On Saturday, June 26, 60 kids from Turrubares county - plus 25 of their teachers and parents - travelled to Jaco Beach on Costa Rica's Central Pacific Coast for a fun-filled day of activities hosted by the AmaTierra Foundation. As the well-earned prize for high school and elementary school students' unprecedented efforts in the month-long recycling contest, the winning classes took full advantage of their beach time: playing soccer in the sand, throwing frisbees around, playing beach paddle ball, making sand castles,and best of all - learning to surf!

DJ Bryan from Cesar Vargas Productions set the mood for the day with reggae beats and dance music all day long. 15 local Jaco volunteers came out for the event, playing with the kids, helping chaperone and lifeguard, pushing surfboards into the waves for the kids to practice their new sport, serving lunch, and making sure the day went smoothly. This day of fun in the sun would not have been possible without the incredibly generous donations by local Jaco businesses and organizations: delicious lunch of arroz con pollo and bowtie pasta salad provided by Jimmy T of Jimmy T's Provisions; gift bags for all of the kids and dozens of bamboo beach mats donated by Marc Pontbriant from Souvenir Centro; Surf instruction with Gustavo Castillo and the instructors from Jaco Surf School; Christian Surfers for their support with chairs, soccer balls and extra volunteers; neighbor Gary for the juice boxes and use of his electric current for the DJ on the beach; and finally, beautiful beachfront Hotel 9 for the use of their restrooms and showers.

We are so grateful for the turnout for the event, and can't wait to plan another beach day for the community of Turrubares in the future. A big thanks to all who were involved, and here's hoping that this kick-off recycling contest is just the beginning of heightened recycling efforts throughout Turrubares County!