For years, Diotorin Integrated School in San Luis, Aurora, has served children in a remote community where basic school supplies can be difficult to access.
That changed, at least for a while, when Trails to Empower Kids (TREK) brought a truckload of supplies and other essentials to the school through #TREKSanLuis 3.
The recent outreach brought school supplies, hygiene kits, umbrellas, storybooks, prizes, food, and other items to students, teachers, and families at the school.
For school head Mr. Mark Anthony Neypes, the visit was especially meaningful. He said that in all the years the school has been standing, this was the first time its students received such a large amount of supplies.
“Ngayon lamang po sila nabigyan ng napakarami at nag-uumapaw na gamit,” Neypes said.
He thanked TREK and its supporters for reaching the school despite its remote location.
The outreach was made possible by monetary and in-kind donations, student sponsors, volunteers, and people who helped with logistics. TREK volunteers prepared, packed, carried, coordinated, and transported the donations to the community.
The trip also gave the volunteers a chance to experience more of Aurora. After the outreach, the group visited Dibut Beach, the newly opened National Museum Baler, and VAETA (Villa Aurora Eco-Tourism Area).
It was a mix of community work and voluntourism, allowing participants to give back while discovering local places and meeting people along the way.
But for Diotorin Integrated School, the biggest takeaway was much simpler.
As Neypes put it, even as a last-mile school, the community was finally able to receive a much-needed share of support.
They were not forgotten.
