Small Space, Little Effort, Big Impact… truly sums up the Pack for a Purpose program with such extraordinary impact for the traveler. We learned about PfaP through the Costa Rica Tourism Board and our family was thrilled with the concept.
My daughter Brianna, a fifth-grader at Village Green Environmental Studies School, often reminds me about being a World Changer which is part of their school motto. Kids seem to have the real understanding about the simplicity of helping others and making things happen. Together with her guidance-counselor we devised a plan to collect school supplies for the students of Costa Rica. The response was amazing. They collected approximately 35-40lbs of supplies. As an added bonus, my employer donated nine pairs of new children’s sneakers through his other company Who Got Game, an organization centered around helping children. My step-son Cameron enthusiastically helped me split everything up among our suitcases and we were ready to go!
When we arrived at Sarapiqui Country Inn, the manager arranged for us to visit the nearby school. It was an awe-inspiring experience. The students were thrilled to meet my kids and exchange stories about school and took a recess to show us their garden and play soccer. We learned about the long, sometimes difficult walks to get to school and how one classmate had not been in a week because he didn’t have shoes to wear, so the extra surprise of sneakers was truly appreciated. When we left we were all changed for the better.
The remainder of our vacation was humbled by our experience at the school. Since being back home, we have shared our story with others and plan to Pack for a Purpose in every trip.
Supplies collected with assistance from:
Village Green Environmental Studies School
Who Got Game
