No job? No sweat for service journey

A year or so ago, when the five families from Davis County got together to plan their service project to Mexico, one major logistical concern was scheduling the trip around everyone's work schedules.

Turns out the worry was largely unnecessary.

A year later, three of the five breadwinners aren't winning any bread.

The sinking economy took Wynn Hubrich, a business consultant; Sam Fowers, an accountant; and John Scharf, a builder, down with it.

All three are "between jobs."

But they're still going to Mexico, and they're looking on the bright side. Now they don't have to ask anyone for the time off, plus they won't be losing any pay.

"Might as well do something productive, right?" says Fowers, who along with his wife, Jana, came up with the original idea of organizing a humanitarian aid trip as a way to honor their son, Jordan Fowers, who died three years ago at the age of 23 of Marfan syndrome, a rare connective tissue disorder.

Jordan Fowers did a lot of giving in his life, and the Fowers family thought it would be a tribute to his legacy to give some more. Plus, it would be an eye-opener for their teenagers to see how much real need there is in the world.

They've christened the excursion "Jordan's Journey."

The Fowerses recruited four other family friends with teenagers, including Wynn and Bette Hubrich, John and Michelle Scharf, Scott and Kathryn Godderidge and Dean and Marlue Perkins. In all, there are 21 in their group. Under the auspices of an aid organization called Charity Anywhere, they will leave for Tijuana, Mexico, on April 3 and return 10 days later on Easter weekend.

If all goes well, a brand new duplex capable of housing two large families will be left in their wake.

The intrepid band embarking on Jordan's Journey plans to travel to the Mexican border via truck and van, hauling donated materials and supplies. In Tijuana they will be housed in the upper floors of a medical clinic. Many of their meals will be provided by local host families.

Days — and probably a few nights — will be spent building the duplex. There will be no time to waste.

"We'll have to hustle," says Wynn Hubrich. "But I'm convinced we can do it."

That's no idle prediction, coming from a man who has spent his career as a consultant in "facility construction," which means he helps companies relocate, remodel and rebuild their facilities.

Or at least he used to. Ten months ago, the well dried up, and he hasn't had a job since. Same with his friends Fowers and Scharf. Last June, the company Fowers was working for as an accountant laid him off; and for the past nine months Scharf has joined the lines of construction contractors looking for something to build.

"I guess you could say we've all finally found a job," says Hubrich. "But we're also paying for it."