Warm welcome to all! I would like to thank you for expressing your interest in embarking on this journey with my good friend Dre and I.

This is my third time getting involved with the Hug It Forward family in efforts to build greater communities within Guatemala. My first trip two years ago was absolutely wonderful. I joined a group of others as a volunteer. Traveling alone and not knowing anyone in that group, I was nervous. Fear does not usually grab hold of me, but heading to this foreign place solo, fear was certainly the first thing I felt. Once I arrived, I was warmly greeted by a beautiful country, with amazing people. After just minutes of meeting my teammates and the Hug It Forward team, my fear suddenly turned into excitement and happiness. I then spent that week with my new found family, building a bottle school, and experiencing the Guatemalan culture. It was so much more than I hoped for- leaving me fulfilled, cultured, and blessed. Not only did that trip do something for me, but more importantly, it did so much for their community.

Just short of a year later, my friend Dre reached out to me and had asked if I was interested in going back to Guatemala, but this time as a trip leader. I was beyond excited! Dre and I share the same love for the Guatemalan community. Our previous experiences with Hug It Forward shaped us and gave us greater sense of purpose. Knowing that Dre shares the same sentiments I have, I knew he and I leading a trip together was going to bring the meaning of building a bottle school to new levels. And that is exactly what it did. We were extremely successful in bringing a positive and vibrant crew with us, and we truly had an uplifting journey. The footprints we left, will be there forever. 
By joining us on our second team lead to Guatemala, I can only hope it will be everything you seek and more, just like it was for me. Between interacting with the people in the community, the amount of love and gratitude they show, being surrounded by the children, using your hearts and hands to build towards an education system for them, working with a team of others with shared purpose- it is very special, and an absolute blessing.
Putting these experiences into words is not easy. You have to see it for yourself to experience the fulfillment that I feel. What I can leave you with is, I am a different person because of these trips. I always knew I wanted to work with children. I always knew I had a heart to serve. I always knew I was put in this world to do something bigger than me, bigger than you, bigger than us. The trick was figuring out how. The goal was trying to understand what I needed to do to fulfill my destiny. And I found it. Within the Hug It Forward community, I found the exact piece that was missing in my puzzle. These opportunities have opened my heart, my soul, my spirit, and my mind to the greater doors that await us.
I hope you can join us!

Hugs,
Mikki

Warm blessings & many thanks beautiful people!

My name is Drè or Andrès. I first want to welcome and thank you for taking the time to visit this landing page! I’m beyond humbled and blessed to announce that “Hug It Forward,” The WV Foundation and i are putting together another trip to the beautiful country of Guatemala.

Guatemala and the people there hold a special place in my heart and I’m beyond excited to return and continue to serve the Guatemalan people, the children and the communities alike.

My first project in 2018 lead me to San Martín, Jilotepeque, in the historic village of “El Rosario Canajel.” This Community was full of love and embraced us with open arms. We were the first foreigners to ever step foot in this village and to have the opportunity to play with the children, learn their culture of dance, make tortilla from scratch and have the students of the middle school perform a historical and traditional Mayan piece was absolutely breath taking.

I was fortunate and blessed to be able to return in the summer of 2019 for my second stint, in the community of Quisayà, Chimaltenango. This hard working community and the people within this village brought positivity, love and a willingness to serve and build upon their values as the foundation of these people are told through their stories and love of one another.

This is a complete mind, body and life changing experience and for those who truly want and have a heart to serve, i wish the same feeling i had, for all of you.
I’m forever joyous and blessed to be able to return for another opportunity to impact, lead and serve the Guatemalan people! Join us August 6th-12th 2020 to build another bottle school with us, impact a community, become a CHANGE AGENT and dive into a whole new level of self development in the process.

My hope is that this experience will bring you massive increase and clarity into your life both mentally and spiritually. I’d like for this to be something you can cherish and share with your family for the rest of your life. Let’s grow together and build something that will out live us and echo throughout eternity!
Hope to see you in GUATE!

With love,

Drè Dougiee 

How kids and communities build bottle schools

Pictures from our previous bottle school trip

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Fundraising for bottle schools

You might also like to fundraise for Hug It Forward bottle schools. Fundraising for bottle schools is optional – it is not a requirement of participating in a bottle school trip.

If you choose to fundraise, we suggest a $250 fundraising goal, but some people choose to do more or less than this. It’s really up to you – how much you think your friends and families can give, how creative you can be, and how much time you’re prepared to put into it.

See more information about fundraising.