World News
Florida volunteers say trip to Philippines changed their lives
Published: August 18, 2006
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (CNS) -- Visiting the Philippines this summer provided a life-changing experience for six volunteers from the Joy and Care Giving Foundation. The group traveled to Bulacan, the home province of Josie Garcia, 60, who created the foundation when she did relief work in Sri Lanka following the December 2004 tsunami. Garcia said she felt moved to do something for the country where she had grown up. "I read a book about how poverty could be wiped out in 25 years," she said, speaking of "The End of Poverty: Economic Possibilities for Our Time" by Jeffrey Sachs. "I knew that education would help." So with her new foundation, Garcia funded and built a school. At the end of June, she arrived in Bulacan with a group of volunteers, just in time for the grand opening of St. Anthony's Development and Training Center. The school is for 4- to 7-year-olds, but also offers computer classes for high school students and adults. Garcia and her group spent time working with the preschool students and also at the nearby Catholic orphanage.
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