Biking, Hiking, and Building Homes

Adventure junkies who like to volunteer in their free time love Play it Forward Adventure Travels (PIF). This organization combines the thrills of the outdoors with the fulfillment of giving back.

I spoke by phone with PIF’s President, Jodi Nelson, at a café in Guatemala. She told me about the 10-day tour she and 12 others had just completed. Their trip was filled with all-day bike rides, breathtaking views of Lake Atitlan, hiking the City of Stairs, kayaking to Santa Catarina and yoga by the water.

impact | hoops of hope comes to minnesota

The IMPACT blog series demonstrate that stories have the power to inspire and create change.

13-Year-Old Humanitarian | NEED Issue 3


aisling and siobhàn reynolds play at the hoops of hope event. photo | john wright

Aisling and Siobhàn Reynolds

“I thought, ‘You know what? Here’s a kid doing something … and I have a kid and she can help other kids.’”

When Austin Gutwein started Hoops of Hope, it inspired people across the nation. Aisling Reynolds and her daughter Siobhàn are two people who decided to take action.

IMPACT | Volunteers Travel to Kenya to Rebuild Rabondo

The IMPACT blog series demonstrate that stories have the power to inspire and create change.

ONE | NEED Issue 1


Preschool and kindergarten students in Rabondo used to study outdoors due to overcrowding. Photo | Candice Towell

Timon Bondo

“The article has had a lot of impact. … We have had many volunteers who want to come and visit or just come to talk to us about what we need and how they can help.”

Before Timon Bondo’s article was published in NEED magazine, his nonprofit work was difficult to start. “We used to not know where to go … but now people have learned; that’s why I think the magazine is doing a lot of humanitarian services,” he says. Two years since the article’s publication, The Rabondo Community Project USA has made remarkable strides.

Making an imprint

Posted by Anthony Wald in Volunteers Edit

Carol Olson was sitting with three friends eating lunch, when the conversation turned to wanting to give back. The three friends knew they wanted to do something, but what was a question that needed some evaluation. Each decided to go home, do some research, and meet again to discuss their findings.

At their next meeting one of the women brought information on Global Volunteers. Global Volunteers is described on their website as, “A private, non-profit, non-sectarian, non-governmental organization engaging short-term volunteers on micro-economic and human development programs in close partnership with local people worldwide.” “I was in awe of what they had to offer” Carol explained. “Global Volunteers is invited into each country they provide service for which was important to me” she continued. With the organization set, they just needed to decide on where to go, or where they felt they could make the biggest impact. After several discussions the women honed in on a program in Romania.

Beyond Curriculum: Service-Learning in Colleges

Posted by Jan Boroff

Lounging on the beach. Soaking up the sun. These pastimes are generally what pop into college students’ heads when they hear the words “spring break.” For a handful of students from Huntington University, a liberal arts institution in Indiana, this past spring break looked a whole lot different.

Thirteen Huntington students and staff crammed themselves and their luggage into a van that headed north to Benton Harbor, Michigan, where they spent their break serving others. In a subdivision of houses built by Habitat for Humanity, the students painted, nailed metal roofing installed hurricane sheeting, mulched and picked up trash.

Others are skipping out on the beach scene too. Over 61 million Americans participated in volunteer work between September 2007 and September 2008, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Nearly 22 percent of people ages 16 to 24 volunteered within the US in the past year.

A Dream Loved Back To Life

There he sat feeding the pigeons again. No matter how many times we told him, Jerry spent every day crumbling bread for the birds in the parking lot. He was doing what he had done for years on end. He had been living homeless in downtown Atlanta, Georgia for a long time.

I thought of Jerry as typical of the homeless men that I work with at SafeHouse Outreach. Jerry wore layers of clothing with a sock hat and hoodie. He carried his belongings in a large rolling bag that had lost its wheels. Jerry had attached the bag to a razor scooter and used that to roll his bag around town.

On this particular day, when I went to go ask Jerry to stop feeding the birds, I asked him a question. I said, “Jerry, what is your dream?” Jerry stopped feeding the birds and looked at me, a bit taken aback. Then he answered, “I want to drive trucks. I am a truck driver.”

Jerry shared with me how he had driven trucks in the army for years. Once his military time was complete, Jerry moved back to Atlanta and made local deliveries by truck. Problems began for him when business slowed down because much of their work was seasonal. He looked for other driving jobs, but they all required a commercial driver’s license and training he didn’t have. I asked Jerry if he knew how to get those things and how much it would cost to do so. Jerry said that he would look into it and get back to me.

Giving Back

Posted by Rhea Datta on June 4th 2009 in Organizations, Volunteers Edit



After most people travel to exotic destinations, they simply post pictures online and send thank you cards to their hosts. Not Heather Burkland. As a junior at Macalester College in 2002, Heather traveled to Cameroon to study for a semester. There she was overwhelmed by the generosity and hospitality shown by her host family and the communities she studied in. Despite meager resources and limited funds, all the Cameroonian people she met were eager to open their homes to the American students.

Heather met Michelle Wilson in the same program. The young women shared an observation — that there were not enough educational resources for Cameroonian youth to complete their academic aspirations.

Upon their return to the US, Heather and Michelle provided their host family and friends with financial support, but soon realized that in order to make a significant change for their friends they would have to spread their message. Opportunity Africa was born from their desire to increase their outreach. The nonprofit’s mission is to provide Cameroonian students from disadvantaged backgrounds with scholarships and other educational resources. Armed with a belief that education can open doors for a better understanding of family (and community) health and greater earning potential, Heather and Michelle created a forum where people can provide monetary support to deserving Cameroonian youth.