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About Us

Our mission is to inspire our volunteers to become global citizens and take a hands-on role in the world around them.

About Be Humanitarian™

At Be Humanitarian™, we help Guatemalan children, teens and adults reach their full potential with early nutrition and continued education. Our Service Vacations help companies, families, and individuals give back while discovering what really matters. Our volunteer-run preschool is providing education 5 days a week while our nutrition program is providing thousands of meals a month to a remote Guatemalan community. Our community is working hard to fight childhood malnutrition, one child, at a time.

Join us while we explore the culture, and beauty of Guatemala. We spend our days volunteering with a thought-provoking humanitarian projects and spend time exploring different sites. Our projects change each trip but here are a few ideas of what we do…. we prepare breakfast and lunch, deliver backpacks, and school supplies to our preschool, deliver hundreds of pounds of books, backpacks, school supplies, and much-needed donations to local schools and organizations. We will install wood-burning stoves in homes and get to know our local families, hike a volcano and roast marshmallows on hot pockets in the lava, enjoy Lake Atitlan, play with the children at a our preschool, explore Mayan ruins, visit the black sand beach, shop local markets, laugh a lot and truly have a blast!

We stay in local Airbnb’s/hotels while there and enjoy lots of delicious food. Our days are full of learning and activity. There are countless wonders to see and life lessons to learn.

Volunteer

Our Values

What We Believe and Why.

Service, Helping Hands, Giving Back

We believe our duty is to improve the lives of those in need.

Education

We are dedicated to providing a safe and great educational experience for disadvantaged kids.

Travel

We are passionate about seeing, experiencing, and exploring different parts of the world. Guatemala is one of the best!

Dual Purpose Growth

We believe there is value in service on both ends. Not only as a volunteer will you grow but you will also help the communities in which we serve grow.

Nutrition, Self-Sufficiency

We want to improve the future of some of Guatemala’s most impoverished people, and help them to break the poverty cycle through early nutrition and self sustainability.

Connection, Legacy

As a volunteer you will build connections with your group and the Guatemalan people. By serving these communities, you are making a difference now and for generations to come.

Meet Our Team

We are passionate about giving back and connecting with the world around us. We love what we do and we want to share it with you!

Tobie Spears

Founder

Tobie graduated from the University of Utah with degrees in Sociology and Political Science and a Certificate in Criminology. She is lucky enough to have an awesome husband, two amazing daughters and three crazy cats.

Tobie fell in love with traveling when she was 17 and backpacked through Europe and drove from Utah to Canada. During college she traveled to Mexico to participate in a study abroad program and after college she started traveling with her husband and daughters. In 2002 they spent 3 months backpacking through central Mexico and in 2013 they spent 12 days driving from Utah to Guatemala where they lived, worked, and volunteered. Tobie stays busy working as a birth and postpartum doula and running Be Humanitarian with Guatemalan Humanitarian Tours.

Darrin Baxter

Co-Founder

Darrin is a guru at everything he does. He is a Controller, RN and Contractor who pretty much loves solving problems and seeing the bigger picture. Darrin is an essential part of Be Humanitarian and graciously allows Tobie to spend their limited free time brainstorming ways to improve lives in Guatemala. Darrin is an awesome dad and goes to great lengths to keep a healthy supply of Guatemalan coffee on hand.

Linda Oporto

Director of Operations, Teacher

Linda is our teacher in Guatemala who loves everything about the teaching and learning process. She wanted to become a teacher since she was 12 years old and since that moment she has focused all her energy and creativity on it. She has 3 degrees in Education including Pre-school, English and Psychopedagogy.

Her favorite life adventure was moving from Costa Rica to Guatemala to create her new family with her beloved husband Jonatan and build a home strong enough to take care of 24 little kiddos and a super cool teenager Adriana.

Dana Ball

Board Member

Dana is a small business attorney who has helped Be Humanitarian write contracts and stay in compliance. She has seen too many good business owners end up in bad situations because of common legal mistakes. She loves helping small businesses get their act together so they can focus on running their business. Dana writes a lot of contracts, sets up legal entities and spends a lot of time encouraging clients to care about their employer obligations. Outside of work, Dana has always loved travelling. She was 8 years old when she took her first trip abroad to Sweden with her parents. In high school, she lived in France as an exchange student. She has travelled all over and joined Tobie on a service vacation. Dana’s experience travelling to Guatemala was heart wrenching and joyous at the same time and she's been a vital part of our success since.

Seeking a Dedicated Humanitarian to Join Our Board of Directors

Board Member

Are you interested in joining a great group of humanitarians who are dedicated to making the world a better place? We have an opening in our Board of Directors for someone ilke you!

Jennifer Wright

Board Member

Jen has lived in Utah most of her life. She and her husband, Jeremy, have six children who bring her a great deal of joy. Jen is naturally organized and enjoys the bustle of a busy household, the smell of freshly baked bread, and making delicious food.

She and her husband own a print and design firm and Jen manages the customer service and fulfillment. Jen has served on the school community counsel at the elementary school for over a decade, has sat on several committees in the community, and serves in her church.

She finds fulfillment watching her children perform on the field, in the gym, and on the stage. She serves her neighbors and keeps track of old friends. She loves the feeling of fresh mountain air in her lungs, the feel of the beach between her toes, hiking ruins, and the bright, starry night sky.

William Bessette

Board Member

Based out of beautiful Costa Rica, William likes to consider himself an adventurer and entrepreneur. He takes pride in helping guide businesses with their marketing and web design needs and individuals who want more adventure out of life!

Danka Orellana

Board Member

Danka is a seasoned traveler, birth assistant, doula & childbirth educator. She loves all things food & one day hopes to go to culinary school. She grew up in Kiev, Ukraine and then NYC, she currently lives in Utah. Danka writes each of our newsletters and comes up with great ideas to fundraise. She is an advocate for the underprivileged wherever they are in the world.

Chelsea Kemp

Medical Director

Chelsea was born and raised in Orem, Utah. She graduated from Utah Valley University in 2017 in Business Management and Marketing. She currently works for a photographer and videography company. She's a big Disney and Harry Potter fan who loves traveling and concerts. She loves spending time with her family and friends and has eight of the cutest nieces and nephews on the planet! Her passion is in humanitarian work. She's happiest when serving others and exploring new cultures.

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