Summer Journeys: Wilhelmina Houck ’26

Wilhelmina Houck ’26 traveled to San José, Costa Rica, last summer for a fully hands-on volunteer program dedicated solely to construction and renovation projects in areas that otherwise lack the funding, labor, and supplies to get the work done.

Working with local foreman and donated supplies, Wilhelmina and her work crew lent their time and muscle to a range of meaningful initiatives, including work with the Abraham Project in Villas de Ayarco.

“I was part of the volunteer construction team for the Abraham Project,” says Wilhelmina. “We worked on a building that will provide housing for single mothers and orphans.”

The Abraham Project is a faith-based nonprofit dedicated to transforming the local community by meeting the physical and spiritual needs of both individuals and families. Their work is focused in five ministry areas: the Project Bethany Single Mothers Ministry, daycare, vocational training, professional consultation, and church and multipurpose space construction.

Wilhelmina also spent time volunteering at Fundación Nórdicos De Costa Rica, a dog shelter in San José. The shelter works to raise awareness around the responsible ownership of Nordic breeds in Costa Rica, while providing food, medical care, housing, and adoption services for abandoned dogs. Wilhelmina and her team of volunteers did general repair work, but also worked on the shelter’s infrastructure, which included building a sewage system.

“The work was at times challenging, but also very rewarding,” says Wilhelmina. “I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to experience life in Costa Rica while living the Taft School motto, Not to be served but to serve.”

Wilhelmina’s travel to Costa Rica was made possible in part by Robert Keyes Poole ’50 Fellowship grant. Established in memory of Robert Keyes Poole ’50, Taft teacher from 1956 to 1962, Poole Fellowships are awarded each year to enable Taft students to engage in travel or in projects consistent with Mr. Poole’s lifetime interest in wildlife and the environment.