Mike Wardlaw joining relief workers in Thailand

CC carpenter Mike Wardlaw is using his vacation time to lend a hand in the rebuilding of areas devastated by the Dec. 26 tsunami.

Wardlaw, who will join one of two groups organized by Mach Arom '89, is scheduled to travel to Thailand Feb. 25 to work on a school and some residences in Kamala, near Phuket.

“When I was watching it on TV, I just had this epiphany,” said Wardlaw, who has been at CC 14 years. “It was something I had to do.”

Arom's Phuket Project, which he helped organize in New York, requires a two-week minimum volunteer stint. Volunteers are expected to pay their own travel expenses.

CC Carpenter John Charland spoke earnestly about Wardlaw's involvement. “He's the best we have,” he said. “They're getting the hardest worker and the most knowledgeable.”

Anyone can sign up to help via The Phuket Project's Web site. The first trip will run from Feb. 28 to March 12, although Wardlaw said there are a few days of travel involved. “It takes 24 hours just to fly there,” he said. A second trip is planned for March 14 to 26.

The Phuket Project has about 200 volunteers. Its goal is to work alongside local Thai communities to rebuild homes, schools, temples, community centers and businesses affected by the tsunami.

“Every little thing will help,” Arom said in an e-mail to CC's Office of Alumni Relations. He emphasized that the trips will not be vacations. “The goal is to help the people of Phuket rebuild, and that needs to remain our focus,” he said.