Great volunteer and cultural experience!

The volunteer trips are incredible, often life-changing experiences for people of all ages…and I’ve had participants from 8 years old to over 80.

I’ve been volunteering with XelaAid/Local Hope since 2007, and have been on and led a number of volunteer trips. It has been a truly rewarding experience, and the progress has been wonderful. I could say a lot more, but to illustrate how credible this organization is, I’ll just describe its relationship with Rotary International (RI). XelaAid/Local Hope has received major back to back grants from RI for sanitation, water, and educational projects in Guatemala, and anyone who has ever been through the process of getting such a grant knows it’s one of the most challenging, thoroughly researched, validated, and audited applications that exist...and if you make it through the process, it shows the world that your organization is highly credible. Getting a second, third and fourth grant just doesn’t happen unless your outcomes from each one are highly successful...it’s truly one of the greatest marks of credibility any nonprofit can hope to achieve.

I prefer giving my time and my philanthropic dollars to organizations who do what they say they will, are highly successful at doing so, and have real impact on making the world a better place. That’s why I am still supporting XelaAid/Local Hope 17 years after my first experience with them.