part of our ‘MCB Summer’ series.

I left for Kenya and Ethiopia in mid-July for two weeks as a member of the Visiting Orphans organization. My team and I spent our first week with the children of the Fiwagoh Orphanage in Kenya. Most of the children there have lost their parents to HIV/Aids, Malaria,  or other diseases, and tribal wars. Our team helped to provide some of the parental love and care that these children so desperately need. We lived in the orphanage for an entire week, so we got to spend a lot of time with the children. We also traveled to Amazing Grace and Haven of Hope orphanages and played games, sang songs and did arts of crafts with these amazing children.

We are now in our second week and have arrived in Ethiopia. We are in the rural Bole Community of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, which is located behind their airport. We will spend time each morning with the children — playing games, doing crafts, music and dance – and then making home visits in the afternoons. We will also spend time with the women of Mission Ethiopia in the afternoons. It is the most incredible, heartwarming and eye opening experience of my life.

My leaders asked me to bring along my pointe shoes and music to treat the children in each community to dance!
-Lexie