Important Information Regarding Coronavirus (COVID-19)
UPDATE – April 6TH, 2020
Dear BLUE Family,
In 2007, at the age of 16, I was given the opportunity to participate on my first international service trip. Saying that the experience changed my life would be an understatement. I witnessed poverty with my own eyes and worked hand-in-hand with local villagers to take on the water crisis. I met kids my same age who were collecting water for their families each day instead of going to school and preparing for college like I was. On the surface, we were so different but the reality is that we were more similar than different. We both shared the same love for faith, family, and friendship. We both had dreams and aspirations. And we both had a role to play in ending the water and sanitation crisis in our lifetime.
This experience led my sister and I to create BLUE Missions in 2010. Our initial goal was to help 1 rural village gain access to clean water each year with the support of volunteers and donors from our own community. Along the way, we wanted to provide authentic and safe life-changing experiences to each volunteer that participated on our service trips. By doing this we would be able to connect rural villages to clean water while teaching the future leaders of our own community the importance of living a life of purpose. Our message to our volunteers has been consistent and clear. You have the power to change the world, how will you Build Love & Unite Everyone each and every day of your lives?
Since 2010, BLUE Missions has completed over 130 water and sanitation projects benefitting over 30,000 people throughout Latin America. Over 3,000 volunteers have participated on BLUE service trips resulting in over 450,000 hours of community service. What started as a small idea has become an indispensable vehicle for service, love, purpose, and most importantly, clean water and sanitation. For BLUE Missions, each summer provides thousands of people with the opportunity to grow personally and impact globally, which is why this message has been difficult to write.
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, we have made the very difficult decision to suspend all international service trips taking place through August 15th, 2020.
Our hearts break for all those impacted by this decision including the villages that have been preparing for 6 months in hopes of receiving clean water and sanitation, the volunteers who were excited to serve with us this summer, and our amazing team of employees, both domestically and abroad, who have become family over the past 10 years.
Despite the challenges that lie ahead, our team is committed to doing whatever it takes to preserve BLUE in the long-term to assure that we can continue to fulfill our mission of ending the water and sanitation crisis in our lifetime.
What do I do now?
This difficult decision was made with each of our constituents in mind. We understand that COVID-19 is affecting everyone’s lives in different ways and that families like yours have real concerns and challenges that you are facing as well. Because of this, we’re committed to providing flexibility for you and are offering the following options in regard to the payments you have made towards your trip cost of $1,250:
Postpone your registration for a BLUE Missions Service Trip in 2021 or 2022
Participate in Camp Ubuntu (August 2nd-August 8th)
The following schools have agreed to honor the full 150 service hours for all volunteers that select this option:
Christopher Columbus High School
Westminster Christian School
All Archdiocese of Miami High Schools
Including Our Lady of Lourdes Academy & St. Brendan High School
Donate your payments to BLUE Missions, which is a 501c3 non-profit organization, and receive a tax-deduction for the full value of your payments
Receive a refund of all trip payments made minus the $250 registration deposit.
Learn more about the options above by reading our FAQs page. Let us know which option you prefer by filling out the form below and we’ll make sure to reach out to you to confirm. If you’ve already submitted a form, you do not need to submit another one.
If you have questions regarding Community Contribution Fee (CCF) donations and payments, please refer to our FAQ page. As always, all CCF contributions go directly to the field and are 100% tax-deductible. CCF contributions will be honored on your next BLUE Missions service trip.
Deadline to submit an option is August 31, 2020.
How soon will I hear back?
We are currently experiencing high call volume. Completing the online form is the best way to get your request to us.
Although it may take longer than usual because of the amount of requests, please be assured that our team is working to fulfill each and every one. This is our promise to you.
Thank you very much for your patience and understanding throughout these challenging times.
Best regards,
Daniel Rodriguez
BLUE Missions
Co-founder & CEO
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UPDATE – MARCH 27TH, 2020
At BLUE Missions, we believe in the power that each individual has to change the world. Our programs are designed to help connect communities with clean water and basic sanitation while connecting volunteers with their purpose.
BLUE Missions continues to monitor the circulation and global response to COVID-19. Our first priority has always been to provide authentic service immersion experiences for our volunteers in a healthy and safe way. Because of that, we have made the decision to suspend all events and volunteer programs through May 31st, 2020. This includes the suspension of the BLUE Gala, and service trips scheduled to take place through May 31st.
Our goal throughout this process is to respond to expert advice in a swift and proportional way while supporting our participant’s needs. To the parents and participants scheduled to travel with us through August 31st, 2020, we have immediately paused all scheduled payments to BLUE Missions in an abundance of caution. We will be emailing out our virtual Trip Preparation Meetings beginning the week of April 27th. We continue to ask for your patience as we monitor the developments of COVID-19 and the recommendations of leading health experts from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO).
We are mindful and empathetic to the fact that this is a dynamic situation, and that families like yours have real concerns that you want to stay attuned to. We hear you, we’re here for you, and we will be providing regular updates on this page and via email as more information becomes available.
Daniel Rodriguez
Co-founder & CEO
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Update – March 12th, 2020
Like many of you, BLUE Missions has been closely following the developments around coronavirus (COVID-19). We are focused on ensuring the safety of not only our volunteers and staff but also our global community. We will closely follow the recommendations of the world’s leading health organizations.
Due to recommendations from local, state, and federal officials, BLUE Missions will be suspending upcoming scheduled events. All BLUE sponsored events taking place within the next 30 days have been suspended. This includes the trip preparation meetings for summer service trips (March 17-19, 2020) and the Make The World BLUE: Walk 4 Water Event scheduled for World Water Day (March 22, 2020). We are currently evaluating our options to facilitate trip preparation meetings online. Trip participants and parents will receive more information in coming days regarding the scheduled meetings.
Additionally, all volunteer service trips and employee travel scheduled to take place within the next 30 days have been postponed. We will work directly with trip organizers to reschedule affected service trips. BLUE Missions Service Trips scheduled to take place this summer remain scheduled as planned as we continue to monitor the rapidly changing status of COVID-19. While the long-term impacts of coronavirus are hard to quantify and change day-to-day, we are taking the appropriate steps and will actively monitor the impact COVID-19 may have on the communities we serve. More updates will be provided as the situation continues to develop.
We ask for your patience and understanding throughout this process. Most importantly, we ask our community of supporters to continue to Build Love & Unite Everyone as the situation unfolds.
Daniel Rodriguez
Co-founder & CEO
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Update – March 4th, 2020
Awareness of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) is important. “This is an emerging, rapidly evolving situation and CDC will provide updated information as it becomes available, in addition to updated guidance." (CDC).
BLUE Missions places the highest priority on the safety and well-being of our volunteers, interns, fellows, and staff and we want to assure all trip participants and parents that we are taking proactive measures to ensure that we are prepared should the virus directly impact our programs.
All Summer 2020 service trips with BLUE Missions remain scheduled as planned. We will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as new information is made available.
Travel
We are recommending that volunteers planning to travel outside of the country over spring break monitor advisories from the CDC and State Department. Current countries with level 2 or 3 travel advisories from the CDC due to COVID-19 include:
China (Level 3)
South Korea (Level 3)
Iran (Level 3)
Italy (Level 3)
Japan (Level 2)
The list is being updated frequently (Updated March 12th, 2020)
Domestic Travel
The situation in the United States is changing rapidly. While there are currently no restrictions on domestic travel, we encourage all community members to stay abreast of conditions in their destinations and take all recommended precautions to avoid contracting and spreading the virus.
Illness Prevention
There is currently no vaccine to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to the virus. However, as a reminder, CDC always recommends everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory diseases, including:
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
Stay home when you are sick.
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing.