Susan Stumph and Ethan Clemens Bottle School Trip: March 16th to March 22nd, 2026
In rural Guatemala, thousands of children wake up each day with one dream: to go to school. But for many, that dream is out of reach. Lack of classrooms, teachers, and basic resources means that children are growing up without the education they need to build a better future.
We strongly believe every child deserves a chance to learn, so felt very fortunate to find Hug it Forward, a wonderful organization committed to building schools in rural Guatemala. Hug it Forward has been amazing to work with as they ensure a safe environment and work hard for volunteers to have a positive experience. Together with friends, or people who joined us and became friends, our family has participated in four trips helping four different communities build a local school. As a family, ages 7-72, we have found these experiences to be memorable and life-changing. For one week we are able to work alongside kind, motivated children and their families who are working so hard at the chance to have a school in their community. In addition to building schools, we have been able to learn about Guatemalan culture and the day- to-day lives of the children. Our lives have been forever changed by these experiences. We have found that we have not only helped build schools, but have changed our perspectives and the way we view the world. We have become better world citizens!
Come join us, our family, and friends as we return to Guatemala, March 16-22, 2026, to help build another bottle school. Working together on the school, we will make memories, experience a new culture, and help to give the children of Guatemala an opportunity of an education in their community.
Together we can help build a brighter future for children in Guatemala.
Susan Stumph and Ethan Clemens
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 March 16-22, 2026.
The cost of the bottle school trip is $1,499 per person.
You can reserve your spot by paying a $750 non-refundable deposit by January 1, 2026, and the balance ($749) payable in full by February 16, 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.
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!
Have you read the Terms and Conditions? After reading the Terms and Conditions, please click the “Yes” button to view the booking options.
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.