"The noblest art is that of making others happy.” 

PT Barnum

Photo Credit: Tony Riggio, Rock-It! Team, Dominican Republic, April, 2024

• Support The Power of B3
• January Team Meetings
• B3 Around Town
• Community Service Opportunities
• B3 Coffee Available
• Advisor Spotlight
• Important Dates

B3 volunteers were very busy during the month of December helping community partners in the local community.

Interested in working towards the President's Volunteer Service Award and continue to volunteer in the local community?

*Hours worked directly with community partners are not B3 sponsored community service events. However, hours worked are eligible towards the President's Volunteer Service Award)

Register directly with Filling in the Blanks as a teen packer and get notified of upcoming packing events to fight childhood hunger.

Register directly with Open Doors to learn about the various opportunities to get involved. Open Doors runs multiple programs that have ongoing volunteer needs to help the homeless.

Check out volunteer opportunities with the Norwalk River Watershed Association.

Check out teen volunteer opportunities with Person to Person. Create an Account to register with Person to Person.

These are just some volunteer organizations with opportunities for students.

Volunteer hours contributed to these and other organization will be counted towards the President's Volunteer Service Award.

Click Here for a form to help you keep track of your volunteer hours with other organizations.

Learn more about the exceptional volunteers that give their time and expertise to travel with the Amanecer team in February.

Tomer Gat (Team Lead) 

I originally joined B3 as a freshman at Staples High School, and ended up becoming a four-year senior. I loved every minute of my B3 experiences, and could not wait to come back. I have been a part of B3 for over 15 years now, and I very much look forward to joining the Amanecer team, seeing our students continue to grow as a team while continuing the traditions, energy, and team spirit that we have developed. Currently, I am working as a Senior Director in the Deal Structuring, Management, and Execution Team at Finacity Corporation in Stamford, specializing in the securitization of trade receivable. When I’m not at work or at a B3 event, I enjoy running, cycling, playing soccer, photography and listening to music.

Carrie Aitkenhead (Advisor)

I am passionate about making a difference both locally and globally. I have participated in three B3 service trips to Peru, the Dominican Republic, and Guatemala, where I've worked with my teams to create positive and lasting change by building latrines, houses, and ceramic stoves. I've also served as an advisor for B3 Local, helping to guide projects that empower local communities. As a former educator and former steward of Wakeman Town Farm, I am dedicated to inspiring others to learn, grow, and embrace sustainability through hands-on experiences. I currently serve as a director of Product Development for an educational solutions company. My work in education and with Builders Beyond Borders reflects my belief in the power of young people to connect with others, learn from diverse perspectives, and create meaningful change through collaboration, leadership, and service.

Mike Aitkenhead (Team Lead) 

I’m proud to say that this year marks seventeen years working with this amazing organization and my 15^th trip abroad with B3. Each year I feel so blessed to play a part in the amazing and important work B3 does both locally and globally. As a high school teacher of environmental science, I spend most of my year in the classroom trying to teach and empower students that they must take an active role in improving their planet and their community. Some students get it, but many don't. ALL the students, however, that participate in B3 embrace this message wholeheartedly and make it their own. Their lives are changed because of it and my life has been changed because of that. I can think of nothing more inspiring than to watch this change unfold in the B3 family each and every year. Outside of teaching, I had served for 7 years as director and farmer at Wakeman Town Farm in Westport and am now serving on the Board of Directors of Builders Beyond Borders. I live in Milford with my wife, Carrie, and two children, Ethan and Cora. I'm looking forward to another great year!

Beth Kells (Advisor)

I have been a part of B3 in many ways. All 3 of my adult children participated in the program during high school. It was a formative experience for all of them and taught them many things about the world and themselves.The lessons they have learned while participating in B3, they take with them everyday.  I was asked to join the B3 Board of Directors 10 years ago, which has given me an inside understanding of how and why the program has been so long lasting and so effective for all these years. Once my children were done with high school I become an adult advisor. This will be my 4th travel experience as an advisor. I understand how and why high schoolers get so positively influenced by traveling with each other and working along side of each other and community members, as they get to provide much needed improvements to the local communities. Most importantly we all get to grow a deeper appreciation for other cultures and how these small towns and municipalities live together.

When not at B3, I work part-time selling woman’s fine apparel, in downtown Fairfield.  

I have a Master’s degree in Social Work and worked primarily in programs providing services to families with children who have developmental disabilities. I have experience in negotiating with the public school special education system and have provided assistance to a grassroots movement changing CT laws to better educate students with dyslexia. I enjoy yoga, playing tennis, and pickle ball. .

Build a Better World with B3

January 12

B3 Team Meetings

B3 Office - 66 Fort Point Street, Norwalk

9:30 AM - Odyssey Team

10:45 AM - Equipo Esperanza Team

12:00 PM - Rock It! Team

1:15 PM - Amanecer Team