2021 Travel Team Member Feature: Andrew Sparks

We are excited to continue our new blog series! In this series, we highlight members of our incredible 2021 Travel Team who will accompany us during Mission 2021 to Antigua, Guatemala. 

Travel Team Members generously volunteer their time, talent, and energy toward our goal: providing the gift of mobility to patients in need. From October 2nd through October 9th 2021, we will be in Antigua to accomplish that goal.

This year’s trip to Antigua will be our sixth to Guatemala, and our eleventh trip overall. We thoroughly enjoy the time we spend at Obras Sociales del Santo Hermano Pedro, our partner hospital in Antigua, which we affectionately call our home away from home. We love the staff there and truly think of them all as family. 

Let’s turn our attention to our third featured Travel Team Member, Andrew Sparks! Andrew is an alumnus of the University of Pittsburgh, where he studied Marketing and Spanish during his undergraduate career. He also went on to earn his MBA at Pitt, where he focused on strategy and innovation. Andrew’s creative and analytical skills are evident in his work as an Experience Designer for the UPMC Innovation Center. These skills are also highly valued by Operation Walk Pittsburgh! Andrew joined the Travel Team in 2019 as a social media and communications coordinator. This year, he’ll join the Team as a translator.

Andrew is a native of southwestern Pennsylvania, where he grew up in a small town with no traffic lights. He enjoyed the natural beauty of his hometown along with the bike trail. In addition, he grew up working alongside his parents in their family businesses, including a jewelry store, catering service, food truck, and boutique. He learned the importance of hard work from a young age and was also involved in school with activities like student government, volunteer work, and fine arts.

While Andrew puts a lot of time and effort into his career, he also makes time for yoga and meditation regularly. He enjoys Pittsburgh’s Frick Park as well as Schenley Park, and always brings along his dog, Migo! Andrew loves traveling, and had the chance to live in Nicaragua for a year in 2016.

All of our Travel Team Members work hard to meet a fundraising goal, helping to cover a portion of the total cost of critically needed supplies and equipment for Mission 2021. We are deeply thankful for each and every one of our Travel Team Members’ support, including Andrew’s!

“I was fortunate enough to attend Mission 2019, and the impact is real. Seeing the impact that can be made in one week was remarkable, and really moving.” - Andrew

Please consider making a donation in Andrew’s name to support his fundraising commitment. Remember, 100% of all donations made to Operation Walk Pittsburgh directly support patient care during the mission. Will you help Andrew reach his fundraising goal?