Giving | Give and Surf

Dunbarton High School Leaves Their Mark

Give and Surf

Apr 8 |02:17

Last month we were fortunate enough to have the help of a high school group from Dunbarton High School located in Pickering, Ontario; a suburb of Toronto. They spent ten action packed days with us volunteering and enjoying jungle life on Bastimentos Island. With their help we were able to complete the following: two bathroom/septic tanks for the community, finished the community garden, finished 104 stairs to the playground, cleaned up and prepped the library, collected over 25 bags of trash around the bay, converted preschool walls to all wood, painted preschool walls, and added a mural to our bookshelves. In addition to all their hard work they had great times doing catamaran tour, zip lining, trip to Smithsonian, cave tour, and enjoying the beach.

We would like to thank all of you for working so hard during your time here as well as fundraising at home. Of course none of this would be possible without the teachers as well. You are a special group of teachers to have the stamina to keep up with the kids and survive the jungle!

Pre-mud group shot

Septic Tank Project

Library in all its glory

Finishing Touches

Bathroom/Septic Tank Construction

Michigan State Students Join Give & Surf for Spring Break

Give and Surf

Mar 13 |15:43

Last week, Give & Surf had the pleasure of hosting a group of eleven students from Michigan State who opted to volunteer in Panama for their collegiate spring break. Even though Bocas del Toro greeted them with a few rain showers, they worked with smiles on their faces, rain or shine!

In just five days, our Michigan State volunteers were able to build a community garden and 102 step stairway, construct furniture for the library, paint a mural in the preschool room, and a few other projects.

We could not have asked for a harder working group of students. We were amazed to see what a big difference a group of college students could make. A huge thanks goes out to the guys and gals of Michigan State for your tireless work and contributions to the Bahia Honda community!

The Michigan State group posing for a photo on our school’s dock.

A few volunteers hard at work digging steps for the stairway up to the garden.

The guys building new furniture for the library.

Give & Surf Raises Over $1,000 to Benefit Bahia Roja Community

Give and Surf

Feb 28 |13:08

On Saturday, February 13 Give & Surf hosted a fundraiser with our friends at the Palmar Tent Lodge to raise money to rebuild the Bahia Roja cafeteria and kitchen. Not only did we have clear skies and a great turnout, we exceeded our goal and raised over $1,000!

Give and Surf fundraiser for Bahia Roja

The fundraiser was a blast and our guests were able to enjoy a full day of festivities such as live music, soccer tournament, slip n’ slide, raffle, earth oven pizzas, drink specials, a live coconut oil demonstration, and more.

Give and Surf fundraiser at Red Frog Beach

We cannot give enough thanks to all the businesses that donated prizes to our raffle drawing, the volunteers from Palmar Tent Lodge and Give & Surf, and those that donated the funds to get the cafeteria complete!

One Year Later: Give and Surf Welcomes the Return of a Past Volunteer

Give and Surf

Feb 19 |19:49

Only one year ago June You, a Ph. D student from Seoul, South Korea found herself in Bocas del Toro volunteering with Give and Surf for the first time. Today we’re sitting down with June to find out more about her experiences with our program and of course, why she wanted to return.

June You at Give and Surf

Q: How did you initially find out about Give and Surf?

A: Through my friend’s Facebook page. He liked “Give and Surf.”

Q: Tell us about your first trip here.

A: It was in February of 2012. I had planned to stay here for two weeks but extended my stay for one week longer. Basically I assisted Neil with teaching. And of course, played with the children and had a wonderful time with them. During our free time I went surfing, snorkeling, and enjoyed a cave tour.

Q: What did you like best about volunteering with Give and Surf?

A: My favorite memory from Give and Surf was playing with the kids. Every moment with them was so special to me. If I had to say one thing, I would say the day we brought them to the beach because we had so much fun that day.

Q: How do you feel about being the first volunteer to return to Bocas for a second volunteer experience?

A: Hahaha! Is there any recognition or a prize for this? (Just kidding!) I’m sure that there will be more volunteers returning like I did. I hope so!

Q: What changes have been made since you were here last?

A: The kids. They are growing up so fast and have become so active. I think Neil and Tabitha have done a great job here. The kids are so intelligent. I’m so proud of them!

Q: Tell us about the kids you sponsor to attend school. What made you want to sponsor a child?

A: In this indigenous community, there are issues with women and abuse. When I heard about these horrible stories, I was so shocked and decided to change at leaset one girl’s life. I thought the way to help change this is to educate girls to stand up for their rights. I told this story to my friends in Korea and the my two good friends supported my thoughts and decided to sponsor two children as well. So, between all of us, three girls are able to attend school!

Give and Surf Takes a Field Trip to La Loma Jungle Lodge and Chocolate Farm

Give and Surf

Feb 13 |21:09

Delicious homemade chocolate cookies for our hungry taste testers.

Author: Give and Surf

When Give and Surf started holding summer school classes for the children of Bahia Honda, our goals were to provide them with engaging activities and new experiences to further develop their understanding the world. And most importantly, we aimed for summer school to be fun!

Yesterday one of our summer school classes had the opportunity to take a field trip and tour the La Loma Jungle Lodge and Chocolate Farm. The adventurous day was filled with a question and answer session about La Loma and how chocolate is made, a tour of the cacao plantation and gardens, and taste testing the chocolate!