Each student who participates in a Two Roads Project is required to file a final report with the school coordinator or his/her teacher. Following are brief excerpts from two of those reports.

Sophia and Paloma
Project: Creating a food bank at their school

We first learned about hunger in our community when our local newspaper wrote an editorial about the issue specific to our school. We were shocked and decided we could make a difference in the lives of our classmates by setting up a food pantry. The pantry is monitored by school staff and open to any student who expresses a need for food or whom staff members suspect has a need. We are raising money through family and friends, holding several food drives at our school and a neighboring school. Sustaining the food pantry in the future is important to us. We have partnered with the local Back Pack Meals/Teen Pantry Food Program which has committed to keep it running years after we have left middle school. In addition, we have asked our principal, counselor, two teachers and the school district homeless coordinator to guide the project and help us to develop a plan to sustain the food pantry over the long term.

Hannah
Project: K9 Care Montana

I raised money for K9 Care Montana.  I held a bake sale and a silent auction at my grandma’s café in Shawmut, Montana.  When I was given the $100.00, I was in awe because I knew I could grow my money in the end. When I was asked to be a part of the Two Roads Project, I was all for it.  I knew it was a way for me to help my community and make a difference in Montana.  I decided I wanted to do something for veterans because my uncle is in the army and he was deployed last year.  My mom had heard about this organization called K9 Care Montana.  What they do is give a dog to a wounded veteran.  I emailed the director and while I was fundraising we kept in touch.  I ended my project by raising $71 5.00. The money went to the K9 project and will be used for training the dogs and for buying  food and supplies for them.  I learned that the smallest things can make a great impact on a small community.  Just from taking $100.00 and making my final total $715.00, I learned a little can go a long way and that nothing is impossible.

This past weekend my family and I spent some time with Global Travel Alliance partner Teens4Oceans, and students from Ralston Valley High School, Kent Denver, and Monarch High School helping with a Beaver Habit and River Ecology Monitoring Project.  I use the term helping loosely because the students and staff involved seemed to have everything under control when we arrived.  Except for maybe one high school boy who was struggling with keeping his kayak upright.

There was one question running through my head as our double stroller made it’s way (more like cleared a path) down the winding trail that cut through fallen limbs and wetland plants that hang onto the edge of the South Platte River.  What would lead a group of students that are part of a marine science club to give up an entire Saturday to work on a freshwater ecology project?

The latter question was answered with little delay by some of the students and Teens4Oceans Executive Director MIkki McCoomb-Kobza.  Our rivers have everything to do with the world’s oceans.  Ultimately human and animal behaviors upstream have an effect on the conditions of our Oceans.  Little changes along the way can have huge impact downstream and in this case the Atlantic Ocean where Teens4Oceans conducts much of its marine research.

The Platte River travels North for a little while (yes, north) and then flows East into the Missouri River just South of Omaha, Nebraska. From there, the Missouri River meanders across the middle of the United States until it intersects with the Mississippi River in St. Louis which eventually spills into the Gulf of Mexico. Don’t believe me, you can Google it yourself. Yes, I traced the path much like I probably did during a 6th grade social studies class when I was once again dreaming about being out in the wild, and not confined to a composite wood desk and rigid metal chair. Sorry Ms. Cook, you were a much better Language Arts/Writing teacher, as I hope this post proves.

Their work has tremendous value when you realize that just over 500 miles Southeast of the Mississippi River Delta in Dry Tortugas National Parks lies one of Teens4Oceans partner research stations and another one of their View into the Blue cameras.  Annually, Teens4Oceans leads students from their high school chapters to the Florida Keys & Dry Tortugas National Park (along with many other locations in Mexico, British & U.S. Virgin Islands, Channel Islands, and the Grand Cayman Islands – find out how you can get involved here). Chapter members participate in expeditionary learning experiences that include scientific research, field studies, and service learning, often to protect the reefs affected by human and animal behaviors upstream.

Once the freshwater-marine questions were sufficiently answered, I began thinking about the students that volunteered to assist with this project.  And much like my “Aha” moment when I traced the path of the Platte River from Denver to the Delta, I had another revelation.  These students weren’t here to satisfy service hour requirements, or to improve their chances of getting into elite colleges – although I’m sure that is an added benefit.  They were here to to be stewards of the worlds natural resources like true scientists.  I often get locked into thinking that service learning should include either travel to a foreign country or urban location and include working in a soup kitchen, teaching English, or painting a school.  Although these are a few of the manifestations of service learning, there is far more to it then humanitarian work, or work in a foreign context.  Service learning can happen in our own back yard, and it can include the work of real scientific protocols and study.  A scientist must be committed to the accurate use of instruments, reasoning, and inquiry, but also he or she must use that knowledge to steward this worlds resources, which these young scientists were doing right before my eyes.

As Pascal says “The least movement is of importance to all nature.  The entire ocean is affected by a pebble.” Perhaps these seemingly small efforts by the young people from Teens4Oceans will go a long way in protecting our oceans and bettering our world.  Let’s hope their work Saturday is only the beginning.

Global Travel Alliance would like to recognize and thank the following companies for supporting this project through funding, support, and logistics:  Teens4Oceans, The Gates Frontier Fund, View into the Blue, Chatfield State Park, Audubon Society of Greater Denver, Colorado Gulf and Turf, University of Colorado, and Ocean Classroom.

Eagle Mount-Billings began in 1988, when Greta and Bob Mathis – United States Air Force General – retired, began an adaptive ski program at Red Lodge Mountain Resort for children and adults with disabilities. They had already established the program in Bozeman, Montana in 1984, immediately so successful they wanted to expand to other areas. In time, the program grew to include arts & crafts, bicycling, summer day camps, equestrian activities and much more. The program also expanded to Great Falls, Montana.

Matthew Hayden, Maia Ragar and Logan Tracy from St. Francis Upper School in Billings, Montana, recipients of $100 bills to be used and expanded for good, thought Eagle Mount a perfect cause to help with their combined $300 from Global Doing Good, a division of Global Travel Alliance. As they visited, they decided they would try to multiply their funds rather than simply donate the $300 to Eagle Mount.

Through fundraisers, grants from local businesses and other activities, the students expanded their $300 into $5,210.75, enough to pay for 21 individuals to attend Eagle Mount Day Camp this coming summer. Maia Rager got things moving by organizing a screening of the movie, Polar Express last January.
Tracy Hayden used his $100 to have bracelets made for the rummage sale he was sponsoring. The bracelets featured the Eagle Mount logo from Isaiah 40:31: . . .but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint.

Eagle Mount staff members were astounded; one observed, “We couldn’t believe these three raised this much money; we are so thankful we were the recipients of their hard work and dedication.”

This goes back to the original vision of Jamie Jarvis, who gave eight students $100 each to catch the vision of service – people helping people, and reaping the personal benefits one receives from reaching out to others.

This year 32 students participated, but the concept has caught on in different cities and even as far away as Colorado where an entire classroom will be involved this coming year. From eight students last year, to 32 this year, it seems the sky is the limit as more teachers and kids catch the vision.

A group of Concordia Lutheran High School students from Houston, Texas, journeyed to Costa Rica in mid-March to build a home for a poor family. This was the second group from the school to engage in a service project under the auspices of Global Travel Alliance, but more specifically under the non-profit division, Global Doing Good.

As in the past, Global Travel Alliance staff and Costa Rican residents Daniel Granados and his wife Andrea served as coordinators. Their job is to find families that qualify for a home, coordinate with a contractor, and take care of the details of housing and feeding the students from Houston.

Homebuilding in Costa Rica has garnered the attention of groups all across the United States. As we look forward to fall, 2014, and into 2015, ten group leaders have already indicated they would like to reserve a time slot for their volunteers to participate. The groups range in age from adults to teens. Some hail from churches and some from private and public schools.

Besides building the home, the crews have some very interesting experiences as noted in some of the following comments:

I learned that termites do, in fact, taste like breath mints. Question: how did that amazing revelation come about?

Frogs are scary creatures. Hmm. Must be some rather large ones down there.

On the more serious side, kids were touched and impacted in multiple ways by the experience.

I learned that we have it too easy compared to the lives of those in not so prosperous areas of the world.

But going to Costa Rica isn’t just about homebuilding. Our travelers will get a close-up look at this amazing country that has been called the Switzerland of Central America. Participants will walk the rain forest trails where they will thrill to a large variety of flora and fauna. One of the most astounding sights is watching a flock of Macaws take wing. Ancient and active volcanoes are also prevalent in the country. Some hikes encompass eight different eco-zones. And don’t forget the Costa Rican beaches, some of the most pristine and beautiful in the entire world. You can experience all this and more while you assist a needy family move from a tin and scrap wood shanty into a serviceable new home. Call Global Travel Alliance today toll-free at 1-866-313-2577 and ask for Steve, Bryan, or Jeff for more information about homebuilding in Costa Rica.

Maybe you can’t make the trip yourself, but your support for these life-changing projects would be greatly appreciated. Please be advised that these homes, while sturdy and weather proof, are built to very minimum standards. They total 600 square feet with a common area and two bedrooms. The bathroom facilities and cooking area are outside. Materials for one home cost in the range of $7000. Thank you for considering supporting our homebuilding projects in Costa Rica.

As the group coordinator and Global Travel Alliance Vice President, Steve Maehl, noted after the Concordia project , “We continue to build bridges and change lives through efforts such as these.”

A chance meeting in a paint store between Julie Dasinger and Pam Peterson of Global Travel Alliance resulted in a home being built for a family in Costa Rica. Kirby, Julie’s husband, and she had been discussing what they might do to honor the memory of their granddaughter, Aviella Hope, who was lost in mid-pregnancy. Pam and Jeff had previously told them about Global Doing Good and some of the projects they were involved in. To Julie and Kirby, building a home for less fortunate people in Costa Rica seemed like a fitting memorial. They discussed the idea with their children and spouses, Kira (Far’d), Kelsey (Kyle) and Kaleb (Katie). The consensus was they should do this. 

Daniel Granados and his wife Andrea, Global Travel Alliance staff members in Costa Rica, had already set the plans in place to build the new home for Arturo, Maria and their boys Jorge and Kevin. Daniel met the Dasinger family at their hotel at 7 a.m. each morning and took them to the home site where the ladies began painting the exterior and the men began plastering the inside walls. 

Daniel’s father (who the Dasinger family nicknamed Papa Smurf) had overseen building the home, which was basically completed, except for the projects the Dasingers worked on. 

“Their original home was neat and clean,” observed Kirby, “but it was not stable. During hard rains, water poured in and ran through the house. It was just cobbled together.” 

Arturo and the boys worked right along side of the Dasinger family and Maria kept them supplied with fresh fruit and fruit juice as they labored under the tropical sun. 

“The hardest work,” recalled Kirby, “was mixing concrete on the ground for the interior floors. We made a pile of sand, added gravel, cement and water and began mixing with shovels. What a workout!”

Arturo, Maria and their sons were ecstatic and grateful, but Kirby pointed out that his family was also grateful for the opportunity to serve.“Yes, we impacted this family, but we were impacted too,” he said. “We realized that we take so much for granted living here in America. All of us understand after this experience how very blessed we are. I would recommend that other families or church or civic groups think about doing this. It was very rewarding to us all.” 

The home, named Casa de Esperanza (House of Hope) is nothing special by American standards. It measures about 600 square feet with two bedrooms, a bathroom and a common area that encompasses the living room, dining space and the kitchen. 

Go Green Global Travelers! 
Global Doing Good will lead travel adventures anywhere on Planet Earth. In doing so, we desperately strive for responsible travel practices so we can minimize the impact on Mother Earth. Read below for some eco-friendly travel tips to keep in mind for your next adventure, wherever and whenever it may be!

Fly Low and Fly Less
Flying all over the Google Maps database will be the most energy consuming part of a trip, so plan excursions that require minimal time in airplanes. According to howstuffworks.com, a typical Boeing 747 will burn a gallon of fuel every second! Traveling to multiple destinations? Use the train. Get to where you need to be, and then take a creative next-step on the ground level.

Travel Light
This tip is smart on so many levels and will specifically reduce the weight of luggage which can seriously reduce green house gas emissions. All forms of transportation burn more fuel carrying more weight. Leave unnecessary electronics at home and plan to wear the same pair of jeans the entire trip.

Turn Off at Home
Before you leave your humble abode, turn off all lights and unplug household appliances that won’t be in use while you’re away.  Do the same in your hotel room – why feed your phone charger with joules of energy when you’re out-and-about? enjoying the sites? This is an uber-valuable energy saving tactic.

Public Transit
Global Doing Good commonly utilizes public transportation during some of our service travel adventures. Trains, subways, and a classic hike not only help the environment, but are also a  healthier, more enjoyable, and personal way to experience your destination community.

Conserve Water
Use conservative amounts of water for showers at your hotel/hostel. Reuse bath towels and bed sheets, and turn off the sink when you’re brushing your teeth.

Pack a Water Bottle
Pack a bottle of your own (we like 14oz BPA free bottles from Nalgene) or reuse the first one you buy. Check with your Global Doing Good team member to see if your destination provides safe drinking water from the tap. Yes, we know how fine the Natural Artesian Bottled Water of Fiji can look, but save yourself some money and the environment a little work.

Energizer Bunny
Save the Bunnies! Utilize electronic options that don’t require batteries. For techs like cell phones, cameras, and razors that might require batteries, try using rechargeable batteries or a battery pack you can plug in at night while you sleep.

Any tips we forgot on our list? Let us know! Have a safe adventure Global Travelers, tell Mother Earth hello for us!

by Brynn Burke

Montana to Costa Rica is approximately 2800 miles, three flights and 12 hours of travel, but every second was worth it.  Traveling to Costa Rica with a group of teachers and staff was a great experience and way to get exposed to Costa Rican culture, natural beauty and a vast amount of animals – even the animals that invited themselves to the hotel room and/or the food!

The week started by visiting two Costa Rican families that Global Doing Good has provided homes to.  It was so touching to see the reaction of the children when they saw us.  Hugs and smiles were shared as they invited us to see their home.  This small act of service provided new hope and has completely changed their lives. The mother of the home even offers school lessons from one of the rooms!  A specific aspect of the visit that was so special to me was even with the language barrier, the smiles and laughter helped us all connect.  I will never forget how happy the family was because of the service and home building from Global Doing Good.

We continued the week with many activities including zip lining, snorkeling, rafting and souvenir shopping.  We traveled all over Costa Rica to get a full look at what the country has to offer.  Whether tourists seek adventure, science or a service project, Global Travel Alliance can create a remarkable trip to Costa Rica.  Throughout our travels we saw whales, dolphins, turtles, fish, monkeys and many more animals you can’t see in Montana.  We experienced the full extent of a rain forest storm, and most importantly, we saw the difference that Global Travel Alliance can make for Costa Rican families.  Everywhere we went, there was always a way to converse through a simple smile and laugh.  I loved having that universal language and had to use it many times.  Our bus driver Wallace didn’t speak much English but we still forced him to sit with us at meals… I am sure he really loved it!
Costa Rica was a great destination for travelers from all over.  I loved my experience!

Brynn has been an intern at Global Travel Alliance since the start of Summer 2013. She is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s degree for Marketing at Gonzaga University. Interested in becoming an intern for Global Travel Alliance? Shoot us an email with your resume attached. 

Last month, a small service team from Global Doing Good (with help from a Texas student group) built a home for a family in need. And when we say “in need,” we mean that the house the family was living in had tilted, falling, scrap-metal walls, dirt floors, and a holey roof.

They did not live in a church.

Jeff, Pam, Brian, Roy, Brooke, Daniel and Andrea led the Costa Rica Homebuilding project offered by Global Doing Good and constructed a new humble abode in only 10 days. They didn’t do it alone: the student group from The Lone Star State pitched in two days, and so did the family.

Wait...what family?

The family who would be living under their new roof of course…and the family members who live in a new home that was built last year. Brian, the Special Projects Coordinator for Global Travel Alliance, made these comments: ”We worked with a school group on their second home building project and the home they were building was just a matter of yards from the home they built last year.  In many ways, it was more of a reunion than project. I was humbled to see the children of last year’s family pitching in.  To see a family so empowered really reaffirmed the power of service learning in my mind.”

Brooke brought her camera along (check out her pic-snapping skills at brookepetersonphotography.com) and was lucky enough to capture the boys from the new family being boys. Who wouldn’t take their old scrap metal walls and turn them into mud fight front yard castles?

Click through the following images to see this epic Costa Rican mud fight:

Turns out that joy is a heart issue, not a home issue.

Right before the final day key ceremony, each family member helped bring their old furniture inside their new home. They expressed great joy moving in with their broken and scruffy furniture that looked like it came from a barn…not Pottery Barn.

Brian communicated his gratitude: “Thanks to Mr. C, his students, and their parents for making this a reality, again.  I want to thank you sincerely for letting me take part in your project.  I really hope to see some of your faces again next year.  You kids were awesome! I am sure that the rest of the trip through Costa Rica was a blast, even if there may have been a few muscle aches and some very stinky sneakers.  Congratulations and thanks to all of you.”

So what about you? Want to offer some aid? Visit globaldoinggood.org to find out how you can donate, serve, and do good. Enroll now, learn more about the Homebuilding project, or peruse our Google+ Global Doing Good photo gallery!

Paul Belanger is the Director of GTrek: Science and Adventure, a division of Global Travel Alliance. The GTrek program allows student groups to go on science and outdoor education travel experiences to destinations like Costa Rica, Montana, the Grand Canyon, and more. We talked to Paul about his role and why he encourages outdoor education. Read our questions and his answers below:


Who is Paul Belanger? - My role at Global Travel Alliance is to be the Director of Gtrek. Gtrek is the science, adventure, and culture/language division of Global Travel Alliance. My title means that I am the go to person on staff for everything related to a Gtrek trip. HOWEVER, like many good companies I am but one cog in the wheel of an amazing company and there is no way that I can deliver a truly unique and exceptional trip without the help of many others on staff. But if you add my background in outdoor and environmental education with the fact that I live in the mountains of western Montana, and lead an active outdoor lifestyle, and that I have a beard most of the year, probably had something to do with my job title as well. Regardless, I am very proud to work for a great company and am fortunate enough to partner with many great teachers on developing and leading programs that get kids outside playing, learning, and growing.

Why does he focus on education? One of the great things about my work is that I get to build a program that reflects one of my greatest passions in life – sharing the outdoors with young people. My passion comes from a rock solid belief that in order to really understand how to best care for our planet, home communities, and those places that are near and dear to us, we must spend time in those places. Just like great friendships that build on shared experiences, our relationship with the natural world is built on outdoor experiences. This can be in a local city park or a National Park like Yellowstone or some other great international destination like Costa Rica or Belize. This relationship can be engendered along many paths – playing, recreating, painting/drawing, studying and observation, or just sitting under a tree and reading a book. The point is, GET OUTSIDE!

What part of his job is a challenge? What’s tough is that with young people today, getting outside requires a more deliberate effort. I grew up without video games, cable/satellite T.V., or an over-abundance of extracurricular activities – athletic or otherwise. If I was bored after school or during summer break, the best entertainment was outside in the Ohio hardwood forests or along the creek that ran through my neighborhood. These moments are still very important to me. Going back even further in our Nation’s history, many kids grew up on farms where being part of the landscape around them was not only important, it was essential. The farmers and ranchers I know today have some of the strongest conservation ethics out there, which don’t come from woo-woo environmental rhetoric but rather from working and being out on the land they care about. While living in a ranching community along the Montana Rocky Mountain Front, one rancher summed up this point quite well when he said, “I am not raising cattle – I am growing grass”.

I know many teachers and parents that share my concern and understand the importance of getting kids outside. This is not a judgment – just a reality. I am a parent too who lives less than a mile from thousands of acres of wilderness and I struggle with feeling that my kids are not “out there” enough, despite the fact that we camp, hike, ski, and float the rivers near my home regularly.

How does Gtrek: Science and Adventure educate students? Providing opportunities for young people to experience some of our planet’s special natural places like Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon and Costa Rica, I like to believe I am helping teachers and parents overcome some of the barriers that young people face when trying to “get outside”. This would provide many benefits for students! More and more studies are coming out that demonstrate the importance of outdoor and environmental education. Students develop stronger social and personal skills. They demonstrate better performance in school and a greater enthusiasm for learning. Getting outside also helps build important critical thinking and leadership skills. The list goes on. The sole purpose of Gtrek is to help bring these benefits to your children and students. Let me and my team be your partner in this worthwhile endeavor!

A great resource to learn more about some of the issues I brought up is “Last Child in the Woods,” by Richard Louv. This book has spawned resurgence in efforts to get kids outside. Linked to this book is the online resource called the Children and Nature Network. Visit www.childrenandnature.org