Please help us match the building-remodeling needs at the 8 Osa Peninsula schools with your donations. Schools have identified the need for new roofs, additional classrooms, decks and shelves, paint, etc. Building for the Future complements educational programs by building school infrastructures, providing needed materials and labor. Lapa Rios works with the schools’ leaders to determine and prioritize infrastructure needs, and then contracts private sector laborers and purchases building supplies.

In order to continue and expand its programs, Building for the Future needs your financial assistance. Help with this straightforward, tangible means to build and rebuild school infrastructures so children can learn in improved schools and communities can advance their communal programs and land stewardship commitment.

“…Effective results occur when generous people act and work together…”
Karen Lewis, owner of Lapa Rios on the power of Giving Back 

Lapa Rios supports the work of the Osa-based Wild Cat Conservation organization dedicated to preserving the Costa Rica’s jaguar and other feline populations and habitats. The project’s researchers - Aida Bustamante and Ricardo Moreno - track, identify and estimate feline population sizes by using camera traps and collars. Camera traps are strategically placed within the national parks, on ranchers’ farms and in private forests throughout the Osa Peninsula. Jaguars were thought to have disappeared from the Osa, its populations greatly diminished by illegal hunting the past 30 years. With over five years of dedicated photographing and fieldwork, the Jaguara project has proven that small populations of this regal feline still roam the Osa. New Jaguara research uses state of the art satellite tracking technology to more accurately determine the habitat ranges of jaguars and other cats. Jaguara uses the information and photographs gathered for furthering the global collection of scientific feline information. To aid compliance, they educate local farmers, hunters and the Osa public (including ecolodge visitors) to the benefits and importance of this ecosystem protection. Equilibrium, with Lapa Rios’ support, wants to insure this work continues in the Osa Peninsula, and to help Jaguara expand their renowned work throughout Costa Rica and Mesoamerica.

The Lapa Rios Half Marathon is held annually, to raise money to purchase materials and supplies for an underfunded community project. The event is fun, healthy and everyone is invited to participate.

Lapa Rios organized its first 18km LapaThon in 2009. The race began at the Carbonera School and ended in Pto. Jiménez. The first year’s earnings (entry fees and donations) were used by the Red Cross to equip the Osa’s only ambulance. In 2010, the funds helped build a classroom for children with learning disabilities, a first of its kind in the Peninsula. The Lapathon is open to staff members, the Lapa Rios community and nearby lodge guests. The race is held each May, after the cooling rains begin.

Collective energy builds with each event, and prizes (vacations in Cayuga properties) are awarded to the winners plus to those who raise the most donations. Anyone can run, walk and/or pledge support. Help us answer community-requested projects with your donation. Or, pledge support for your favorite staff runners. Information about the next race, participant lists, sponsorships and this year’s Osa social cause will be in our Newsletter. Look here at the New Year.

• Classroom Supplies: packs of construction paper, crayons, white board markers and erasers, colored pencils, markers, watercolor sets.
• Flashcards: mathematical functions; English/Spanish language flashcards.
• Sports Equipment: deflated soccer balls, basketballs, volleyballs, nets, badminton sets, ball inflating pumps and pins.
• Board Games That Do Not Require Language Skills: checkers, chess, dominoes, cards, Uno, Othello, Battleship, Connect Four, Candy Land, Jenga, etc.
• Library Books:
  - Spanish books at 5-15 year range.
  - English or Spanish adult books for the community (easy reading only).
  - English primers for children and adults.
  - Bilingual books with pictures.
• Rechargeable DVD Player: child and young adult movies that can be played in Spanish language .