Recently my wife and I had a chance to travel to El Salvador for an amazing and life changing adventure. The trip was intended to be a vacation, but we thought we it could also be an opportunity to do some good while we were there. With us we brought a suitcase full of KleenSlate dry erase paddles and markers to donate to a school in need. After some searching around, a small school in La Palma turned out to be the perfect fit.

We arrived at the Colegio Evangelico “Amigos De El Salvador” in the afternoon. After a very warm welcome by the principal of the school, we shared our story and our purpose for being there. She was overjoyed, and gladly accepted our offer to donate the paddles to their school.

We then took our bag of paddles around to the classrooms to speak with the students and teachers about the products. As we entered the school we noticed that the classrooms were small and lacked some basic things we take for granted, like good lighting or air-conditioning. We knew right away that we were making a big impact by bringing them some much needed school supplies. The kids were excited and curious about their new classroom tools, and we happily explained how they could use them to improve. We had some fun and did some small exercises with each class before moving on to the next. It was amazing to see how such a simple tool could make such a big impact so fast.

The final classroom we visited was not only the largest, but by far the hottest. As soon as we handed out the boards, they began to use them to fan themselves off from the heat. Yet another great use for the paddle I thought to myself. However, it was a good reminder of how fortunate we are to have luxuries like AC back home. Seeing students working so hard in tough conditions really makes you appreciate the importance of education.

After we finished in the classrooms we walked back with the principal to her office. She sat us down and told us how grateful she was and we had been the answer to her prayers. She said that things had been rough lately, and our donation was just what they needed to pick it up. We had no words to describe what we were feeling. Overwhelmed with joy and emotion, we said our good byes and headed out.

It was one of the most amazing and rewarding experiences I’ve ever had. We will never forget the adventure for the rest of our lives, and we hope to continue to donate to schools in need as often as possible.