Clean the World’s mission has always been to help the less fortunate by providing health and hygiene to those in need in our community and across the world. On Easter Sunday, we fulfilled this mission on the local level by participating in “He Got Up,” a day of celebration and services for homeless individuals, families, and others in need.

This event at the Orlando Citrus Bowl stadium was the first of its kind. Homeless people from three Central Florida counties received free transportation to the Citrus Bowl, where the Orlando Serve Foundation took advantage of existing local resources to help people on the path to self-sustainability. They had access to food, various types of aid, and a resource fair that connected the unemployed to job readiness training and employment opportunities.

Clean the World joined forces with Orlando Serve Foundation to provide showers for every attendee. As the sun began to rise, the Clean the World team was ready and at their stations. Portable shower trailers had arrived, equipped with warm water and changing rooms. Each guest received a towel and hygiene amenities. Bathing is a something many of us take for granted. With the lack of proper shelter, the homeless often go without basic hygiene. And with fluctuating weather conditions, it can become difficult for our neighbors in need. Florida has one of the highest homeless populations in the United States. There are 30,000 homeless and “home-insecure” people in Central Florida alone.

He Got Up was an event to inspire and serve this population. As a community, we gathered in good will to share our time and services. The event offered haircuts, clothing, meals, and consultations with doctors, dentists, and optometrists. Legal services and job placement were also available. As a volunteer at the event, I saw the good it was doing. One man leaving the shower area said, “This shower made me feel human again.”

It was beautiful to see the positivity in people who face extreme adversity on a daily basis and to connect to the fact that we must love our neighbors as ourselves. As I sat in the stadium for the He Got Up service, many came with smiles; it was an extraordinary break from the mundane of daily life. The service was a message of hope and care the fulfilled the vision of organizer Tim Johnson. He is the senior pastor at Orlando World Outreach Center and a former defensive lineman in the National Football League, playing for Penn State, the Pittsburg Steelers and the Washington Redskins. Through Pastor Tim’s concept, Clean the World’s mission, and the community coming together, we were able to serve the less fortunate in a meaningful way by providing health, hygiene and confidence to all who visited.

Clean the World is planning four-day soap distribution trips to Honduras and Guatemala in May, and you are invited to join us for a potentially life-changing experience.

Friends and supporters will work alongside Clean the World team members to distribute 15,000 bars of soap to 1,500 communities in need in each country. We have openings for seven volunteers on each trip. The experience will likely shed new light on the plight of people struggling to overcome hygiene challenges conditions far different from what we are accustomed to here in the United States.

In Honduras, participants will meet with children at orphanages in areas around the capital city of Tegucigalpa, and visit local schools where children often go days or weeks without seeing a bar of soap. By mixing with the residents, you will get an eye-opening look at how they live and the challenges they face on a daily basis with regard to hygiene and inadequate sanitation.

Travel dates for Honduras are May 19-22, and the Guatemala trip is May 27-30. Registration deadline for both trips is April 11.

Participants on either trip will incur a $1,400 per person administration fee, which includes: round-trip airfare from Orlando or Miami to the destination country, as well as lodging, food, tips, activities, and exit fees in the destination country.

To join us, please contact Rosanna Kingston (rkingston@ctw2.wpstagecoach.com) by April 11. Space is limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to help save lives with soap.

Clean the World’s mission begins with a hotel housekeeper collecting a discarded bar of soap, and ends with a recycled bar in the hands of a child. You have an opportunity to see that end result first-hand by accompanying us on one of our upcoming soap distribution trips.

Representatives from Clean the World and interested supporters will help distribute 10,000 bars of soap to 1,500 children in orphanages, soup kitchens, schools and villages. At least six volunteers are needed to conduct the excursion, which will likely shed new light on the plight of people struggling to overcome hygiene challenges in villages far from our own backyards.

On Wed, Oct. 10,  we set out for our second day of soap distribution in Honduras. This was a continuation of our joint operation with the U.S. military, particularly the men and women at Soto Cano Air Force Base.

We visited schools, homes and a medical clinic where the U.S. military, Honduran military and local doctors cooperate to provide medical attention, preventative check-ups, vitamins and pre-natal care to residents. On Wednesday, 500 people received medical care – and left with soap from Clean the World.

Visiting students in a classroom.

Clean the World’s Rosanna Kingston teaching students about hand washing.

Students with their soap after a hand washing lesson.

Residents wait to enter the medical clinic.

Women outside their homes with soap and body wash.

Team Honduras!

Tuesday was Day One of our joint humanitarian effort in Honduras with the U.S. military. With the help of service men and women from Soto Cano Air Force Base, Clean the World distributed 3,000 bars of recycled soap to 900 children, including many orphans.

In addition to handing out recycled soap and Clearly Natural bars, the group provided hygiene education and taught the children a song about hand washing.

Representatives from Caesars Entertainment, Clearly Natural and NCGA Co-Op are with us on this trip. Team members from Clean the World include CEO Shawn Seipler, NGO partnership director Rosanna Kingston, and videographer Bobby Bahret.