NAUGATUCK, Conn. — A Naugatuck man’s trip to Mexico four years ago ended up becoming a life-changing mission — not only for him, but for an orphanage full of children.

Bryan Nurnberger said he traveled over the border for the first time during his summer break from teaching in 2003.

“I was doing a combination of teaching and guiding rock and ice climbing. Summer break came and I was looking for something to do,” Nurnberger said. “I was just traveling around to different towns in Mexico — in the central mountains, reading books and looking for rock-climbing areas.”

Nurnberger said that after about a month, he grew tired of his vacation. He said that a woman he had worked with

told him of an orphanage in the southern part of the country, in a state called Oaxaca.

“I called the number that I had, and they sent a pickup truck to get me. It was nighttime and they brought me to the orphanage and all the kids were asleep. The next morning I woke up and all of a sudden there were all these kids — 80-plus children,” he said.

Nurnberger said that after meeting the children, he knew that he had to do something to make a difference in their lives.

“There were all these kids, 80-plus children, children with disabilities, children with malnutrition, all kinds of horrible circumstances,” he said. “I befriended one of the boys who had cerebral palsy who was in a wheelchair. His name was Ricardo and he was in the same clothes for three days, same diaper.”

Nurnberger said that the majority of the orphanage’s children were economic orphans — children whose parents couldn’t afford to care for them.

After returning to Connecticut, Nurnberger founded the group Simply Smiles, to help provide food and care to the children.

“I thought we’d just put a Band-Aid on it, and do what we could, and you know, maybe spread some awareness here and generate a little support,” he said.

Nurnberger said that the organization has grown quickly in its four years of existence, and that the organization’s efforts wouldn’t be possible without volunteers from the First Congregational Church of Naugatuck.

“All they know is that they’re happy and they’re smiling because there’s three meals every single day and it’s those kinds of moments that we are trying to create in these children’s lives,” Nurnberger said. “They have a computer lab with Internet, and all of these amenities which they deserve, but four years ago would never have dreamed of having.”

Simply Smiles now runs two orphanages and volunteers will soon build homes for people who are living inside a dump.

“They live in the dump. They live off the dump. They find things to make their homes in the dump,” Nurnberger said.

Volunteers and siblings Josh and Jillian Dufresne visited Mexico and said their goal is to give the children a better standard of living. They said their fist visit to Mexico was full of surprises.

“The cockroaches in your bed and the lizards on your face — it’s a little different, but you get used to it,” Josh Dufresne said.

The Dufresnes’ mother also gives her time to the organization by making quilts.

“We sent 86 quilts down, mostly with pictures of the kids on them that he had brought back for us so we could give them a little comfort and have it personalized,” said Peggy Dufresne.

Nurnberger said the organization is always looking for volunteers to help make the children’s lives a bit more complete.