Community Collaborations International

Environmental, Disaster Relief and Human Service Projects for Volunteer Teams

For over 20 years, CCI has been building relationships with local community partners and recruiting volunteer teams to support their efforts.

Fourteen years ago, CCI's Puerto Rico Project began with just 15 dedicated volunteers from the Community College of Baltimore County.

So far this year, we are proud to say, over 300 volunteers from 22 universities and colleges teamed up to get the job done in Puerto Rico.

Over the years, together with our wonderful local partners, we've tackled environmental restoration, housing resiliency, childhood education, and community-supported agriculture projects. We've stood strong through several hurricanes, earthquakes, school closings, covid shutdowns, and economic challenges, making a significant positive impact on the well being of local communities, families, and on our volunteers.

We invite your Volunteer Team to help us continue to build a brighter future for Puerto Rico. Sign up your volunteer team today to be a part of our upcoming Summer, Winter 2024, and Spring 2025 Alternative Break Projects.

THANK YOU, 2024 Winter/Spring Volunteer Teams !!

Please come back we really enjoyed working with all of you!

Working more than 10,000 volunteer hours our teams focused on:

• Planting over 4,000 trees.
• Completing 30 miles of trail restoration in El Yunque National Forest
• Making improvements to a community center and completing restoration work on 12 homes for elderly residents.
• Assisting 5 Community Supported Agriculture projects to provide fresh healthy food to local communities
• Working with over 1200 youth and completed club improvement projects in partnership with Boys and Girls Clubs of Puerto Rico

"Our team from Elon University had a wonderful experience serving in Puerto Rico with Community Collaborations International. I really appreciate all the work that went into planning such a meaningful experience. I hope we are able to work together again in the future." - Andrew Moffa, Assistant Director, Kernodle Center for Civic Life, Elon University

Talamanca, Costa Rica Project

Our Costa Rica project engaged 36 volunteers from the University of Florida, Sewanee University of the South and The University of Texas at Tyler.

Thank you all, please come back next year!

Working more than 1,000 volunteer hours our teams completed:

• Building three bridges in the Bribri indigenous community making the roads accessible for emergency vehicles
• Painting a local school in Bribri
• Completing community supported agriculture work on an organic farm in Gandoca.

“The highlight of the trip for me was just seeing the pure engineering of nature that the community was able to accomplish as well as the speed at which such projects can happen when people come together.” - Christopher Carnes, University of Florida Volunteer

Our Domestic Disaster Relief Project engaged 71 volunteers from The University of Colorado Boulder, Adelphi University, Saint Elizabeth University, SUNY Westchester College, Denison University, University of Massachusetts, and the University of Central Oklahoma completing housing restoration work for people impacted by Hurricane Ian.

It was great working with all of you! Come back next year!!

Spending over 2,000 volunteer hours we worked on 15 houses such as Harold McKinley's house, a 91-year-old Navy veteran, who has been living in a single front room of his house since the aftermath of Hurricane Ian. At the peak of the storm, his house was filled with over 6 ft of water and needed to be gutted to prevent additional damage.

"I never knew a hammer could be so powerful, not just in the building, but bringing hope." says Deztine a University of Colorado Boulder Volunteer

We need your team on upcoming Disaster Relief Projects. Our Winter Break 2024 and Spring Break 2025 project calendars are already starting to fill up. (Disaster Relief Project locations will be determined based on which communities need us most.)

Your volunteer team will have the opportunity to work with local direct-trade farmers, artisans, and local schools while also learning about the rich history of coffee farming and trade in Guatemala.



"You really get to know the coffee farmer by following them up to his coffee fields on the sides of Agua Volcano and then into his home, seeing and taking part in how coffee makes it from the ground to the cup. Roasting, grinding, boiling and tasting the best coffee I have ever had and I loved getting to see what real life in Guatemala is like." - Rutgers University Volunteer

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