Making a Difference: Building homes and lives through service
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- Volunteers with Builders Without Borders of Utah help construct a building in the Tijuana area of Mexico.
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- Volunteers with Builders Without Borders of Utah are shown in 2022.
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- Volunteers with Builders Without Borders of Utah teach women in the Tijuana area of Mexico to sew.
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- Volunteers with Builders Without Borders of Utah stand inside a home they have worked on in the Tijuana area of Mexico.
Reed Hasson, a Lehi resident, father of three and current president of Builders Without Borders of Utah, was taught how to serve at a very young age by his father.
“One Christmas when our family lived in Brazil, we loaded up boxes of food and presents and drove out to the Brazilian desert to a family living in a hut and shared Christmas with them. Those kinds of experiences led me to do this kind of work, and I wanted my own children to experience the same thing,” Hasson said.
In 2005, Hasson went to Tijuana with an Idaho organization. After a second trip there, he wanted to do something in Utah. “When I returned, I asked myself, why don’t we form our own organization? With help of neighbors and others, we formed Builders without Borders of Utah as a 501(c)(3) organization in 2007,” Hasson said.
Builders Without Borders of Utah’s mission is simple. “Our mission,” Hasson said, “is to improve the living conditions of truly needy families. We have helped many families and businesses dramatically improve their lives.” The organization has three groups that work with people in the Tijuana area. Most of their weeklong trips are over Thanksgiving and Christmas.
In the months leading up to the annual trip, people in Utah, Idaho and Wyoming sponsor applicants and provide requested items or donate money to purchase basics and fulfill other requests. A pre-trip in September is used to assess needs.
During the 2023 Thanksgiving trip, the Builders Without Borders of Utah Florido group received 21 construction requests and selected and completed 10. “Each year is so different,” Hasson said. “We use the pre-trip in September to determine how many projects we can complete in five days, based on number of participants, locations and lots cleared.”
Builders Without Borders of Utah works with the local people and tries to accommodate their needs. “We customize the houses or buildings to their needs. We model our work based on what we have learned in our church and what we believe Christ would do,” he said.
One hundred percent of all donations goes to the projects. “One of the reasons we created our own organization was to make sure that all money goes to the operations and the actual projects,” Hasson said. “No one gets paid, and even participants who go with us help us with some of the costs. Plus, we buy as much as we can through local providers in Mexico to support the local economy.”
Builders Without Borders of Utah is very fortunate that many people and organizations such as Globus Relief, U.S. Synthetics, Minky Couture, medical and sewing organizations, and others donate money to help purchase building materials and supplies.
There are many benefits of taking family and friends on the Builders Without Borders of Utah humanitarian trips. Paul Harvey, a participant with Builders Without Borders of Utah for eight years, said many of his children have also participated in the program.
“Being a part of projects has helped with their perspective. All projects our family has participated in have helped my children gain a perspective of gratefulness for the things that they have. They discovered that most happiness is not driven from having wealth/material things,” Harvey said.
While their mission has basically stayed the same over the past 20 years or so, they expanded into several other areas. “We are still Builders Without Borders of Utah, but we have expanded into a variety of other areas: sewing program, giving table, an orphanage and a care center,” Hasson said.
Sewing machines are donated to the sewing program to help people enhance their lives. “In 2023, donors donated 15 brand new sewing machines,” Harvey said. “Over four days, local women are taught basic sewing skills and all aspects of the sewing machines. At the end of the week, they take their sewing machine home, which allows them to provide for their families and even create a small business to generate additional income.”
The amazing part of the sewing program is the willingness of past participants to help. “My wife is part of a group of participants that plan and teach the sewing program,” Harvey said. “Sometimes women from the previous sewing classes come and help the other students learn how to sew and help with translation.”
One of the humanitarian projects conducted in El Florido/Tijuana is the “Giving Table,” where applicants request goods like pots, pans, clothing and medicines. The Food Box program provides immediate food needs for a family of four for a month.
“Paul Harvey from West Valley has really helped grow the Giving Table and Food Box program, and he and others make it all possible,” Hasson said. “Paul has been with Builders Without Borders of Utah for eight years. A co-worker, a longtime participant, introduced him. After his first trip, he was hooked.”
Another expanded project is helping a private orphanage that takes care of 40 to 80 orphans. “We chose this orphanage because of its proximity to where we build,” Hasson said. “We find out what they need, and we provide it — food, clothing, diapers, school supplies, blankets, etc.”
They also have a lot of fun at the orphanage. “Everyone loves children,” Harvey said. “We have put on several carnivals, played games, provided snow cones and cotton candy, and even done face and nail painting. We are looking to involve more people through a community carnival.”
A heart-tugging extended project is working with a care center that houses people who are severely disabled or who are at the end of their lives. It is operated by a husband and wife through whatever donations they receive.
“We found out about them about four or five years ago. When we ask them what they want, they always say ‘hamburgers and chips.’ That’s an easy fix for us,” Harvey said. “But we also bring large bags of rice and beans, adult diapers, hospital vinyl sheets, walkers, wheelchairs, oil, detergent, etc. What they give to us, though, is the privilege of helping them in some small way. These people are saints and forgotten about. Helping them has grown into one of trip’s highlights.”
Over Thanksgiving 2023, Builders Without Borders of Utah made a huge difference in the lives of Mexican families. There were 86 participants, more than 4,000 hours of service, 10 construction projects, 13 sewing table attendees, 269 food boxes given, 140 sponsored Giving Table applications and more than 1,600 individuals touched through service.
Making a difference does not always necessarily happen with numbers. People’s lives change in ways they never expected when they go on these humanitarian trips.
Mike and Lauri Clark of Utah decided to go on the Thanksgiving 2023 trip. As a builder, Mike wanted to use his talents to help and lead a group to construct a house. “I was grateful how I could help out,” Mike said. “Now, I don’t use the word ‘I need’ anymore. It feels almost arrogant that I need something.”
Lauri helped with the sewing program and was excited to watch women learn how to sew. “I was out of my comfort zone, but the experience blessed and changed my life, and I don’t want to go back the way it was. I like the way it feels,” she said.
Scott Saunders has gone on 17 trips because of his father’s dedication to service and his brother’s recommendation.
“I sometimes see my service as selfish because it does so much good for me in my life,” Saunders said. “It helps me stay grounded in the things that I value. I feel blessed to have found Builders Without Borders of Utah.”
For Hasson, Builders Without Borders of Utah changed his life. “I met my wife, Nicole, through Builders, and we chose to get married that same week so we could celebrate our anniversary when we are doing the projects. I cannot imagine spending Thanksgiving any other way,” he said.
Why are they really doing what they are doing? “The real contribution is raising the next generation of humanitarians and changing a family’s living situation for multi-generations,” Hasson said.
Those who want to participate or donate can send an email to builderswithoutbordersofUT@gmail.com or send donations to Venmo @builderswithoutborders. They can also check out the organization’s website.
