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Caihla Petiprin learned a lot about herself working with a non-profit organization called "Steps Of Love" last spring, including some lessons that will last a lifetime.
 
"I found out I'm really bad with a hammer," Petiprin said.
 
What Petiprin may have lacked in carpentry skills she more than made up for with selflessness, compassion and love. Cal's senior middle blocker was part of a small group from Berkeley that visited Puerto Penasco, Mexico, in March to help renovate a home for an underprivileged family and work with children in need in the surrounding community.
 
"It was one of the best weeks of my life," Petiprin said.
 
As spring break approached last March and Petiprin didn't have any concrete plans, she found out about the opportunity to go to Mexico through her involvement in Athletes in Action, a non-profit organization that intersects sports and Christianity. Karen Butler, a rep for the Cal chapter of Athletes in Action, made student-athletes aware of the trip because of her friendship with Steps Of Love founder Kathleen Duncan.
 
Petiprin and one other Cal student, along with Butler and her daughter, made the trek to Puerto Penasco, which is about 60 miles south of the Arizona border. The quartet worked with Duncan and Steps Of Love to literally put a roof over the head of a sixth-grader named Lester, and his mother.
 
"I really wanted to go down there and experience something different," Petiprin said. "I feel like sometimes here we take the opportunities that we have for granted. It's so easy to complain about how sore you are. But you start thinking about how much opportunity you have here and how little opportunity they have there."
 
For a week, Petiprin spent her days working on a roof for Lester and his mom while also adding a room to their home. At other times of the day, she either visited a local homework club or orphanage to play games with kids.
 
"She was just so willing to jump in and build a house," said Duncan, who played volleyball at Arizona from 1979-82. "We gave her a nail gun and a saw, and she was up for anything."
 
Duncan started Steps Of Love after vacationing to Mexico and noticing kids hanging out in the streets during school hours. She spent a few years volunteering at shelters, and with the evolution of a successful family business allowing her more free time, she decided to take the next step in her efforts.
 
"They need to break the cycle of poverty," Duncan said. "If they don't get an education, nothing is going to change. If basic needs aren't met, you can't grow."
 
Petiprin and the group from Berkeley played card games and sports with the kids – including volleyball, of course. The children ranged in age from 2 to 12 and the group worked with about 10-15 kids every day.
 
"You can't focus on education if you don't have a roof over your head," Petiprin said. "That's why we started with a roof for Lester and his mom. They didn't really have a roof. How are we going to help this kid out with his education if he is getting wet whenever it rains at he is awake all night?"
 
Truth be told, the children of Puerto Penasco weren't too familiar with the sport of volleyball. As expected, soccer ruled, and the Berkeley group was happy to oblige. But some of the children gave volleyball a try, and did so with a spirit that made an impact on Petiprin.
 
"We brought volleyballs but they all play soccer," Petiprin said. "They had no idea what it was. But they were so ecstatic to have that net. Sometimes I feel like kids here are constantly on their phones and just not appreciative, and it's not necessarily their fault – it's the society we grow up in. But it was so refreshing to see them enjoy all these little things. We take a lot of big things for granted, like being an athlete at Cal."
 
Petiprin said the enthusiasm with which the kids appreciated the chance to play volleyball was a reflection of the community's attitude in general – a genuine happiness despite a lack of some basic resources.
 
"I was literally blown away about how happy these people were," Petiprin said. "Compared to us, according to what our cultural values are in material terms, they have nothing. I think it has to do with their appreciation for life and just focusing more on what they have and trying to make the most of it, rather than trying to get what they don't have."
 
Petiprin's urge to help dates back to her childhood in Carlsbad, where she volunteered at numerous soup kitchens at her church. While in college, she has also participated in the SAGE Mentorship Project, which pairs Cal college students with local elementary school children.
 
But her trip to Puerto Penasco was unlike anything she has participated in before.
 
"I had to analyze my intentions," Petiprin said. "Am I doing this because I want to feel better about myself? Going down there put things into perspective for me. Everyone goes through stuff in life, but to see it through my own eyes and build relationships with these kids – thinking about leaving on the last day there made me want to cry because I knew that they didn't want to leave us. They are going to live the same life and I'm going back to Cal."
 
As Petiprin's week in Puerto Penasco progressed, the children began to ask Duncan when she was coming each day. That included a young girl named Naomi whom Petiprin taught how to play volleyball. Duncan still sends Petiprin pictures of the children she worked with, and vice versa.
 
"I just wanted Caihla to move here," Duncan said. "We loved her. She didn't speak any Spanish, and it didn't matter one bit. She just found a way to communicate. She has great spirit and positive energy, and is so good with kids."
 
Cal's chapter of Athletes In Action hopes to continue to work with Steps Of Love and create a more regular calendar of visits to Puerto Penasco. Ideally, a group would visit three times a year. They are currently attempting to raise funds to build a soccer field in the area in December.
 
Petiprin can't wait to return.
 
"I was just thankful for this experience," Petiprin said. "I think sometimes Americans think they know everything, but there is so much you can learn from the people you think you have nothing to learn from. I went there because I knew there was something I could learn from them. The kind of community-based selflessness that I experienced in that community is a huge takeaway that everyone should try to incorporate into their lives."
 
To learn more about how to help, visit www.stepsoflove.org.