A Passion for Volunteering

The story that inspired 2H7C and the passion for volunteering

My passion for travel and volunteering started after I lost my twin sister in the winter of 2005. She and I, 4 months before she died, traveled to Paris, London, and Dublin together. I like to say I got bit by the travel bug on that trip.

Crystal and Twin Sister Jennifer at the Eiffel Tower

For the next year and a half, I traveled extensively on my own through most of Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and even made it down to Egypt. After backpacking around on those trips, I realized that I wanted to plant roots on my next trip, and volunteer somewhere. I chose Peru, and ended up at an all boys orphanage.

The experiences I shared with those boys and the other international volunteers will stick with me forever. After my time at the orphanage was over, I realized that I needed to continue traveling and volunteering every summer.

Thus, 2 Hands 7 Continents was born. I knew that there were others like me who wished to travel and volunteer, and did not want to have to pay an exuberant amount of money to do so. I share my knowledge, through 2 Hands 7 Continents, of legitimate organizations to volunteer with for free or low cost.

Through this process, it also became apparent that folks would be interested in local volunteer opportunities here in the Vancouver/Portland area. We strive to keep an updated calendar of events for volunteering locally.

“The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.”

Saint Augustine