The Education First (EF) Educational Tours, with the assistance of Belize Diving Adventures, organized a clean-up activity at the Lions Mosquito Coast Park in Ambergris Caye on Wednesday, June 6th. The exercise was aimed to improve the conditions at the widely used park.
The EF Educational Tours was spearheaded by Dr. Sonja Hollingsworth, who has served as both a middle school English teacher and professor at Colorado State University, Colorado, USA for the past 17 years. As a key element in the programming she has designed for students, she leads an international trip each summer focused on cultural interfacing, service/volunteer work, and outdoor adventure activities designed to help young students challenge themselves and learn more about the world. She has taken students to Costa Rica, Ecuador, Puerto Rico, Panama and Belize. This year Dr. Hollingsworth travelled with 42 children and adults to Belize for eight days on a customized itinerary with EF Educational Tours, under the leadership of tour director Keith Flowers. The team also contributed to the purchase of toilet units and door for the bathroom at the Lions Mosquito Coast Park.
In addition to the park clean-up on Ambergris Caye, the students also participated in multiple service learning activities such as sponsoring an arts and crafts workshop at the Dorothy Menzies Child Care Center in Belize City, visiting the Succotz Roman Catholic School in San Ignacio and partnering with Cornerstone Foundation in San Ignacio on community painting and clean-up projects. According to Everette Anderson of Belize Diving Adventures, the students enjoyed their time in the country. “The students loved their experience in Belize, citing how kind and welcoming Belizean people were and noticing the joy Belizeans shared,” said Anderson.
Any business that would like to give back or participate in any project that can help the community may contact the San Pedro Tour Operators Association at 600-4856. Special thanks goes out to La Isla Bonita Yacht Club, Rigo and Pablo Kumul, David Wade, Fara Maza, Frank Edwards from Corona Del Mar, Miguel and Jevon from Pelican Reef Resort, Karen Brodie and Belize Diving Adventures staff.
