BLUE Missions

The Elevate Prize would allow us to scale our existing service trip program and invest in our recently launched education initiative, CauseClass. We have developed a proven business model that allows us to focus our efforts on what we do best, inspiring our youth to make a difference. Many times, BLUE service trips sell out within minutes of opening for registration. 

In 2010, we completed one project with 10 volunteers. In 2020, we had 45 projects scheduled and over 800 volunteers enrolled in our programs prior to having to cancel these projects because of the pandemic. The demand is there and has already returned for 2021 with over 400 volunteers scheduled to participate on water and sanitation projects this summer. Our volunteers cover the organization's operational expenses through their registration fees and also commit to fundraising a portion of the material and labor costs associated with the projects. Together, volunteers fund 100% of our project costs. 

Our model is such that for every additional volunteer that registers, more people get clean water and sanitation, period. We are at the point where we have proven the model and are excited to scale our programs throughout the United States.

When I was 16, my dad forced me to participate on a mission trip to build a water system in a rural village in the Dominican Republic. I did not want to go and dreaded the experience the first couple of days. By the end of the trip, my attitude had totally changed. Working alongside the locals and witnessing their reactions when water finally arrived was life-changing. After returning to participate on projects the next 2 summers, my sister and I felt inspired to create BLUE Missions. Our mission is not only to connect rural communities with clean water and sanitation but also to inspire our youth to live a life of purpose and seek out their role in the ecosystem of giving.

My experience serving individuals who I thought were completely different than myself made me more empathetic and allowed me to discover my life's purpose at the age of 19. It planted a seed inside of me that made me a better human and inspired me to create BLUE alongside my best friends.

My dream is that everyone on our planet is given the opportunity and the tools to seek out and realize their purpose in life.

BLUE stands for Building Love, Uniting Everyone. We will solve the water and sanitation crisis in our lifetime by building a generation of empathetic and passionate leaders that will take on and end some of the world's biggest problems. 

Nearly 1 Billion people around the world lack access to clean water and more people in the world have cellphones than a toilet. We address these problems by working with local communities to make these basic needs a reality. Communities approach our in-country teams requesting support and we proceed to establish and train water committee's within each community, which go on to lead the construction of gravity-driven aqueducts. 

Volunteers who register to participate on BLUE service trips fund the material and labor costs associated with the project and spend 8 days working hand-in-hand with the community members to assist in the completion of the systems. 

The volunteer experience has been curated over the past 10 years to teach the importance of empathy and combines reflection, education, and action to inspire the future leaders of tomorrow to seek out their purpose. 

Since 2010, BLUE Missions has completed over 130 projects benefitting over 30,000 people. Over 3,000 volunteers have participated in our programs.

BLUE has made kindness cool again. I have never understood why community service is sometimes used as a punishment or why it is "required" by schools as a prerequisite to graduating. 

We believe that service should be fun, engaging, respectful, sustainable, and impactful for all stakeholders involved. BLUE has successfully engaged a young and passionate base that is eager to learn about the world and find ways they can leave it better than how they found it. 

Our work is disruptive for 2 reasons. 

1. We have developed a financial model where we allocate 100% of public donations directly to the field and show our donors the impact their contributions are making. 

2. Our service trip model is proven, sustainable, and infinitely scalable.

I quickly realized how difficult it was going to be to find donors who would trust a 19-year-old kid with significant financial contributions to build water systems abroad. Being transparent allows donors to fully understand the impact they are making and raises our reputation from a bunch of kids with a crazy idea to a passionate group of leaders with a track record of impact who will end the water crisis in our lifetime.

We believe that everyone has a role to play in the ecosystem of giving. Whether your a missionary who moves to Africa or a CEO who launches a CSR program in their business, everyone can do something to make an impact.

Our projects are community-led. We empower locals to solve the water crisis on their own teaching them about social capital, system maintenance, and the unique resources they have at their disposal. We extend our hand, providing technical support and funding, but they must extend their hand and take ownership of the project as well, in order to make their dream of obtaining clean water a reality.

A big part of our volunteer program is the pre-trip preparation and the post-trip re-acclimation. We have developed and implemented our learning model, R.E.A.C.H (Reflection, Education & Action to Connect Humanity).

We educate volunteers about the issues rural communities face on a daily basis. We teach them about the culture and norms of the communities in which we serve. We moderate difficult conversations about what our role is in solving some of the world's most pressing issues. And we lead reflections to help volunteers digest the information they learn and experiences they encounter.