About Us

Guatemala Service Projects Inc is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation based in Wisconsin.

Trent Faith (Vice-President), Jennifer Demar (President and Treasurer), Jen Scratch (Secretary)

Purpose:

The nonprofit corporation, Guatemala Service Projects Inc, exists to provide resources to impoverished people in Guatemala.  We will plan, organize and implement service projects that improve the health or literacy of Guatemalan children and families.  Some examples of health improvements include installing high-efficiency wood-burning stoves that vent outside the home, installing 10-year water filters and providing training on their care and use, providing prenatal vitamins to expectant mothers, and educating others on diabetes management and proper nutrition.  Some examples of literacy improvements may include providing schools with books or technology, providing teacher training, or providing assistance in the form of student sponsorship.

The directors of the nonprofit are Jennifer Demar, Richard (Trent) Faith and Jennifer Scratch.

(See director profiles below and click the names to send an email.)

Jennifer Demar
My husband and I adopted two children from Guatemala when they were toddlers, and then were blessed with a homeDemar familygrown third child a number of years later. We live in Oconomowoc, WI, along with our dog, Lou.

WhyGuatemala

Our first trip to Guatemala as a complete family was in August 2015.  We wanted our older kids to have familiarity with their birth country, as it would offer a clear picture as to the struggles that many in Guatemala face and hopefully an understanding of some underlying issues that may have had an impact in their adoption stories.  We traveled with four other families, two which also had the international adoption tie to Guatemala!

Each one of us was blessed by the trip, some more than others, and perhaps in different ways.  As for me, my life was changed forever.  I knew that service work and helping the people of Guatemala would be in the forefront for a very long time.

Aside from the fact that we have children born in Guatemala, we choose Guatemala because it is a less-developed nation with needs so much greater than ours and so much less government support for those that truly need it.  Plus, the cost of “doing” there is so much less that a little bit of money goes a LONG way. We wouldn’t be able to make a dent here in the US.

 

Trent Faith

I found Guatemala through a Transcultural Healthcare trip I took with WCTC in 2016.  I am a college student studying Surgical Technology, graduating in May of 2017.  I am the father of two terrific boys, JT (16) and Barret (11) and have been married to their mother, Cindi Faith, for 21 years.  I am a cycling enthusiast and enjoy playing the drums, but have found my life’s calling over the last year with three trips to Guatemala.

I am pictured here with my son JT and a little friend named Alex in San Jorge, Guatemala.

 

Jennifer Scratch

While I was in high school I did community theater. During one of our productions we had a wonderful woman who was Guatemalan. I spent a lot of time with her for the 12 weeks we were in production. She showed me her culture. I had even traveled to the Daly Plaza to see her and some friends perform a dance. She had given me tokens of her culture that I had treasured for years. Sadly, after the production was over I never saw her again. I don’t recall her name anymore, but I remember her.

When we went to adopt, we chose Guatemala because both me and my husband had been influenced by people from this country. For my husband it was a college classmate. For a while they had been pen pals when she had moved back, but eventually that faded.

In February of 2007 we brought home our seven-month old son from Guatemala, Julian Alexander.

When Jennifer Demar was looking for help with getting Guatemala Service Projects up and running, I jumped on the wagon.

I’d like give back to the country that has given me so much.