Travel & Make A Difference

During our journey in search for our next school visit, we were fortunate enough to connect with the Office of Arizona Governor Doug Ducey and get in touch with Kristine FireThunder, Policy Advisor of Tribal Affairs and Rafael Tapia, Senior Servant Leader of PY (Pie) Neighborhood Association, Inc.

We were honored to be invited to the 25th Annual Indian Nations and Tribes Legislative Day in Phoenix, Arizona on January 15, 2020. During the event, we participated with the young adults of Native Youth Know understanding the challenges they are encountering within their tribes. This was very educational and informative for us and helped us better understand their culture.

We are looking forward to helping a school in the Navajo Nation this year.

Celestine Alviar de Leon
M. Jeannie Win-Gardner

We were very delighted to have done our first school visit and donate school supplies and much needed help at Futures Elementary School this morning, Friday, Dec 6th.

We brought in winter coats, gloves, and scarves, hand sanitizers, tissue boxes, and school supplies to Miss Wong’s kindergarten class.

Thank you to Hong Thach, Community Engagement and Relations Manager at the Oakland Public Education Fund, for helping us make this happen. We also want to thank our mom, Eleonor de Leon, for going with us to meet the children.

We are planning to collaborate with Hong again in the near future to support Futures Elementary School.

Futures Elementary School
6701 International Blvd
Oakland, CA 94621
https://www.ousd.org/futures

If you would like to support our cause next year, please contact us and like / follow our page:

https://www.facebook.com/TravelMakeADiff/

Our friend, Mark Bozza , is travelling in Thailand and had the opportunity to visit a school and raise funds for a tiny impoverished school at Khao Kho.

Here is his story:

A month ago I booked a one way flight to South East Asia. Somehow I ended up in Northern Thailand for the weekend with the Bangkok Glass Thai Premier Division Soccer Team and we raised 280,000 THB ($14,000) for a tiny impoverished school of just over 100 students. We also gave them socks, shoes, drink bottles, clothes and toys and they were so appreciative and the kids were simply a pleasure to be around.

After that, we had a massive dinner, drinks, cards and a lot of laughter. I was the only foreigner and I certainly can't speak Thai, although I'm rapidly learning out of necessity! What lovely people and what a beautiful way to finish the year. So the one way flight was the best thing I could have done, puts things into perspective.

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Thank you, Mark Bozza, for sharing your story.

We encourage everyone travelling to do the same. Find a school and help out in any way you can. Please follow our page to see other travelers and events happening in the world.

https://www.facebook.com/TravelMakeADiff/

Pura Vida @ Costa Rica!

From Graduate school to Elementary school!

During my trip to Costa Rica, we had an opportunity to visit a public school, donate school supplies, and speak to the children…in Spanish. Thanks to our tour agent and the Gate1 Foundation, I had a chance to give back and meet Kevin and Jonathan, two of the children at La Union Elementary School. I gave back but I got so much more in return.

My heart is full. Pura Vida!!

To learn more about the Gate1 Foundation, go to https://www.gate1foundation.org/.