Our Impact

Our Mission Statement

Supporting the walkways of the world, while bringing Camino spirit to people along the way.

LOOKING AHEAD (and a little back)

Wow, we are starting to see hundreds if not thousands of vaccinated pilgrims trickle back to The Way, and the light at the end of the tunnel seems brighter than ever.

Our last albergue family member, Casa Susi, just opened their doors and so the season of “saving” albergues has come to a close. What an amazing success, 29 albergues helped by our gifts of $76,000+.

But with all the good news, our Camino for Good family suffered a great loss. Our friend and co-founder Bill Austin passed away suddenly in March, 2022, as a result of a scuba diving accident. Although we take comfort knowing that he died doing what he loved, it changes things for our tiny team of pilgrim founders.

A NEW MISSION

The partners of Camino for Good in concert with Bill’s daughters, Mackenzie and Shaylyn, are honoring our friend Bill by creating the Bill Austin Legacy Fund. Bill loved the Camino de Santiago routes, believed the hikes were life changing and loved to try and talk just about anyone into taking a leap of faith and walking one of the routes. We know Bill would want as many of you dreaming of a Camino to go – and so we begin a new phase of our giving mission.

For these reasons, we are starting a need-based pilgrim grant program for expenses related to the Camino de Santiago. If you’re a pilgrim who has a dream of walking the camino, we have a new application process where you can request scholarship funds. This list contains suggested uses of how the funds can be used:

· Travel or transportation

· Gear purchase

· Helper transportation

· Hospitalero training

· Bag transport

· Lodging and Food

WANT TO HELP?

This grant program will be funded by sales of routes on our Camino for Good Virtual Walking App. You can sign up for a monthly subscription of the Buen Camino Experience where you can access all three of our current routes.

On this Buen Camino Experience page, you also have the option to donate to the Legacy Fund if you are not interested in hiking or walking using the app.

For those who knew and loved Bill, we hope this brings comfort knowing that others will be able to walk in his honor and be an ambassador for his dream.

As always, we promise to be transparent and honest.

Thank you to everyone who made our dream a reality by walking with Camino for Good and helping us support albergue owners through this unprecedented period. Now, please see our new Buen Camino Experience and Bill Austin Legacy Fund page to learn more about how we could possibly make your dream a reality through the Bill Austin Legacy Fund.

Buen Camino to you all!

As a for-profit public benefit corporation, Camino for Good balances mission with profits. Our mission in 2020/21 was to help Camino de Santiago albergues survive that period of hardship until the Camino fully reopened and their income from serving pilgrims returned. We did this by providing financial support in the form of relief funds that help cover fixed expenses, including rent, electricity, and water.

$76,500 USD given in relief funds in 2020 – 2021 – 2022!

Buen Camino

As a for-profit public benefit corporation, Camino for Good balances mission with profits. Our mission in 2020 was to help Camino de Santiago albergues survive that period of hardship until the Camino fully reopened and their income from serving pilgrims returned. We did this by providing financial support in the form of relief funds that help cover fixed expenses, including rent, electricity, and water.

$76,500 USD

given in relief funds in 2020-21-22!

Why Camino for Good?

The CfG founders have all walked Caminos. We understand that albergues are always there for you when you arrive at their door, dirty and exhausted after a day-long hike. In 2020, it was our turn to be there for them.
Our goal was to send enough relief funds to albergue owners so they can cover their basic living expenses during this challenging time. Hopefully, this will give them the needed boost to be ready to reopen when hikers return.
Walking the Virtual Camino will inspire you physically and spiritually. All of our 2020 pilgrims know that they helped the Camino survive this difficult period with each step they took.

Effects of COVID-19 on the Camino

The global pandemic has deeply affected both pilgrims and albergue owners. International and domestic travel within Spain is severely restricted, which leaves hostel owners with no income and pilgrims with no refuge.

Hikers from around the world of all ages are able to complete this long journey thanks to the giving spirit of Camino albergues, many of which are donation only. But now, many albergues find themselves in a dire financial situation as they approach an entire year of little to no income. For instance, many are unable to cover basic living expenses. Some are unsure whether they will be able to open ever again. In light of these challenges, our mission is to keep the Camino Spirit alive by sending relief funds to these struggling albergues. We hope that they can continue their passion for supporting hikers along the Camino as a result.