Charles Newman, president of Newman Architecture, in Naperville, Ill., has not only volunteered to help design and build schools in underdeveloped countries, he has chosen to start a non-profit organization that continues to help children around the world. It all started in 1997, when Bill Dejong, a school planner in the United States, upon seeing the condition of the schools in Honduras, put together a team of school architects, planners, and administrators. Newman was part of the original group that toured several schools and interviewed teachers, students, local government officials, and parents.

A year later, the group returned a second time and met with the community to ask them if they would be willing to help build a new school. The community enthusiastically agreed to help, and the new school was completed the next year.

After the first school in Canchias was completed, the team decided to continue. As Newman says, "There was never really a decision made to start an organization, we just knew we had to keep helping communities repair and build schools."

Dejong and Newman eventually decided to name the organization Schools for the Children of the World and obtained non-profit status in the United States. Another group of supporters created a not-for-profit organization in Canada called SCW-Canada and have assisted with funding for several projects in Honduras. "We hope to see other supporting organizations develop in other countries, who are willing to support our program," adds Newman.

Dr. Calvin Roesner, a retired superintendent from Illinois, has gone on several trips with SCW. His first trip was in 2005 while still working for a school district. He has been to Honduras a total of five times. "When I first went to Honduras, my intention was to do something for others. What I found is that the people I met had a great impact on me," he comments.

While some volunteers choose to use their professional experience to make an impact, Roesner has chosen to get his hands dirty, often painting at two different sites on each trip. "I started out being a helper and, this past trip, I became a crew leader," he states. He has even been learning Spanish for the past three years in order to contribute more to the community.

SCW schedules one-week trips every February and July. They cost about $1,500, which includes airfare, travel, food, and housing. Unlike EMI, educators and students are encouraged to participate. There is no minimum skill level required. "We recommend that children are a minimum of 14 years old, although younger children have joined us and have done very well," states Newman. Last July, 58 North Americans traveled with SCW to Honduras, and about half of those were high school or college-age students.

Some of last year's participants were from SHW Group, a 450-person architectural firm that has made volunteerism a integral part of its company. "When CEO Gary Keep and the management team decided to start and maintain a culture of volunteerism, they found 25 percent of the staff expressed interest," states Chester Bartels, principal of SHW Group's Reston, Va., office. So, in July 2008, he led a team of 11 SHW Group architects to Honduras to work with SCW. "It was an incredible experience," he notes. "I spent several days mixing concrete by hand, played hours of soccer with the local children, and slept like a log at night."

SHW Group has been overwhelmed by the number of employees who want to participate and plans to continue with both national and international volunteer efforts. The firm not only encourages its employees by providing the service opportunities, it also contributes financially. Each employee is paid for his time off, receives 50 percent reimbursement for the cost of the trip, and receives free inoculations that may be required. "In the same way we have a Human Resource Team and Legal Team, we want to have a Volunteerism Team," notes Bartels.

During these difficult economic times, we need to stay focused on helping others. There is an ancient proverb that states, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal." While many have seen their net worth decrease in the stock market decline, our net worth as human beings has not gone down. This is never more evident than when we reach out to help others. Perhaps there is no better time in recent years than now to take a step forward and reach out to help others.