Trip to Foundation Reina de Quito

When we asked one of our students what we should do with the money we raised at the coffee shop he replied, “Let’s give it to people on the streets.” This told us two things, 1. Our students understand compassion and empathy. 2. They may need some guidance in directing the funds. We decided to present about 8 different NGOs in Quito. The students researched them and voted. They chose Foundacion Reina de Quito, a group that supports children with Down-syndrome and their families.

After three months of running the coffee shop, we decided to visit the recipient of our fundraising. Our students run and played with the children and also spoke eloquently with the employees sharing information about our charity coffee shop. They even invited them to come see the coffee shop. Overall it was amazing to see our international students interact with local children. They all spoke the same language of smiles and laughter.