Charity

This Monday, July 27th, I am traveling to a remote village in Costa Rica to work on an organic farm and study rainforest ecology for 10 days. This is going to be a highlight of not only my summer but also my high school experience. Within this village there is a small elementary school that is always short on supplies and money. So, along with my hiking shorts made from 100% recycled fabrics, and my ecology notes and star-gazing guide, I am packing an assortment of notebooks, pens, and pencils to bring down there with me.

This got me thinking about all the charitable efforts I've gone to. I've raised $1800 for the nonprofit organization Invisible Children, I've given to GoodWill, I've donated blood, I've raked leaves and mowed lawns. I've given everything a person can give: money, possessions, actual bodily fluids, and time. However, I've never really met the people whose lives are changed by my donation. I didn't fly to Uganda and use the $1800 to administer HIV medication, I didn't go door to door giving my clothing to whomever answered, and I didn't personally bring my pint of donated blood to the person dying in the hospital. However, this time, it's different.

Within the next week I'll be personally giving those notebooks and pencils to students who desperately need them. All it took was a $20 run to Target, but these children don't have access to cheap school supplies. This time, I get to see the faces of the children who will now be able to better themselves with the help of my donation.

I am just writing this post as a way to show the joy a person can get simply from giving of themselves and also how much more amazing it is when a person can see where their donation is going and how it is being used. This is an amazing opportunity and I'm so excited that I'll be able to help people that may not have had these items otherwise.

If you are interested in my trip, check out the group blog that we'll be updating every night of the trip.

See you August 6th!