Support buildOn’s 2025 Groundbreakers campaign and help send U.S. high school students on Trek to build schools in low-income countries. Learn how Trek transforms lives and how you can make a difference.

Groundbreakers: A Student Trek Fundraiser

  1. Home
  2. Get Involved
  3. Groundbreakers: A Student Trek Fundraiser
May 2, 2025
Share
Twitter Icon
Facebook Icon
Linkedin Icon

Every journey has the power to transform—but for buildOn students, Trek does more than change lives. It builds schools, bridges cultures, and inspires the next generation of global leaders.

This May, we’re proud to launch Groundbreakers, a fundraising campaign to send high school students from underserved U.S. communities on the journey of a lifetime through our Trek program.

What Is Trek?

Trek is where purpose meets adventure. Through this immersive global experience, buildOn students travel to low-income countries to help construct schools in partnership with local communities. These young changemakers don’t just build schools—they return with strengthened leadership skills, global awareness, and a renewed sense of what’s possible.

On Trek, like this one in Nepal, buildOn students connect and work side-by-side with community members in another country.
On Trek, like this one in Nepal, buildOn students connect and work side-by-side with community members in another country.

“On my first Trek to Nepal I was a teenager. I was very clueless. I didn’t know too much about the world but I did understand how important service was. Coming to another country and experiencing a different culture was very eye-opening.”— Hadassah, buildOn Alum

buildOn alum Hadassah Williams lays bricks for a new school in Museti, Nepal.
buildOn alum Hadassah Williams lays bricks for a new school in Museti, Nepal.

Why We’re Raising $20,000 This May

Throughout the month of May, buildOn is aiming to raise $20,000 to support students like Hadassah on their Trek journeys. These students are Groundbreakers—young leaders who are stepping out of their comfort zones and serving others while expanding their global perspective.

Groundbreaker Treks, like this one in Malawi, truly bridge cultural divides.
Groundbreaker Treks, like this one in Malawi, truly bridge cultural divides.

Funds raised during this campaign will help cover critical costs of the Trek experience,  such as airfare, passports and immunizations, food, lodging, and important pre-trip workshops. It’s more than a trip—it’s an investment in a student’s future and in education access for communities around the world.

How Your Support Builds Brighter Futures

When you donate to Groundbreakers, you’ll be helping to break ground in more ways than one!
When you donate to Groundbreakers, you’ll be helping to break ground in more ways than one!

By donating to Groundbreakers, you’re doing more than sending a student abroad. You are:

  • Giving U.S. youth access to international experiences
  • Promoting cross-cultural connection and empathy
  • Increasing access to quality education globally
  • Equipping young leaders to serve, lead, and inspire at home

Together, we can uplift students and the global communities they serve.

Join the Movement—Be a Groundbreaker

This campaign is about building schools, but it’s also about building confidence, leadership, and opportunity.

Will you help us raise $20,000 and send the next generation of Groundbreakers on Trek?

Donate Now