High school students from the Michigan
cities of Rockford and Saugatuck spent a week in
the Dominican Republic
in a true hands-on education experience.
On behalf of Good Samaritan Hospital in La Romana, DR,
thirteen students, three chaperones, and one teacher implemented 17 Hydraid
BioSand water filters in a small rural village that lacked access to safe
water. They also helped construct an addition on Good Samaritan Hospital,
visited a local orphanage, and distributed footwear donated by Chaco, a division of Wolverine Worldwide.
“It was humbling to see that their water supply was a community faucet outside, when we have the luxury to turn on our faucets at home whenever we want. Yet those kids were happy and smiling with what they have,” said Missy Biener, board member of Rockford High School Interact and Thirsting to Serve.
The trip, which took place in the summer of 2012, was part
of a partnership between Triple Quest, the manufacturer of the Hydraid filter,
Safe Water Team, Rotary and its youth program, Interact. Through a variety of
activities, the students raised more than $3,800 – enough to buy 100 Hydraid
filters. The group’s fundraising efforts reached across all 11 Rockford School District public schools. The
Interact students also wrote a grant application and received matching funds
from Rotary District 6360. Students were individually responsible for raising
$1,000 to cover further travel expenses.
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