There's a place for you in this.
Here is why we do this work, what we are building next, and how you can be part of it.
Most help shows up once and leaves. We stay.
This summer, REST led its first mission trip to Ponce, Puerto Rico. We served in a dental clinic and an after-school program, and we kept asking one question: what happens after we leave?
Kids need mentors for years, not a week. Families need care they can count on. Young adults need someone to open a door to real work. That is why REST builds long-term relationships in the places we serve, and why we are planning to stay in Puerto Rico all year.
From our first trip to Ponce
What we are building in 2027
A year-round home for REST in Puerto Rico: land for the REST Hub, a dental clinic in Mayagüez, a team on the ground, and kids learning every week.
$1,320,000
Our 2027 goal, in four milestones
Kids First
$92,500
The playground and a full year of Creative Futures after-school in Ponce.
A Team on the Ground
$230,000
Staff in Puerto Rico and leadership to run the work all year.
Secure the Land
$450,000
Purchase the hub property and complete plans and permits.
Open the Clinic
$390,000
Dental care in Mayagüez that continues between trips.
See exactly where every dollar goes ▾
- $450,000
The REST Hub: Land and Plans
Buy land between Ponce and Mayagüez and complete the design, engineering, and permits for housing that will welcome 30+ volunteers at a time.
- $390,000
Healing in Motion Clinic
Build out and equip a dental clinic inside Bella Vista Hospital in Mayagüez, so care no longer depends on a mission trip.
- $230,000
Staff and Operations
A full-time team member in Puerto Rico, leadership to run the work year-round, and the insurance that keeps volunteers and families safe.
- $102,500
Creative Futures
One full year of after-school programming in Ponce, mentor and leadership training, and tools for young adults starting apprenticeships.
- $30,000
The Ponce Playground
A safe place to play for elementary students who have no playground today.
- $117,500
Reserve for the Unexpected
A 10% cushion so a surprise cost never stops the work.
Where a kid in Creative Futures can go
Discover
After-school arts, music, mentorship, and leadership where kids already live and learn.
Build
At 18, we match young adults with employers who offer apprenticeships, training, and certification in the trades.
Lead
Alumni come back as mentors for the next group coming up.
Coming next: housing on the hub property for 30 or more volunteers at a time, so teams can serve in Puerto Rico all year long.
Ways to serve
You do not need to share our faith to serve with us. You just need to be willing to serve.
Mission TripsServe on a Mission Trip
Our next trip to Ponce is planned for June 2027. Volunteers serve in the dental clinic, the after-school program, and community projects. No special skills are needed for most roles.
Join the 2027 Interest List
Healing in MotionHealthcare Professionals
Dentists, hygienists, assistants, and other providers can serve on mission trips and help build care that continues between visits.
Serve With Healing in Motion
Creative FuturesMentor a Young Person
Pair with young people in arts, music, life skills, and leadership. Consistency matters more than expertise.
Become a Mentor
Creative Futures BuildOpen Your Company to an Apprentice
We match young adults ages 18 to 26 with employers who provide apprenticeships, training, and certification in the trades. You bring the job; we bring motivated people and walk alongside them. We plan to launch in Southern California in 2027.
Become an Employer Partner
Creative FuturesHost Creative Futures
Housing communities, schools, and churches can bring Creative Futures after-school programming on site, where kids already are.
Start a ConversationWho Build is for
Young adults ages 18 to 26 who are ready to work but never had a working life modeled for them, including young people who aged out of the system and alumni of our after-school programs.
Candidates must live locally and get themselves to the jobsite; REST does not provide housing or transportation. Our role is to make the match and walk alongside both sides.
Bring Your Team
Give your employees an experience they will talk about for years.
REST hosts service trips for companies that want to do something different together. Your team serves side by side in Puerto Rico on projects that matter to the community, from building a playground to supporting kids in our after-school program.
- Team building with purpose. Shared work builds trust faster than any conference room.
- Leadership in action. People step up in new ways when the work is real.
- Your skills matter here. Trades and construction companies can put their expertise to work on projects like the Ponce playground.
Every trip is planned around your team's size, schedule, and goals. You do not need to share our faith to serve with us. You just need to be willing to serve.
Plan a Team Trip
More ways your company can partner with REST
Host an Apprentice
Open your company to a young adult through Creative Futures Build and help launch a career in the trades.
Sponsor a Project
Put your company's name behind the playground, a year of after-school, or a dental treatment room.
Match Employee Gifts
Double the impact of your team's generosity with a company gift-matching program.
Bring Your Team
A custom service trip to Puerto Rico, planned around your team and your goals.
Sponsor something that lasts
Choose a piece of the vision to make your own. Every sponsor receives updates and photos from the field, so you can see what your gift built.
Sponsor the Playground
$30,000
Give elementary students in Ponce a safe place to play. Sponsor the whole playground, or join with others to fund part of it.
Sponsor the PlaygroundSponsor an After-School Program
$62,500 per site, per year
Fund a full year of arts, music, mentorship, and leadership at one location. Want to start smaller? $5,208 sponsors one month.
Sponsor a ProgramSponsor a Dental Treatment Room
$97,500 per room
Build and equip one of four treatment rooms in the new clinic, where children will receive care for years to come.
Sponsor a RoomEquip a Young Adult
$1,250 per apprentice
Tools, boots, safety gear, and certification costs so a young adult shows up ready for day one on the jobsite.
Equip an ApprenticeHelp Secure the Land
Any amount
Be part of the ground everything else will be built on: housing for volunteers, a home base for programs, and room to grow.
Build the HubKeep the Team on the Ground
From $15 a month
Monthly gifts pay for the people who show up every week. This is what turns a project into a presence.
Give MonthlyInterested in a lead gift, naming opportunity, or company partnership? Email ghesi@restmission.org and we will talk it through together.
Joining is simple
1
Tell us about you
Send us a note with how you would like to help: serving, mentoring, hiring, hosting, or giving.
2
We reach out personally
A real person from REST will follow up to talk it through and answer your questions.
3
Find your place
We help you find the role that fits your time, your skills, and your heart.
We are not building programs. We are building people.
Tell us how you would like to be part of it, and we will follow up personally. No pressure and no spam.
Your gift builds something that lasts.
Every gift goes toward our 2027 goal of $1,320,000: land for the REST Hub, a dental clinic in Mayagüez, a team on the ground in Puerto Rico, and a full year of Creative Futures for kids in Ponce.
- Give monthly to keep the team on the ground all year. Monthly partners are the steady heartbeat of this work.
- Give once toward the campaign, the playground, or wherever the need is greatest.
- Want to sponsor something specific? See the sponsorship options.
REST Mission is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Your gift is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. EIN: 39-3168447
General FAQ
How is R.E.S.T. different from a one-time trip?
We build long-term partnerships, year-round programming, and local leadership collaboration.
How do you handle safety, supervision, and compliance?
Publish your policies: child protection, background checks, supervision ratios, consent, and clinical oversight.
All participating providers must:
For more detailed information click on the button bellow
Responsibility & Supervision
Primary legal and spiritual responsibility remains with the sending church and designated chaperones. REST Mission provides coordination, oversight, and emergency protocols.
Emergency Response
Medical emergencies, accidents, natural disasters, and civil unrest follow documented response plans with immediate parent and church notification.
Access the PDF FAQ here.
Can I designate my gift?
Yes—donors can choose program categories. We also offer “Where Needed Most.”
How can my church partner?
Volunteer teams, mentoring, supplies, sponsorship, and coordinated restoration projects.
How does medical participation with REST Mission work?
All medical services coordinated by REST Mission are provided by licensed medical professionals operating within their scope of practice and under the oversight of Bella Vista Hospital in Puerto Rico.
Hold a current, active professional license in good standing
Submit required medical credentials for Bella Vista Hospital credentialing and authorization
Carry their own professional liability (malpractice) insurance
Comply with REST Mission safety protocols and hospital policies
REST Mission coordinates logistics, safety standards, and community partnerships but does not independently provide clinical care or permit unsupervised medical practice.
Youth Safety & Risk Management
Background Checks
All REST Mission employees and volunteers age 18+ must complete AB 506–compliant DOJ/FBI fingerprint background checks. Church chaperones must meet their church’s screening standards.
Health & Medications
Medical forms, allergies, medications, and accommodations are reviewed and managed according to parent instructions and safety guidelines.
REST Mission – Youth Trip Safety, Care, and Accountability Overview
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