The entire trip was documented on video and a full-length documentary will be available soon. Here's another trailer for that documentary to give viewers even more insight into what the trip to Panama was like for the Knights Without Borders. Stay tuned for even more in the coming weeks.

The first-ever Knights Without Borders trip has been over for nearly a month. But you can be sure the impact of the trip isn't over for the UCF student-athletes and administrators who made the trip to Panama to work in a pair of children's homes there. Of course, the hope is that there was just as big an impact made on the people the Knights Without Borders group worked with in Panama. 

The entire trip was documented on video and a full-length documentary is in the works. Here's the first trailer for that documentary to give viewers just a little more insight into what the trip to Panama was like for the Knights Without Borders. Stay tuned for more in the coming weeks.

Knights Without Borders Photo Gallery

The first-ever Knights Without Borders service-learning trip concluded a little more than a week ago. While the UCF student-athletes and administrators who took part in the trip to Panama have returned home and returned to their every-day lives, it is safe to say those lives will never be the same.

That's obvious when you see the smiles on the faces of the UCF contingent, but also in the smiles of the children these Knights were there to help. The joy on the face of the youngster in this photo as UCF football student-athlete Victor Gray lifts him high in the air is apparent. Click the link above to see more images from the trip. 
There will be video trailers and a full-length documentary released in the coming weeks and months that will document the experience. We'll share those videos here on UCFAthletics.com. But in the meantime, it was appropriate to have one of the architects of the Knights Without Borders program submit the final blog entry for this trip:
Jessica Reo - Knights Without Borders Blog Entry - May 19, 2013

Now that we've been back in the US for a week or so, we (theadministrators) have had some time to reflect on this process with our student-athletes and how we all changed as a result of this very important educational/mission trip.

When our Director of Athletics approached us about creating this trip for our student-athletes, we knew that it would be something special, but that it would also take a great deal of coordination, because we had never done something like it before at UCF.

We contacted the Office of Study Abroad and worked very closely with their staff to create this project. Angel Cardec was extremely supportive and took two administrators (Kimya Massey and me) to Panama to meet some of the people we would be working with and to get us more comfortable with the surroundings. That turned out to be invaluable in this process. We were able to meet staff members from the Technological University of Panama - and they partnered with us to complete this project with their own students.

When we landed in Panama City just more than two weeks ago, we were all in a state of anticipation - the student-athletes for one set of reasons, the administrators for another. We had to make significant and unexpected changes to our project plans just two days before the trip, but we didn't want to disappoint the student-athletes, so we waited to tell them. The great thing about all of them was that they just "rolled with the punches." They asked some questions, but were very willing to adapt to whatever we needed to do.

We had some logistical tasks that needed to be accomplished before they could actually begin the work, but in the meantime, they created excitement by playing with the children at the orphanage. That was extremely helpful to us - we knew we didn't have to worry about them entertaining each other and the children - sports was our vehicle for communication! It was awesome to see our thoughts in action, to see our student-athletes breaking down barriers by playing a game they all loved.

We subsequently bought our supplies and were able to watch our student-athletes do some amazing work. They were tire - exhausted really - but they kept pushing, because they saw how much the painting was needed. We saw something else that made us proud. In addition to the painting, our student-athletes were constantly looking around to see what else they could help with. They were shocked at some of the conditions of the homes and wanted to do more. We promised that we would come back to this specific orphanage in the future to address some of their concerns. We will be working on fundraising to help with costs for repairs of roofs in the near future!

After completing the work at the orphanage in Colon, we moved on to the orphanage in Panama City. The children were very different than those our student-athletes had encountered in Colon, and I do believe that they were somewhat shocked by it. These children were more mature and had obviously weathered some more serious issues at their young ages. But they really connected with our student-athletes once we brought out a soccer ball and our student-athletes started to climb some trees with them. One of the biggest things we all learned was that even though we didn't speak a common language, it didn't prevent us from communicating.

Our student-athletes represented UCF with excellence and maturity. They made us all very proud - they didn't complain about the heat, the work, or how tired they were. That is very different than many people their age!

We want to thank every individual who provided our student-athletes and staff members with the means to go on this trip. I know that it made a difference in everyone's life!

Tweets about "#ucfkwob" 

The first-ever Knights Without Borders international service-learning trip is wrapping up Saturday. Courtney Griffith and Mario Samson submitted blogs from the past two days. Griffith wrote about working with the Aldeas Infantiles SOS group in Panama City, while Samson details a private tour of some areas of the Panama Canal.

May 10 Student-Athlete Blog - Mario Samson (Men's Tennis)

Sorry for writing my blog the very last night before we go back to OrIando. It's been hard to gather any energy to do it during the week, because every day has been full of activities and emotions. I was completely exhausted by the end of the day.

This whole week has been an amazing experience and quite a roller coaster of emotions. I had a lot of expectations for this trip and although some things may have changed, they definitely changed for the better. I met some incredible people from UTP (Technical University of Panama), the Aldeas home and of course the children, all of whom have had a huge impact on me. I was able to exchange information with some of the university students and we will be able to remain in contact with them, which is great. I know that we've made a huge impact on them as well and I knew this when they came to our hostel after dinner tonight to give us gifts showing their appreciation. 

Friday was more of a learning experience and it was great to see the Panama Canal. I was able to meet with my uncle who actually works in the expansion project of the Canal and he gave a private tour to Allie (Jest) and me. Since my major is Civil Engineering, I consider myself very privileged to see the construction of something that will have a huge impact in the world. My uncle explained to us a little bit of the overall concept the project and how it will work.

It is now time to pack, since we leave Saturday morning and then I get back on my grind on Monday. I am excited to come back and share all the stories with my family and friends. This has been the first time a trip like this was done by student-athletes from UCF, so I just want to thank everyone who made this experience possible especially Jessica Reo, Kimya Massey, the rest of our staff and my fellow-student-athletes who were a crucial part of this incredible journey that has just begun.

May 9 Student-Athlete Blog - Courtney Griffith (Women's Tennis)

After waking up early every other day we finally got to sleep in! Woohoo! Our quick ride to the Aldeas Home in Panama City was yet again an interesting one as we bumped and swerved and nearly got hit by 15 cars. It's always fun though! The entire scene was completely different than what we experienced in Clon. They had a gated community filled with 16 homes for about 65 children. Each casa had one Tia who took care of the children. 

We first had a presentation teaching us the rules of the facility. We were not able to go into their houses at all or take any pictures of them to protect their identities. This was really hard because they were all so adorable. 

We finally got to meet the children and divided into groups. I had a really good time with the older children playing futbol and everyone else was playing games or walking around with the children. One main thing that I instantly noticed was how different the children were compared to those in Colon. They were very rambunctious. Some of the younger boys were climbing trees 75 feet in the air. Others were tackling us and running around everywhere. It was very entertaining for sure. 

We eventually settle down a little after lunch when we did arts and crafts. They loved it! I loved seeing all of their smiling faces as they drew pictures for us and their Tias. They were also asking for all of our autographs which made us feel like celebrities.

Three more student-athletes filed video blogs as they were wrapping up painting at the Aldeas Infantiles SOS location in Colon, Panama Wednesday. The Knights Without Borders group also got a salsa lesson while in Panama, but we'll have more on that later in the blog.

As for the video blogs, men's soccer player Kyle Cox, women's soccer player Lianne Maldonado and softball player Allie Jest each recorded their thoughts about their last dayat the SOS facility in Colon. From there, Knights Without Borders moved into Panama City to continue work with another SOS group and also do some sight-seeing and more learning about the history and culture of Panama.

As mentioned earlier in the blog, the UCF group is working with a student group from the Technological University of Panama (UTP) on the project. The UTP students did a salsa dancing lesson with the Knights on Thursday. Below is a cell-phone video of some of that salsa dancing. While the video quality isn't great, it does show that some of our Knights Without Borders have got some dance skills.

On Wednesday, the UCF student-athletes and administrators taking part in Knights Without Borders in Panama concluded their work painting the houses as the SOS Aldeas Infantiles facilities in Colon.

Day 3 Photo Gallery

Blog - May 8, 2013 - Gevenia Carter (Women's Basketball)
Hey everyone! This experience has been awesome thus far! I truly believe, regardless of me as a person coming to Panama, I have definitely changed. Who knew three days could do so much for one person? Not me. To start the day off in the Palace (OG Palace as Sebastian would say) we had an awesome breakfast created by our host who are Colombians. Their hospitality is so genuine and I truly admire how they've been so welcoming to us. First I must say that the coffee is definitely to die for! There seriously is absolutely no way there is any coffee better!

We then went into Colon and did a total of five houses today. We know that today would be a very hectic and busy day. After today we wouldn't be able to go back there and finish the houses. We worked so hard today and succeeded in finishing painting all the houses. It was tremendously amazing to see the glow on the faces of the kids and their aunts at the SOS Orphanage. Seeing them glow really touched me in a way nothing ever has. I gained friends with the students at a local university and it feels great to know I may have a friend in someplace so far away. It's an amazing feeling to know I'm networking and making friends out of my own comfort zone.

Leaving the SOS Orphanage we had an ending program. The kids and aunts created a program to thank us for our gratitude and everything we've done for them. It was something truly unforgettable! I feel blessed to be able to get a great opportunity to experience this. Thank you Lord for this chance.

This day was eventful. Ending the day we went to a local small mall that has several different places to eat. The shopping center was perfect for us to just sit back and relax after a long day of hard work. Now we are working and preparing for tomorrow's events.

Hasta Lugeo!

Ne Carter

Blog - May 8, 2013 - Jenna Doerfler (Women's Tennis)
My thoughts on the day: WE DID IT!! We worked hard and grinded it out in the heat to finish painting all 6 of the children's houses today! It was hard work but we worked together as one team and we completed it all and it looks absolutely beautiful for then.

To see how the houses looked before, and to see the difference we made to them in only three days was incredible. Yes, it was hard work and long hours of the day doing it, but knowing that we were making such a wonderful difference for these amazing kids and the Moms and Aunts of the homes, made the work that much more worth it. When I saw the kids running around outside or coming up to me asking to help me paint, I can't explain the feeling of joy and fulfillment I felt in what I was doing for them.

Each child is so special, regardless of their health issues, and each child is filled with happiness. That is another thing over the course of these three days I have already seen and loved... the fact that these children and adults have close to nothing; are living without air conditioning, without hot water and a lot of things that we take for granted, and are yet some of the happiest people I have ever met. They are filled with joy, they treat each other with respect, and they all have such a love for life. It has really made me appreciate even more what I have in my life and all I want to do is be there for these amazing kids and make an impact on their lives. I know that our team did that these past few days and painting and working in their houses was the least we can do.

After we finished painting the houses, the kids has a special thank you ceremony for us filled with choreographed dancing, singing, the reading of poems, and so many personal thanks. The performances made and practiced by the kids were amazing! They had fully choreographed several songs for us and had memorized poems to read us. As just one way to show our thanks to them, we put together beautiful care packages for the Moms of each house to share with the children and also use on a daily basis of tasks.

We spent so much time after this hugging and talking with the kids before we left. No one wanted to say goodbye. It was definitely an emotional time, as this was the last time we were going to see this particular group during our time here. We built ever lasting relationships and made such great memories through our experiences here the past few days. I will never forget the feeling of warm hugs from the children and never forget the beautiful smiles they all had every time I looked their way. I think it's a great reminder for all of us... Love one another and always find a reason to be happy and smile. I know I will.

Jenna Doerfler

The student-athletes and administrators taking part in Knights Without Borders in Panama this week are painting all the houses at the SOS Aldeas Infantiles facilities in Colon, Panama. The group was originally planning on clearing a location for a recreational court and building it for SOS. But complications with the building materials forced a change of plans. On Tuesday, Knights Without Borders painted two houses and they have four more to go on Wednesday. 

Below you can check out video blogs from Kaye-Alese Green, Victor Gray and Sebastian Evers.

In today's student-athlete blog , Allie Jest details Day 3 in Panama.

Blog - May 7, 2013 - Allie Jest (Softball)

We were able to sleep in! What a great start to our day. I was up early enough to watch the sunrise over Panama City.  The skyline is so pretty here and we have a great view from our hostel.

When we arrived to the hostel, Kimya and Mario had to go pick up the paint. We completed two houses today (Tuesday) which leaves us four to finish tomorrow (Wednesday). The kids seem to love us being here. If you ever want to break a language barrier, just show a child how to work a camera. The kids follow behind us, ask us questions and they all seem to want our wristbands.

A couple of the UTP (Universidad Tecnologica de Panamá) students we are working with thought I was famous. They thought I was on a TV show. If you know me, you know how I feel about being in front of even a couple people. The thought of being on a TV show is terrifying. 

For the rest of the week the kids are out of school because it hasn't rained in three days. The power at their school is hydroelectric and the lack of rain means no power. What happened to the rainy season that just started? I guess weathermen are wrong everywhere ... not just in Florida. We have an early start tomorrow (Wednesday) morning. Four houses completely painted in just 8 hours! We got this!

Go Knights!

The student-athletes taking part in Knights Without Borders have been taping video blogs, talking about their experiences in Panama. We're also documenting virtually all of the trip via video and will have some videos recapping the events taking place in Panama throughout the week. 

After working out a few technical bugs, we can now share these videos here. Below you can check out a video recap of the first day in Colon and listen to Staphon Blair, Jenna Doerfler, Courtney Griffith and Hojin Kang, who are featured in our first set of video blogs.

After a day of travel and some sight-seeing on Sunday, the Knights Without Borders group got down to work (and even a little play) on Monday. After an early wake-up, they traveled to Colon, where the SOS Aldeas Infantiles location they are helping is located. The group got to meet many of the children who live there and even played a little soccer with them. From there, the group began working on six of the homes where the children live. 

Below is Monday's student-athlete blog entry:

Blog - May 6, 2013 - Kyle Cox (Men's Soccer)

Today, we woke up bright and early to the SOS Aldeas Infantiles orphanage in Colon to begin our community service work. Those of us staying at "The Palace" were treated to some delicious coffee from our hosts, were picked up by the bus to gather the others, and after a not-so-quick pit stop at "Super 99" we were on our way! Since we had an hour-long drive ahead of us, I volunteered to serve as our DJ for the trip and felt that it was extremely appropriate to kick the trip off by blaring Suavemente by Elvis Crespo. (Needless to say, the song was soon voted the song of the trip and was already requested to be played at the beginning and end of every road trip we take in Panama). We then proceeded to drive through the scenic forest outside of Panama City, catching glimpses of the Panama Canal, and finally made it to the orphanage!

Excitement was definitely running high when we arrived and we were introduced to some more students from the local university in Panama City as well as some of the social workers and mothers that run the orphanage.  After we exchanged pleasantries and settled in, we split ourselves into two groups to take a tour of the various homes within the orphanage and receive a brief education about the orphanage itself. On a semi-related yet important note: prior to this, Mario had left with Kimya (Massey) to purchase our supplies for the day, so we were down a translator and Evers was the only fluent Spanish speaker between the two groups. As a result, Lianne, Courtney and I volunteered to translate for the group during the tour and actually did very well. We joked that the three of us combined would be the equivalent of one Mario or one Evers. Personally, I was excited to have the opportunity to utilize the four years of knowledge about the Spanish language that I had acquired during high school and even surprised a few people, including myself, at how well I could still speak the language (Señora Mendes would be so proud!). But I digress...

On the tour, our guide explained to us that the orphanage has six houses, each of which is run by a single mother who they call Tía (or Aunt) and one home houses anywhere from seven to twelve children. She also explained that the houses had not been renovated in a long time and that they greatly needed several things to be fixed around the campus, particularly repainting the walls of the homes that were in poor condition. Since it is our  mission to help these individuals in any way possible, we decided to focus our time and energy on resurfacing and repainting the rooms in all the houses. But before we began our project, something incredible happened: we found a soccer ball!

As anticlimactic as that may have sounded, I have been dying to play a pick up game since we landed In Panama, there are literally soccer fields everywhere and it has taken every ounce of me to not jump out of the bus and hop into a game with some random strangers for a few hours. But my opportunity finally came and it was incredible Everyone joined in the game, from most of the student-athletes to the children and even some of the staff. I am pretty sure some of them had never touched a soccer ball in their lives before, but to me, this is a true testament as to why we are here; to spread happiness, to impact the lives of others, and to grow as individuals through sport. When I mentioned to some children that I played soccer, their faces instantly lit up and were extremely eager to start kicking around with us. For me, I was excited to experience a culture that values soccer as much as I do and everyone seemed to have an absolute blast during the game!

After an intense match, we started our restoration project by first laying a coat of primer paint on the areas of the wall that had chipped paint or were just in poor condition, which turned out to be a lot more wall than we had originally anticipated. At one point, we were afraid that we would not have enough primer paint to finish priming all the walls in all six houses. But, due to some efficient paint allocation and usage coordinated by our friend Chicken, we were able to complete our job for the day! By the end of the day, we were all covered in paint primer but none of us cared because we knew we were doing something great! To have the opportunity to give our time and energy to help others in need is something truly special. These kids are all absolute gems and they deserve way more that what they have been given in their lives. It hasn't even been two full days here in Panama and I can already begin to see myself growing as a person as a result of experiences such as these. I can only imagine what tomorrow has in store, but whatever that may be, I am beyond exited to find out and take it on headstrong.

Knights Without Borders Photo Gallery

The UCF Knights Without Borders group left Orlando at 5:30 a.m. Sunday morning, arriving in Panama City around mid-day. The Knights hit the ground running, as they took advantage of the remainder of their day to visit the ruins at Panama Viejo, the original Panamanian settlement.

The group enjoyed its first authentic Panamanian meal and checked into their accommodations at a local hostel. After getting settled, they enjoyed dinner at Casablanca in the historic Casco Viejo, the historic district of Panama City. Then, the group turned in early, as the Knights were going to  be up very early Monday morning to drive to Colon and begin their first day of improvement work at the SOS Aldeas Infantiles home there.

Below is a blog entry from women's soccer student-athlete Lianne Maldonado, recounting the group's first day:

Blog - May 5, 2013 - Lianne Maldonado (Women's Soccer)
Today was definitely not your ordinary Cinco de Mayo for all of us traveling with Knights Without Borders! 

It has been less than 24 hours since we took off from Orlando, but it definitely doesn't feel that way. After arriving in Panama City, and being greeted by our hosts from a local university, we headed over to Ricon Tablero to have an authentic Panamanian lunch. It was awesome to try new food ... and we all know food is definitely a way to bring people together!

Since we are going to be busy most of the week with our service project, we took time today to learn about the history and culture of Panama and become more familiar with not only the Panamanian students, but our own group's members too. We started off by visiting the ruins of Panama Viejo and also stopped by a small museum. Learning about the history of Panama, including the search for gold by Henry Morgan in the 1600's and his destruction of part of the country were all very interesting to me. 

After checking into our hostel, which we nick-named "The Palace," we headed out to dinner at Casablanca in Casco Viejo. Once we stepped off our bus, we were all in amazement. The structure and architecture of the city was beautiful and antique--it looked like something you'd see out of a romantic movie. The aroma of flavors, the dim lights, and the sound of salsa all helped set the mood for what we knew would be a great dinner and night.

It is obvious this country is very different from the United States. However, it has a lot to offer. I admire how rich the culture is and I cannot wait to meet the people we will be working with. As exhausted as I am, I am eager to wake up bright and early to start our adventure!

UCF's first international service-learning trip under the Knights Without Borders banner is almost upon us. A group of nearly 20 UCF student-athletes, Varsity Knights, staff members and administrators will be leaving for Panama May 5. This group will working at a children's home run by Aldeas Infantiles SOS. This program "builds families for children in need," according to the organization's literature. The Aldeas program houses and cares for children who are at risk because their basic needs are neglected, they may have been abused, lost their parents, have never known them or have been removed from the home because their parents do not have the resources or skills to properly care for them.

Click here to read more about what the student-athletes taking part in the trip are thinking as the trip nears. 
Click here to read even more about the project and the initial trip to Panama by UCF administrators Jessica Reo and Kimya Massey.

Check back here often from May 5-11. We'll share as many video blogs, journal entries, photos, etc. as we can to chronicle the first-ever Knights Without Borders trip.