Mark Reimer, founder of the "Manitoba to Ecuador Project" and Felipe Martinez, one of the 3 young men who have been living in Steinbach since the beginning of September. 

What a pleasure to have had Mark and Felipe in the AM1250 studio this morning and what an honour to have been a small part of the journey of this Manitoba to Ecuador Project. We have enjoyed Mark's visits, updates and the opportunity to be a part of spreading the word about what a difference has been made in the last 5 years of this project. 

Since 2011,  they've been going to Puerto Lopez with groups of volunteers. They've had over 180 volunteers going in that time. They have run soccer camps, English classes, they have delivered about 2 tons of clothing through the local Red Cross, they have brought about $70,000 worth of medication, they have built floors, and they have brought a total of 15 kids to study at the Steinbach Regional Secondary School.. They are now going down to do construction on homes that were damaged by the earthquake last April. They have paid for sight saving surgery, life saving surgery and in Mark's words, "There are people walking the streets of Puerto Lopez today who wouldn't be had we not discovered that town, and they discovered us."

Thank you Mark for giving us ALL the opportunity to be a part of this. 

As of today, the final day of the first semester, Mark has retired as a teacher but we know his mission and passion for others will continue on. Thank you Mark for being an inspiration to us all.