"HELP International has the perfect amount of structure to give you lots of support if you need it, and yet enough autonomy to feel empowered in making your own decisions and creating your own experience. I loved HELP International because through them I discovered what I could do as an individual to make a difference in the world, and then they helped me do it. Because of the training and leadership we had, we were prepared to be culturally sensitive and good examples of Americans, and the people of Mukono thought very highly of us. HELP isn't a huge organization and it doesn't have a ton of resources, but I was impressed at how well they organized this experience and it inspired me to return next summer."
-Kindra Clemence, Uganda 2007 |
"From my experience, I gained an understanding of my responsibility to serve because I can, because I have been blessed to have the resources to turn away from my and my family's immediate needs and look outward. I never expected to gain such a pressing understanding of my need to serve. I never expected to meet people who were so much "better" than I am, who had so much to teach me of compassion, of self sacrifice and of hope. I feel that I was literally healed by the people of El Salvador as they changed my perspective and expectations." -Natalie Brown, El Salvador 2007 |
Warner Woodworth is a professor of organizational behavior at Brigham Young University where he teaches Third World Development, Micro-credit, and Social Entrepreneurship. He is married to Kaye Colvin Woodworth and they have ten children. Author of 10 books and over 180 articles he has been engaged in empowering the poor for two decades. He has helped found and/or served on the boards of numerous nongovernmental organizations including Enterprise Mentors International, Ouelessebougou-Utah Alliance, Unitus and HELP International, among others. He is co-author of Small Really is Beautiful (1997) and Working Toward Zion (1999).
Russ Booth has over thirty five years experience as a Broker/Agent in leasing selling, leasing, managing and developing various types of properties and is currently the Senior Vice President of Coldwell Banker Commercial. He is a Managing Partner for several real estate partnerships, LLC's and investment groups. He was awarded B.S. and M.S. degrees from the University of Utah and Brigham Young University. Russ was recently the President of the BYU Alumni Association, and professionally is a former President of the 1.2 million-member National Association of Realtors. He currently chairs the International Consortium of Real Estate Associations. He has been active in community, church, civic organizations. Russ is married Nina C. Woodbury and has six children, (5 boys, 1 girl, ages 34 to 22,) and four grandchildren.
Roger is currently the Assistant Director of the MPH program at BYU where he teaches public health administration, field epidemiology and project management classes. He works with the Kennedy Center at BYU to sponsor public health internships with NGOs and multi-lateral international organizations in Bolivia. He spent many years working in Latin America and the Caribbean with the Pan American Health Organization, the regional office for the World Health Organization (WHO). He also worked with the USAID as Hurricane Reconstruction Project Manager for rebuilding health facilities and infrastructure in Central America and as a consultant with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. He now lives in Highland with his wife Deanne. They have five children and eight grandchildren.
Mindy graduated from BYU in 2003 with a degree in International Development and Latin American studies and has had a passion for serving and teaching the poor since she visited Russia at age 14. After working with Laubach Literacy in Guatemala, Mindy joined the HELP team in 2004 as the Assistant Programs Director and has been actively involved ever since. She now serves as a member of the HELP Board of Directors. Mindy has been married for eight years to a very supportive husband, Russ, and is the mother of two rambunctious boys, Corbin(4) and Cody(1½).
Janet Tanner, PhD, CPA, is currently teaching in the School of Accountancy at Brigham Young University, after holding an accounting faculty position with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, for ten years. Janet has also studied international development and educational leadership and has been involved with numerous international humanitarian aid efforts. Her academic research focuses on business, educational and social entrepreneurship in Africa, where she has extensive experience in Uganda. She is the mother of four children, all of whom have served as volunteers with HELP International in Latin American settings.
Sarah Carmichael Parson is originally from Toronto, Canada. She moved to Provo, to pursue a master’s degree in comparative and international development of education (CIDE) at Brigham Young University.While completing her degree Sarah became involved with Warner Woodworth and helped start and then manage the Wave of Hope project (Empowering Nations' 2005 tsunami project). Sarah became the executive director of Empowering Nations in the fall of 2005 and after completing her degree, she continued her work as director while also working full-time at Utah Valley University as the Director of the Equity in Education Centre which promotes diversity and equity as well as raises awareness about violence and abuse in the UVU and greater community. Sarah has led projects for Empowering Nations in Thailand, Ghana and Kenya. Sarah married Christopher Parson while at BYU and after the birth of her son Jacob was thrilled to become a stay at home mom. In 2009 Empowering Nations merged with HELP International and Sarah is now happy to serve on HELP's board of directors. Sarah ultimately believes that one person can make a difference and that teaching and empowering people to help themselves is the only way to create lasting change.
