Community service is our heart and soul. From the very beginning, True Nature Education has built itself upon core values of Community, Education, and Service. These continue to be the driving force of our operation.
At its roots, TNE owners and directors, Joshua Canter and Kristin Luna Ray, first began this great journey by establishing the True Nature Community in La Florida, Costa Rica. This community sits upon 30 acres of lush Costa Rica land overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It is part of the Diamonte Valley, named after the 500-foot Diamante waterfall that you drive by on the way to the property.
On December 31, 2003, Joshua and Luna set foot on this venture in the Community with two days of silence as a time of deep reflection – “to really listen to the land and to our intuition as we embarked on such a powerful journey.”
It was during this time that Joshua and Luna expanded their humanitarian efforts even further with the creation of the CREER Service Organization. CREER, which means to believe in Spanish, was an offering of gratitude for the incredible support, generosity, and hospitality that the native Costa Ricans provided upon our arrival in the county and their village.
Some past projects include:
- CREER Microloans Program – Focused on helping to support the natives to “keep up” as times are rapidly changing in the rural villages in Costa Rica. Farming is no longer a sustainable industry for the many “campesinos” in villages, such as La Florida. In addition, many women, who traditionally only worked in the home, are interested in creating ways to bring in their own income.
- Sustainable Donations Program – Made in the form of monetary resources or goods that are to be used for a specific project, and to fulfill specific needs in an area that works sustainably under CREER’S mission as an organization.
- Diamante Library Project – Fundraising efforts made in partnership with The Friends of the Diamante Library for a community library. The Library is linked with the four local schools in order to enhance the educational quality of those schools. Classes for the children of the local schools will be part of the library curriculum.
- CREER Project Salud “Health” – Efforts to support the demolition and initial stages of reconstruction the La Florida Health Clinic.
- CREER Education Program – Provides affordable, local, education classes in the rural villages in Costa Rica.
And, of course, CREER is the basis of all of our True Nature Education Costa Rica Service and Adventure Programs that are run with elementary schools, high schools, higher education institutions, service organizations, business organizations and fraternities, and more.
Our yoga retreats each offer a unique service “karma” yoga element that weave these values throughout these experiences.
