Guatemalan Relief Assistance for Children’s Education Services (GRACES) is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization providing education and other support services to more than 200 students living in poverty in Guatemala.
Escuela Integrada
GRACES primary project is a school in Guatemala. Escuela Integrada de Niños Trabajadores which means “Integrated School for the Working Children,” was started in 2003 to provide accessible education for children subjected to labor because of dire circumstances. The school serves more than 180 students in the surrounding villages of Antigua, Guatemala.
Proyecto Capaz
GRACES secondary project is an after-school and community outreach program. Proyecto Capaz which means “Project Capable” was started in 2015 to provide a safe space and tutoring for young girls after school. Proyecto Capaz serves on average 30 children in the community while also doing community outreach and working with parents and other community members.
Our Mission
To provide holistic educational opportunities through physical, emotional and spiritual support for children living in extreme poverty in Guatemala.
Our Vision
To improve the lives of our students by overcoming generational poverty, child labor and violence and empowering them to live a life of hope, purpose and opportunity, sharing the love of Jesus Christ.
GRACES Staff
Hannah Nadeau GirónExecutive Director
Autumn JonesCommunications Director
Nancy ShirleyOperations Manager
Lucas HertzbergSponsorship Coordinator
GRACES Board of Directors
Our Board is passionate about the work Escuela Integrada does with the children in Antigua.
Mike Neubauer
President
Mike Neubauer and his wife, Morgan are from the Chicago suburbs where they live with their 6 children. They first visited Antigua in the summer of 2015 on a mission trip with Lifeonaire. They returned the following summer and started exploring options for an extended trip to Guatemala. In January 2017, they brought their whole family to Guatemala and their oldest daughter attended 4 weeks of school at Escuela Integrada. Later in 2017, they joined the Board of Directors for GRACES. Morgan helps coordinate the vision trip teams that visit Antigua each year, and Mike has served as the Board President since November 2019.
Stan Jordan
Treasurer
Stan lives in Salisbury NC with his wife Sandy. Stan is the Vice President/CFO of Healthcare Management Consultants, Inc. He joined Healthcare Management Consultants in 2000 and serves as a Senior Consultant and Tax Partner. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting. He is a Certified Public Accountant and Certified Healthcare Business Consultant. Stan has over 38 years of experience in finance and accounting, tax and consulting.
Kelly Junk
Kelly Junk is a certified Spiritual Director, living in Tulsa, OK. She is a member of First United Methodist Church where her passion for “soul care” and global missions began.
Recently, Kelly transitioned from her position on staff at First United Methodist Church, Tulsa, OK serving as Global Outreach Director, to focus solely on offering Spiritual Direction. While on staff at FUMC her position encompassed oversight of the church’s global outreach program, annual fundraising campaigns, fostering twenty-two global partnerships, facilitating mission teams and providing pastoral care support to missionaries, pastors, volunteers and church members.
Sensing God leading her into the next season of ministry, and as she continued to meet with a variety of persons, she noticed over and over a theme emerging; many spoke of a longing to know God and to be known by God in a deeper way. This was the catalyst that encouraged her to step away from serving on staff, after twenty-eight years and shift her focus to the work of “soul care” and journeying along-side persons as a Spiritual Director.
Kelly studied at Oklahoma Baptist University. She completed a 5-year journey of spiritual formation certification including: “Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius;” The Transforming Center “Spiritual Formation for Leaders” and Sustainable Faith “School of Spiritual Direction.”
Kelly is married to Tom. They have three married children and seven grandchildren. She is adventurous at heart; has traveled to twenty countries, is intentional about her faith, as well as spending time with her family and friends. Kelly enjoys being in the outdoors, cross-culture missions and time with her grandchildren.
Father Joshua Mayer
Fr. Josh Mayer is a Roman Catholic priest of the Diocese of Gallup, in New Mexico and Arizona. He is the pastor of two parishes in Northwest New Mexico (St. Mary and St. Rose of Lima) and the Director of Vocations for his diocese. The people of Guatemala have been a part of Fr. Josh’s heart since the Summer of 2012, when he lived in Antigua for a Spanish immersion program. He has returned almost every year since.
Fr. Josh began working with Escuela Integrada in early 2018. Since then, his parishes have become the Kindergarten class sponsors, and another nearby parish has formed a relationship with ES. As of now, one or two groups from the Four Corners area visit the school annually.
The students, parents, faculty and staff of Escuela Integrada have all made a profound impact on Fr. Josh, and have often revealed to him the face of Christ. He prays for everyone at the school daily, and is always looking forward to his next visit.
Fr. Josh’s favorite Guatemalan food is street fries in Santiago Atitlan, with ketchup and green sauce all over them.
Krista Whitesel Woolly
Krista Whitesel Woolly has been Executive Director of the Community Care Clinic since May 2012. She previously served on the Board of Directors from 2010-2012. Krista attended the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and received a BA in Liberal Arts/Human Services and a MS in Rehabilitation Counseling. Before moving to Salisbury in 2009, she was employed by Valley Health in Winchester, Virginia as Director of Outpatient Rehabilitation Services. Currently, she serves on the boards of the JF Hurley YMCA, GRACES (a Guatemalan K-12 school), Thrivent Community Partners, she is a youth group advisor at St. John’s Lutheran Church, and on the executive team for Healthy Rowan. Krista has also spent the last 10 years on her children’s PTAs – serving as President at Knox Middle School for five years. Krista is married to Rhodes Woolly, Senior Pastor of St. John’s Lutheran Church. They have three children – Carter, age 24 employed by George Mason University; Matt, age 22 a senior at NCSU; and Anna Grace, Age 17 a 12th grader at Salisbury High School. Krista is passionate about providing quality healthcare for all. “If residents can improve their personal health, then communities can thrive. School children learn better, adults miss less work and seniors are active for much longer,” says Woolly.
Michael Moreno
Michael Moreno is a dentist from Ellicott City Maryland. He is married with two young kids. He has been spending a week a year at Escuela Integrada for the past 4 years helping out wherever he can. He sponsors two kids currently at the school. In 2019 he took his whole family on an amazing mission trip to the school for one week.
Kristin Royce
Kristin Royce is a wife and mom to three, young girls. She is also a director of a Homeschool Tutorial and lives in Maryland, as well as runs a self-storage business with her husband, Terry. She and Terry came to Antigua for the first time in November of 2017 and returned for a real estate mastermind in February of 2019. It was then that she knew she wanted to do more and was a co-ambassador for a trip in August of 2019 and returned again in November 2019 for the Supporters' Gathering. Kristin has brought her entire family down the past two trips and her daughters love spending time with their sponsored student and her sisters while in Antigua. She is excited to bring their newest addition down to Guatemala to meet everyone soon and to continue to share and spread the wonderful work of GRACES!
Local Team
The teachers, administrators, psychologists, and staff who make up Escuela Integrada.
Hernan Garcia
Program Director
Bradler Santos
Principal
Sandra Hernandez
Vision Trips Coordinator
Lillian Flores
Head Psychologist
Lidia Bay
Kindergarten Teacher
Sonia Flores
1st Grade Teacher
Francisco Tiu
2nd Grade Teacher
Gendy Apen
3rd Grade Teacher
Rafael Xinico
4th Grade Teacher
Maritza Oseida
5th Grade Teacher
Belsy Garcia
6th Grade Teacher
Alejandra Quintanilla
Elementary English and Computer Teacher
Belsy Hernandez
English and Junior High Teacher
Evelin Salazar
Junior High Teacher
Fabiola Xar
Junior High Teacher
Saira Castañeda
Junior High Teacher
Sandra Flores
Mayan Language and Junior High Teacher
Juan Lobos
Psychologist
Cesar Ordoñez
Accountant
Lilian Chonay
Secretary
Maria Reyes
Head Cook
Aura Castellanos
Cook
Mario Socorec
Security
Candelaria Socorec
Custodian