A Dream for the Future in Costa Rica

Two months ago, we started with a simple challenge: help bring 3Mgives’ legacy of volunteering to our Global Service Center in Costa Rica.

What I learned from one little boy I met along the way only deepened my commitment to improve lives.

For our first volunteer activity, our committee elected to paint a mural at the local school Escuela España. That is where I met Danny.

Danny is a 7-year-old boy who is absolutely convinced he will grow up to become a great painter. By the end of our time together, I could tell that he will be great at whatever he chooses to do.

Our project included a workshop with the kids, which allowed them to design the mural and be the authors of their own art. During the workshop we also talked about sustainability and what it meant to each of them.

Danny had his own idea, and it involved a clown. That is what he chose to paint as his special contribution to the mural. When asked why, he said he wanted to inspire the older children to come back to school to see how beautiful it was now.

We engaged over 100 3M volunteers and 90 kids along with parents and teachers. During our project, neighbors came to the school to thank us. Not only were we enhancing the school, we were improving their neighborhood as well.

Through three days of painting, we impacted more than 1,000 lives and turned a dark, abandoned hazard into a colorful, clean place for kids to play. By recovering a lost space, we helped sustain the workforce for our future generations.