When a group of six volunteers from the Lehigh Valley came together to complete a volunteer service project, they had no idea they would be at the Brussels, Belgium, airport during the recent terrorist attack.

Herb Klotz, president of the Allentown West Rotary; Chris Hornaman, Emmaus Rotary; Carl Zvanut and Tom Powers with Engineers Without Borders; Jennifer Holman, assistant superintendent; and Pete McKnight, a teacher in the Northwestern Lehigh School District; traveled to the western African country of Sierra Leone at the beginning of March to complete a joint global grant project with Rotary International and Engineers Without Borders.Team members were expected to return home March 21, but their flight was delayed a day. The next day, they flew to the Zaventem airport in Brussels, where they were in-transit when two explosions hit.A third explosion was on a subway. ISIS has claimed responsibility for the terrorist attacks."We were not in the area where the bombs went off, and we did not hear anything," Klotz said."All of a sudden, we saw people running through the terminal. Then security officials asked us to move to the end of the terminal. It was very orderly. There was no panic where we were.Klotz, of Macungie, said they went to the end of the terminal and then out to the tarmac."It was about 40 degrees, and as we had just come from Africa, we were not prepared for the cold weather. The airport provided blankets for us and then bused us to another section of the airport and then to a train station," Klotz said."We secured a hotel in a town 30 kilometers (about 19 miles) outside of Brussels in a village called Leuven."Klotz said that the local Rotary Club of Leuven was contacted, and within a short time, Rotarians from that club offered assistance.It took a few days before the team was able to leave Belgium for Germany, and did so with the help of the Rotarians.Klotz said the people from Belgium were extremely helpful as well.Before the drama at the airport, the volunteers had completed a successful mission.The global grant focus has been a partnership with the Centennial Secondary School in the rural village of Mattru Jong, Sierra Leone.The school had been ransacked by rebels during a civil war.Holman commented on the partnership with Centennial School and work in Sierra Leone."The Allentown West Rotary Club, Northwestern Lehigh School District and Centennial Secondary School in Mattru Jong, Sierra Leone, have developed a partnership where educators from both Northwestern Lehigh and Centennial Secondary School work together to build stronger education systems," Holman said in an email to The Northwestern Press Tuesday."During our time at the school, Peter McKnight and I worked with the teaching staff and administration at Centennial School to observe and learn about the education in Sierra Leone."We worked with the staff to improve instructional practices, provide professional development and efficient uses of resources. Overall, the mission was a success and we look forward to continued learning with our partners at Centennial."This is the eighth trip for Engineers Without Borders' volunteers. Two years ago, the team completed drilling a well and sanitation which has been sustainable.Last year, the team was unable to go because of the Ebola epidemic, according to Klotz, who is also a member of Engineers Without Borders."The project is going well," Klotz said. "This was the best trip ever."This March, the team completed the installation of solar panels and electricity for the school, which has not had electricity for 25 years.Additionally, two employees of the Northwestern Lehigh School District traveled with the team, supported by the Allentown West Rotary and a district grant.The goal of the teachers was to conduct an assessment for a potential vocational training team.Local Rotary officials were anxious to extend a special thank-you to the volunteers for their courage and the impact they made, despite some overwhelming challenges.The goal of Engineers Without Borders, an all-volunteer, national nonprofit organization, is to execute engineering projects to help struggling communities build basic infrastructure, making them more self-sufficient.Rotary International connects 1.2 million members from more than 200 countries as a global network of volunteers who dedicate their time and talent to tackle the world's most pressing humanitarian challenges.