ACIS Group Leader, John Nickels, and his group of 41 participants help bring relief to those in China
Three weeks before departing on his ACIS tour to China, Group Leader, John Nickels, read an article in his Kansas City newspaper about the May 12th earthquake that devastated China. “The article put a call out worldwide asking for tents,” 
the Social Studies teacher recalls. The earthquake, the most devastating disaster in nearly 30 years, claimed countless lives and destroyed the homes of nearly 4.8 million people.
After a trip to his local Wal-Mart for a simple tent, John’s seemingly small deed became infectious. The students and families at Shawnee Mission East High School began donating other goods. “It just grew in three weeks,” he says, “It was fun watching the mothers—mothers and daughters and sons walking down the aisles, picking things up and saying, ‘they’re going to need that.’ I had no idea there were so many sizes for children. I never heard of a onesie, but the mothers knew.” Donations for the victims of the earthquake included clothes (of assorted sizes), toiletries, medical supplies, sleeping mats, diapers, and nutrition bars—among countless other essentials.
The Chinese Red Cross met the group at the airport when they landed and graciously took the 31 duffel bags and boxes full of goods. This is John's 56th group trip as a teacher and is no doubt an inspiration to his students.
The will to help those in need turned into a true life lesson for the kids, says John. “When someone’s hurting in the world and you’re in the position to help, that’s what a decent human being does—they help.”
