About PUSO
P.U.S.O. is an acronym that stands for the Purposeful Unconditional Service to Others. The word "Puso" is also a tagalog word that translate into the word "heart". Every action we take as an organization begins with our hearts.
Hope With A Purpose
The Purposeful Unconditional Service to Others is a 501 (c)(3) Non-Profit Organization with the mission of providing hope with a purpose. Our desire is to empower individuals to be involved in service work through the gift of giving back.
When a community comes together, we can accomplish just about anything. By raising funds through our annual fundraising events, college outreach program, and various campaigns – we are able to strategically allocate financial contributions to impoverished communities, schools, communal projects and our relief efforts around the world.
Whether our commitment to service is exemplified through mission trips, providing basic life neccessities, fostering youth engagement, creative outreach or facilitating extracurricular activities, our vision is to plant the seed of faith and opportunity in human beings.
We invite you to learn about our journey as we commit and strive to change lives on a global scale together!
Our Founding Story
The P.U.S.O. Foundation came into existence in April of 2017. At that time, the founder, Robert Banez, was a 22-year-old, James Madison University alum and IT consultant living in Alexandria, Virginia. He was at work one day sharing with a colleague that he was gearing up for a vacation to the Philippines where he intended on doing a little bit of service work. Robert was caught off guard when that same conversation unanticipatedly led to a $20 donation. It was in this very moment that the foundational vision of P.U.S.O. began to take shape.
​
With the spirit of compassion moving through his heart, Robert was suddenly inspired to try and transform his upcoming vacation into a full on self-organized mission trip. He wanted to use his personal story of how love and support from his family and perfect strangers helped him survive his upbringing of growing up without a father and losing his mother to cancer at the age of nine.
​
The seed was planted and the journey on the road less traveled was underway as Robert officially launched a Go Fund Me campaign on May 7, 2017. Robert’s closest friends and family members helped spread the word about his initiative through Instagram and Facebook. Within three short weeks, the Go Fund Me page raised over $4,875 with the help of 90+ donors.
​
Unknowingly, Robert 's campaign would later ensure that many people and families would benefit from such meek beginnings. His simple yet humble idea would help him accomplish his goal of serving 500 lives during his 2-week "The Road Less Traveled" trip in June of 2017. Later, his initial attempts to provide community service would evolve into a for-purpose charity organization equipped with dozens of volunteers also known as “P.U.S.O. Family Members.” Communally, they continue to work together to help bring hope to thousands of lives through various creative outlets and platforms.
​
Robert started P.U.S.O. as a 501(c)(3) with the God-given mandate to reach the undervalued or overlooked people in the world, while strategically and intentionally giving them the most important seed that he received growing up... HOPE.
