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Vias RD Fundraising
Vias RD at the LDS Giving Machines: What It Meant and What Came Next
Being selected for the LDS Giving Machines was a validation — and a reminder of the network that can carry this mission forward.
Each holiday season, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints operates Giving Machines — vending machine-style donation stations placed in high-traffic locations where people can purchase tangible goods that go directly to those in need around the world. Being selected as one of the featured nonprofits was one of the most meaningful recognitions Vias RD has received.
What the Giving Machines Are
The Giving Machines allow donors to "purchase" specific items — school supplies, sports equipment, meals, medical care — that are then provided to partner organizations serving communities around the world. The experience is tangible and personal in a way that generic donation portals rarely are. You press a button. A child in Barahona gets a school uniform or a baseball glove.
What It Meant for Vias RD
Being selected for the Giving Machines placed Vias RD in front of thousands of Latter-day Saint families who are already predisposed to care about international service. Many of them have served missions in the Dominican Republic. Many of them know Barahona, or know someone who does. For those people, the Giving Machines weren't an introduction to the DR — they were a reconnection.
The experience reinforced something we already believed: the returned LDS missionary network is one of the most natural communities of support for Vias RD. People who gave two years of their lives in service to Dominican communities carry that love for the rest of their lives. We're giving them a way to keep showing up.
What Came Next
The Giving Machines created visibility that lasted well beyond the holiday season. New donors found us. New conversations started. And it deepened our conviction that the right way to grow Vias RD isn't through cold outreach or generic fundraising — it's through relationships with people who already have a reason to care.
If you're a returned missionary, a member of the LDS community, or someone who loves the Dominican Republic and wants a way to invest in it meaningfully, reach out to us or donate today. Explore corporate sponsorship or find out how to volunteer with us in Barahona.
The people who show up at the Giving Machines aren't strangers to service. They're exactly who we're looking for — and we're grateful they found us.
The LDS community helped launch this mission. Help us carry it forward.
Vias RD is education-first baseball in Barahona. Built from missionary roots. Fueled by people who care.
Más que un juego. Es un camino.
More than a game. It's a pathway.
Vias RD creates pathways for Dominican youth through education, mentorship, and opportunity.
Because every child deserves more than one path forward.