Who we are
Our organization is managed by two international Boards of Directors, one located in North Miami Beach, Florida, the other in Barillas, Guatemala. Each Board is legalized under the laws of the country in which it is located and as such are two separate entities. The Adopt-a-Village in Guatemala Board of Directors is responsible for fundraising and fiscal management. AAV’s partner organization in Guatemala, Fundacion Para el Desarrollo Comunal de Huehuetenango, sets program priorities and oversees operations in Guatemala.
Fundacion de Desarrollo Comunal de Huehuetenango
Luis Alberto Sandoval Marroquín, President. Luis is a veterinarian and agricultural instructor. He has been providing community-based education on veterinarian and agricultural topics for more than 20 years. He has worked in various regions of Guatemala, including Ixcán, Quiché and Alta and Baja in Verapaz. He has led several courses at AAV’s Mayan Center. He has a bachelor of science from Instituto Doctor Juan José Arévalo Bermejo in Guatemala City and studied agricultural engineering at Universidad Rafael Landivar in Sede de La Verapaz, Cobán. He lives in El Milagro, Ixcán.
Adopt-a-Village in Guatemala
Frances Dixon, President. Frances grew up in a tiny isolated gold mining town in the western foothills of the Rocky Mountains in Canada, where the small community lived snow-bound for much of the year. At the age of 16, she began her first charity, joining the needs of marginalized teens with those of poor families. Fascinated with off-the-beaten path travel and different cultures, she worked her way around much of the world in a variety of careers, including a stint in Africa with the Canadian Consulate, and later founded two successful businesses, one in magazine publishing. Social justice took root early in her philosophy of life and found its most intense expression through her visionary work in aiding the Maya rebuild their lives after the ravages of the 36-year civil war in Guatemala. She leads a small but highly spirited organization of dedicated volunteers that has given hope to hundreds of indigenous people living in an isolated region on the edge of survival.
Kathy Hiebert, Treasurer. Kathy Hiebert has been a steadfast volunteer since the inception of the organization. She has made two trips to Guatemala just after the civil wars end when hiking was the only mode of travel to AAV´s early projects. She is a child sponsor, heads up the Volunteer Committee and uses her E-Bay skills to find needed school equipment for AAV. She is the current treasurer for AAV. The Mayan, Incan and Aztec civilizations have fascinated Kathy since she can remember. When she found an organization offering opportunities to know and help today’s Maya, she quickly came aboard. Kathy lives in California with her second family, husband Charlie, and seven-year old Amanda, whom she plans to take to Guatemala soon.
René Garcia, Secretary. René was born in Guatemala City. Although raised in Silver Spring, Maryland, he considers Miami, Florida his home, having lived there since 1988. He is a graduate of Christopher Columbus High School, obtained his BA in History from the University of Miami, and JD from St. Thomas University School of Law. Today, as a member of the Florida Bar and of the Bar of Washington D.C., René manages the day-to-day operations of the law firm he founded in 2005- Garcia & Associates PL, a boutique corporate, leisure, and real estate transactions practice with an office in downtown Miami.
René serves as Secretary of the Rotary of Coconut Grove in Miami and is past president of the Kendall Networkers, Inc. He resides in the suburb of Kendall with his wife, Maday, and daughter, Claire. He enjoys golfing, international travel, film, and football, which he played collegiately.
Allen Langford, Director and Financial Advisor. Allen Langford is president of FirstAmerica Bank with five offices in Manatee and Sarasota counties. He graduated from Emory University with major studies in finance, marketing, and management. He is past president and board member of the Palmetto CRA and currently serves as a director with the Florida Bankers Association, and director on the finance committee of the Florida Blood Services.
Allen has a long-term interest in Guatemala, initiating his Rotary Club’s first international project with Adopt-a-Village in Guatemala during his presidency. Since that time he has traveled to Guatemala several times to volunteer for project work, including dental and construction missions. He enjoys sports fishing, hunting and golf and has traveled to a number of countries including Guatemala, Venezuela, the Bahamas, Windward Island, Ireland, and the Caribbean.
Fran Lenski, Director of Communications. Fran is a retired attorney and seasoned traveler. He has explored six continents, mostly Central America and South America. His long-term vocation as an avid birder led to much of his more exotic travel. Fran and his wife Sue have an ongoing interest in Guatemala. Sue is a Professor of Reading and Literacy at Portland State University and has worked with teachers in Guatemala for the past five years. Fran has visited Guatemala several times and is actively involved in the Adopt-a-Village child sponsor program, both in Guatemala and in the United States.
Dave Snyder, Vice President and USA/Guatemalan Coordinator. Dave Snyder and his wife, Sally, are two of the first Peace Corps volunteers who responded to President Kennedy’s Peace Corps mission directive in the early 1960’s. After their two year stint in Guatemala with the Peace Corps, the couple lived in several Latin American countries over the next 40 years. David spent his career as an entrepreneur, engaging in several successful business enterprises. Now semi-retired, Dave lives in Coconut Grove, Florida, where he relishes the time he can spend sailing and kayaking. Most of all, he and Sally enjoy spending time with their two sons and five grandchildren who live nearby.
David Bailey, Director. David lives in Parrish, Florida, with his wife, Kim. He is past president of the Palmetto Rotary Club and is currently international director. He is a director with the Bradenton Yacht Club. David is president and owner of Cherokee, Inc. a construction company in Manatee County.
His hobbies include sports fishing, hunting and motorcycling. He has traveled to Guatemala many times to help Adopt-a-Village and the Mayan people to work on construction projects. He also travels to Mexico and Belize.