Guatemalan Relief Assistance for Children’s Education Services (GRACES) is a nonprofit, non-governmental organization providing education and other support services for children and adolescents who live in poverty near Antigua, 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 200 students in the surrounding villages of Antigua, Guatemala.
Ahava
GRACES' secondary project is an after-school and community outreach program in partnership with Ahava Ministries. Ahava is dedicated to ending spiritual, emotional, and physical poverty through Christian discipleship, education, and health initiatives. Founded in 2014, Ahava provides scholarships for 75 students in the surrounding community and serves over 120 students through a biweekly after-school program.
Academy of Future Leaders
GRACES partners with Academy of Future Leaders (AFL). AFL is an English language and soccer program in Parramos. AFL hopes to impact the community spiritually, economically and relationally. They currently have 12 full and part-time staff members and more than 70 students enrolled in their programs.
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
Sandra HernandezProject & Vision Trips 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.
Beth Garner
Beth Garner resides with her husband, Shawn, in Stephens City, Virginia. Beth and Shawn have two children, Darby and Sophie, along with a "bonus" daughter, Abigail. Beth is a licensed clinical social worker and counselor for National Counseling Group. Beth, Darby and Sophie participated in Vision Trips to Guatemala in 2016 and 2019 with their church Bethel Lutheran of Winchester, Virginia, and fell in love with the people of Guatemala. Beth and Shawn visited Guatemala in 2022 for the Annual Supporters Gathering. The Garners sponsored a student at Escuela Integrada who has since graduated and is now attending university in Guatemala City, and they are excited to begin a new sponsorship with a 13-year-old student at Escuela Integrada in 2023.
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 pastor of St. Francis of Assisi parish in Gallup, NM, 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.
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.
George Simons
George Simons resides with his wife, Georgia, in Salisbury, North Carolina. George and Georgia have three children, David, Philip and Ellen. George works in marketing and business development. He became aware of GRACES through its' longstanding relationship with the St. Luke’s Episcopal Church Foundation. After his last term on the foundation board, George accepted the offer to work more closely with GRACES by serving on the GRACES board. He is looking forward to a chance to visit the fine people at Escuela Integrada on a future Vision Trip.
Kendra Burkhalter
Kendra Burkhalter lives in Tulsa, Oklahoma, with her husband, Brad and daughter, Reagan. Her oldest daughter, Lauren, is married and also lives in Tulsa. Kendra graduated from the University of Arkansas with a Master of Arts in French Literature, and she is in her 22nd year of teaching French. Kendra became involved with GRACES through the Sponsorship Program. She and her family have been on two Vision Trips to Guatemala and recently attended the Sponsors Gathering in the fall of 2022. Kendra has a passion for the students, families and staff of Escuela Integrada, and she is honored to serve on the board of GRACES.
Local Team
The teachers, administrators, psychologists, and staff of GRACES partners.
Hernan Garcia
Program Director, Escuela Integrada
Bradler Santos
Principal, Escuela Integrada
Lillian Flores
Head Psychologist, Escuela Integrada
Lidia Bay
Kindergarten Teacher
Escuela Integrada
Francisco Tiu
2nd Grade Teacher
Escuela Integrada
Glendy Apen
3rd Grade Teacher
Escuela Integrada
Rafael Xinico
4th Grade Teacher
Escuela Integrada
Alejandra Quintanilla
Elementary English and Computer Teacher
Escuela Integrada
Evelin Salazar
Junior High Teacher
Escuela Integrada
Fabiola Xar
Junior High Teacher
Escuela Integrada
Saira Castañeda
Junior High Teacher
Escuela Integrada
Sandra Flores
Mayan Language and Junior High Teacher
Escuela Integrada
Juan Lobos
Psychologist
Escuela Integrada
Cesar Ordoñez
Accountant
Escuela Integrada
Lilian Chonay
Secretary
Escuela Integrada
Maria Reyes
Head Cook
Escuela Integrada
Aura Castellanos
Cook
Escuela Integrada
Mario Socorec
Security
Escuela Integrada
Candelaria Socorec
Custodian
Escuela Integrada
Ahava
Andrea Mendez
Founder & Executive Director
Ahava
Jhonatan Mendez
Assistant Director
Ahava
Academy of Future Leaders
Kevin and Lauren Sanchez
Founders
Academy of Future Leaders