PROJECT PROMISE'S SUMMER OF SERVICE ITINERARY
Summer of Service
August 1-4: New York, NY
Service: Helped rehabilitate Union Settlement's community garden in East Harlem
Sightseeing: Visited the 911 Memorial, saw Pitbull in Central Park Concert, attended a Yankees v. Red Sox baseball game, visited a slave burial ground and walked across the iconic Brooklyn bridge
August 4: Philadelphia, PA (Stopover)
Sightseeing: Visited Independence Hall
August 4: Pittsburgh, PA
Sightseeing: Visited the Duquesne Incline, rode the tram to the top of Mt. Washington
August 5: Akron, OH
Sightseeing: Spent a fun and relaxing day on Lake Rex, hosted by a Project Promise supporter, Dave Andrews
August 6: Columbus, OH
Service: Helped pack 7,000 lunches for Meals on Wheels clients, at Life Care Alliance
Sightseeing: Visited the Center for Science and Industry
August 7: Gary, IN (Stopover)
Sightseeing: Visited Michael Jackson's childhood home
August 7-9: Chicago, IL
Service: Tended the garden and visited with residents at Clair House Senior Apartments
Sightseeing: Went bike riding along Lakeshore Drive, visited Navy Pier, fed the homeless along the Magnificent Mile and participated in the Chicago Ducky Derby
August 9: Springfield, IL (Stopover)
Sightseeing: Experienced 1860 America in a visit to Abraham Lincoln's home
August 9: St. Louis
Sightseeing: Took a ride up the Gateway Arch
August 10-12: Memphis, TN
Service: Donated snacks and supplies and then played basketball with the kids at the Dorothy Day House
Sightseeing: Visited the National Civil Rights Museum, ate lunch at the world-famous BB King Blues Club, and toured Graceland
August 12: Little Rock (Stopover)
Sightseeing: Had a surprise 15th birthday for Vianca at DEFY Extreme Air Sports
August 12: Murfreesboro, AR
Sightseeing: Enjoyed a "foam party", rode go-carts and tried our hands at archery at Diamonds Old West Hotel/Cabins, and went digging for diamonds at Crater of Diamonds State Park
August 13: Oklahoma City, OK
Service: Gave $250 (to a refugee family from Burundi) that the Caterpillars had raised in St. Croix during their "Walk for Awareness" in Honor of World Refugee Day.
Sightseeing: Visited the Oklahoma City National Monument
August 14-16: Albuquerque, NM
Service: Brought toys and books to an orphanage, El Rancho de los Niños, and then read to and played with the children
Sightseeing: Went on a hot air balloon ride and visited the ABQ BioPark Zoo
August 16: Flagstaff, AZ
Sightseeing: Road the Grand Canyon Railway and then experienced the grandeur of the Grand Canyon
August 17: Las Vegas, NV
Service: Cleaned animal pens and played with animals at the Hearts Alive Village animal shelter
Sightseeing: Visited Hoover Dam, saw Michael Jackson Cirque de Soleil show and went zip lining over Freemont Street
August 18-21: Anaheim, CA
Sightseeing: Had a surprise trip to Disneyland, went shopping in Long Beach, saw the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and enjoyed a Backyard BBQ and "Last Night of Road Trip Party" at the home of Project Promise Supporter, Linda Coss
VIEW CLIPS OF THEIR SERVICE PROJECTS
ENJOY THEIR ADVENTURES
NEW YORK BASEBALL GAME & SUMMER CONCERT
CLAIRE HOUSE SENIOR APARTMENTS
GRACELAND & LINCOLN'S HOUSE
DISNEY, HOT AIR BALLOON, & THE GRAND CANYON
SERVICE IN EAST HARLEM, EL RANCHITO DE LOS NINOS, & AT LIFECARE ALLIANCE
PROJECT PROMISE HITS THE ROAD FOR A SUMMER OF SERVICE
St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands (July 26, 2019) – Project Promise's Caterpillar students are driving across America this summer to make an impact on communities outside the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Caterpillars touch down in New York on August 1, 2019, and during their time there, the students will rehab El Sitio Feliz community garden in East Harlem. The group will then head west with stops in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Missouri, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, and California, and undertake various service projects that include helping at a food bank, a home for the elderly, a homeless shelter, a refugee family, a children's home and an animal shelter.
Every month since the Caterpillar Project was started, the students have completed community service projects locally, nationally and even internationally. Community service is one of the nine components at the core of the Project Promise program, and founder and president Resa O'Reilly came up with the idea in order to expand the student's outlook.
"This opportunity of a lifetime will allow the Caterpillars to experience first-hand the history, sights, and sounds of the mainland U.S. while helping their fellow U.S. citizens in the process. We will work alongside individuals and organizations that we have formed connections with over the past five years, as well as , connect with new organizations to complete our service projects.", said O’Reilly.
Project Promise's Summer of Service is sponsored by the Virgin Islands Lottery, Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands, Spirit Airlines, Banco Popular, Virgin Islands Department of Tourism, Island Toyota, Island Chrysler, Dodge Jeep Ram, VI Industrial Services, Virgin Islands Economic Development Authority, and TEAM Consultants. Student and parents have also been fundraising for the event since September 2018 by hosting numerous water sales, bake sales, and by selling their hand-crafted bracelets. The road trip wraps up in California, the Caterpillars then fly back to St. Croix on August 29, 2019.