Book now to reserve your spot on the Stadler Family bottle school trip: November 22-28 2026 Booking Options Below

Welcome to our Bottle School Week during Thanksgiving 2026. We are the Stadler Family form Gilbert, Arizona, San Antonio and Dallas, Texas.

I am Dave DiGiovanni, married to Lorinda (the oldest of the 6 Stadler Children). My brother in law, Ray Stadler has done the Hug it Forward Trip 4 times in the past and would always invite us along. Problem was that Ray would invite just a few weeks to months before the trip and my schedule was not that flexible. Finally, he gave me
a years notice( no excuses to make) so Lorinda and I went along with Ray and his wife, Jana, and another brother, Deron and his wife Sarah.

Ray had talked it up so much that I was a bit hesitant to get too excited. He told us super safe, great organization, well run, and a week you will remember fondly. I have never had a more satisfying and productive week as I had on this trip last July. The…….let’s call it spiritual…..feeling of the service that we did was such a pure and fulfilling emotion.

The work was difficult–we had the job of mixing concrete ( by hand with shovels) for the foundation and columns of a two room school in a remote village. We all worked( a group of 25) to the best use our physical abilities and all participated in a meaningful and productive way. A 9 yo spent most of the time playing and interacting with the children of the village and this was as important as mixing and “bucket brigading” the concrete. The Guatemalans of the village were so thankful that we, the wealthiest people on the planet, would give up a week to come and work for them to help them progress in the education and future of their children. They were gracious, loving, kind, and so thankful.

Thing is…….I was the one that got the most out of our week doing this service. I was fulfilled, I was given a gift of what it is like to give real service in an area of such need, and then to see how thankful they all were to us.
Oh, and how HAPPY they are as a people. To our stadnards, this was basically existence in squalor ( I do not mean this in a degrading way)–but they were happy, laughing, smiling, and healthy.

We all left knowing that we just finished one of the best “vacations”we had ever had and wanted more. So this November, the 22-28, come join us for the best week of your life.

Hope to see you there.

Dave DiGiovanni

How kids and communities build bottle schools

Pictures from our previous bottle school trips

Want to know more?

Visit the Hug It Forward web site to find out all about bottle schools.

Information about your trip

Please make sure you read all the information on this web site, including the Information section and the FAQ.

Book now by PayPal, check or Zelle

Book today to reserve your spot on our bottle school trip from November 22-28, 2026.

The cost of the trip is $1,499 per person if the deposit of $750 is paid by July 22nd (with the remaining balance of $749 due by October 22nd). If the deposit is not paid by July 22nd, the cost of the trip will be $1,799 per person. We have tried our best to keep the cost of the bottle school trip the same, but after four years of rising costs and improving systems to better support our in-country team, an increase in price is necessary.

What does this include?

You can reserve your spot by paying a $750 non-refundable deposit by July 22nd, 2026, and the balance ($749) payable in full by October 22nd, 2026.

Please make sure you have read the Terms and Conditions before booking.

Have you read the Terms and Conditions? After reading the Terms and Conditions, please click the “Yes” button to view the booking options.

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Available booking options below…

Option 1: Mail us a check (fees do not apply)

Mail a check payable to “Serve The World Today” to:
Serve The World Today
5810 Long Prairie Rd.
Suite 700 PMB 179
Flower Mound, TX 75028

Please write on the memo line of the check which trip you are attending

Send us an email to adam@hugitforward.org – please tell us:
- That you sent a check and what the amount was ($1,499 per person, or $750 if you are just paying a deposit now)
- Which trip the check is for
- The name on the check

Option 2: Pay using Zelle – please check with your bank to see if they offer Zelle as an option for transferring money (fees do not apply)

Log into your online banking
Choose to transfer money using the “Zelle” option
Enter our email address info@hugitforward.org and the amount $1,499 (or $750 if you are just paying a deposit now)
In the “Message” box, please enter which trip you are booking!
Send us an email to adam@hugitforward.org telling us that payment has been sent via Zelle

Option 3: Paying by PayPal (fees apply)

Click the “Buy Now” button on the right to pay the $1,499 cost of your voluntourism trip (plus $52.81 in PayPal fees).

Click the “Buy Now” button on the left to pay the $750 cost of your voluntourism trip (plus $26.67 in PayPal fees).

Please read the Terms and Conditions!