A Letter from Danny Rodriguez

When I was 16 years old I had the opportunity to travel to the Dominican Republic with LIFO Missions to participate in my first service trip. At the time, I was unaware that nearly 663 million people did not have access to clean water or that 1 in 3 individuals did not even have a toilet. I was oblivious to the fact that children spent their days collecting water for their families instead of going to school. All I knew was that I would be on a Caribbean island with my friends for a week long camping trip. But that was okay because we all have to start somewhere.

The trip came and went but not before it taught me many important lessons. I learned that giving back could be fun and that we as humans can adapt to difficult circumstances. I grew accustomed to waking up at dawn and working with a pick and a shovel each day. I survived without creature comforts such as air conditioning and ice. But most importantly, I became a global citizen and understood that the life I was born into was very different from the developing world. I returned home with a sense of gratitude for the many blessings that I have and felt obligated to excel in school and reach my full potential. I occasionally thought about the relationships I made with the locals and wondered what they were up to. I thought about how different our lives would be if we switched places at a young age.

Does this sound familiar? How did a BLUE trip impact you or someone you know? Every “campo” experience is special in its own way and although participants have different takeaways from their trips, they all return home understanding that we are called to serve others, most importantly those who are forgotten and do not have a voice.

When BLUE was founded in 2010, we hosted 1 summer service trip with 11 participants. In 2016, we will facilitate 21 service trips for over 400 participants. The commitment of our supporters combined with the passion of our core team are the reasons BLUE has experienced such incredible growth.

Despite custom trip requests from various high schools and universities across the nation, we currently cannot facilitate any more trips as we have reached our operating capacity at 21. We have set goals and targets to take BLUE to new heights but we cannot do it without your support. As 2015 comes to a close, I ask that you take the time to look at the attachment outlining the BE BOLD Model; our unique fundraising strategy where 100% of public donations go directly to the field. We are actively seeking pledges for The Tank Sponsorship Program that allows us to grow operationally. On behalf of our entire organization, we thank you for believing in us and the impact that we are having on our world. The work we do would not be possible without each and everyone of you.

All the best,