The Guatemala Friendship School Foundation is a non-profit organization working to provide free quality education for those who otherwise couldn't afford to attend school.

Construction began in 1998 and since 2000 we have been operating a school called Instituto K'amawanik' (a blend of Spanish and K’iche’ Maya that translates to the “Friendship School”) in the highland village of Momostenango, Guatemala. The school gives all students the opportunity to learn regardless of age, gender, religion, ethnicity, or income. We have educated over 500 students and our numbers are growing each year.

As a non-profit foundation, we are able to make over 97% of your donation go directly to students in Guatemala who would not otherwise be able to afford to go to school. We are the bridge to connect you, the donor, with a student in a developing country, funding their schooling and fulfilling their dreams of bettering themselves and their family. Our goal is to reduce poverty through the empowerment of educational opportunities.

As a non-profit, we also offer the opportunity for tax relief for the donor. The Guatemala Friendship School Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Our tax ID # is 72-1539912.

Our students are enrolled in a local school run by our K’iche’ Maya co-founder, Abraham Calel, in partnership with the Foundation. As we expand into other villages & towns in the future, additional students will be sponsored to attend local schools within their community.

During his travels in Guatemala in the summer of 1998 our president, Doug Johnson, met a teacher named Abraham Calel in the Mayan village of Momostenango.  Abraham offered to teach Doug Spanish from his family's home and their friendship began. During his studies, Doug learned that Abraham was also a volunteer teacher in his Mayan community. For over 20 years Abraham had been spending his off-hours teaching basic literacy to those who could not otherwise afford an education. Abraham shared with Doug his dream of starting a school to serve more students year-round; he had been teaching his classes outdoors!

Doug embraced Abraham’s dream and upon returning to Emily Dickinson / Explorer Elementary in Redmond, Washington where he taught, he shared with staff, students, and parents his remarkable experience in Guatemala and briefly, Abraham's dream of starting a school. Students and parents were immediately drawn to Abraham’s dream and organized fundraisers, earning more than $7,500 that year to begin construction of the school in Guatemala.

Over 10 years has passed since that first visit. We now have now educated over 500 students and have celebrated seven junior high graduations. Together we are making dreams come true and working toward ending poverty through the power of education. We currently have over 100 students enrolled and, in 2007 were honored for achieving the highest standardized test scores in the state.  Our students are consistent local champions in boys’ and girls’ soccer, basketball, and art competitions.  In 2010 our former students were the “flag bearers” (essentially a valedictorian) of five of the seven high schools in their community as well as a prestigious high school in the second largest Guatemalan city.  Our alumni include bankers, medical workers, secretaries, medical students, and over 20 elementary school teachers.  We are extremely proud of our students’ success and the excellent education they are provided by our dedicated and experienced staff.

Who we are now:

• A nonprofit, 501c3 organization funding education for over 100 students in the country of Guatemala
• A foundation run by a volunteer board of directors in Washington State
• Our mission is to provide quality education to students in Guatemala who otherwise would not be able to attend school
• Our long term goals are to expand our sponsorship program, provide high school scholarships, continue expanding fundraising efforts, and to provide education to students in other communities.

• Providing quality education to over 100 students in Guatemalan communities
• Sponsoring many students’ education through our growing sponsorship program
• Providing volunteer opportunities for students in the U.S. and abroad
• Continuing connection with the Redmond, WA community through Rosa Parks Elementary and other local schools
• Connecting U.S. students with Guatemalan students

• To provide the opportunity for free education to people who would not have had the opportunity to learn due to income restrictions
• To help those being educated to fulfill their dreams and take on careers in professional fields
• Increasing professional, educational, and cultural possibilities for Guatemalan citizens
• To provide the opportunity to utilize computers and technology
   

• To continue fostering relationships between the students of Instituto K’amawanik’ and our community.
• To provide information concerning the foundation to our local community.
• To inspire our local community to be world citizens and to reach out to other cultures.

• To plan and execute fund raising activities and other events.
• To provide funding to support all operating expenses of IK including building costs, personnel, school supplies and other related expenses.
• To provide the opportunity to continue education beyond IK
• To diversify and increase the funding sources for the long-term sustainability of Instituto K’amawanik’.
• The Guatemala Friendship School Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
• Our U.S. tax ID number is 72-1539912.
• 2010 Annual Report (.pdf)
• 2009 Annual Report (.pdf)
• 2008 Annual Report (.pdf)
• 2007 Annual Report (.pdf)
• 2006 Annual Report (.pdf)

Doug Johnson, Founder
After visiting Guatemala on a last minute trip, Doug fell in love with the people there and came back to his hometown school to tell the story of Abraham’s dream to build a school. Doug is currently an Elementary School Principal in the Seattle area. He and his wife Amy have two children. He continues to travel to Guatemala each summer to visit the school and his “second family”.

Amy Johnson, President
Amy became involved in the organization through her husband and became very passionate about the project after visiting Guatemala & the school a number of times.  Amy has a Master’s Degree in Education; as a former teacher, she believes in the power of education, especially as a way to empower students & families. After many years in education, she is now a stay-at-home mom who continues to work hard on foundation communications and events such as the annual ‘Friendship Week’ fundraiser at the local elementary school, connecting students here to students in Guatemala.

Alana Scott, Vice President
Alana is coordinator for the Global Responsibility Team at Starbucks Coffee Company & is Vice President of the GFSF.  She recently received her Master’s degree in nonprofit management from Seattle University.  Alana looked into volunteering with the GFSF because she was inspired and impressed with the level of results the Foundation was achieving with only a Board of Directors and a handful of paid staff in Guatemala; she wanted to get in on their secrets to success. She had the opportunity to meet last year’s class in Guatemala and was amazed by the ingenuity demonstrated.  The students and teachers work hard and have a lot to be proud of.  Alana and her husband Michael married in 2009 and live in Seattle.

Brett Lopez Handley, Secretary
Brett is originally from Quetzaltenango, Guatemala. Having grown up in a country with much need, he is passionate about giving others the educational opportunities necessary to unleash a new level of growth and local leadership. He has collaborated with the Global expansion committee, and worked on developing a new pilot high school scholarship program for students with great talent and financial need. He currently works at Microsoft in the Windows team and lives in the Seattle area in Kirkland, Washington.

Daniel Ogren, Treasurer
Dan currently works as a Group Program Manager with Microsoft®. Originally from Canada, Dan has held various positions in Finance and Software Development in Canada, the US, and Mexico. He lives with his wife and two kids in Sammamish, WA. He graduated from the British Columbia Institute of Technology.

Robert Robbins, Sponsorship
Bob first learned about GFSF when his daughters were students at Emily Dickinson/Explorer Elementary in Redmond where Doug taught. Recognizing the value of the work GFSF is doing, the Robbins family became committed supporters of GFSF. Upon his retirement as VP/IT at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Bob became more personally involved with GFSF, joining the GFSF Board in 2010. Currently, Bob lives in Woodinville WA.

Sergio Zamora, Director of Global Expansion
Sergio is originally from Guatemala. He currently lives in Seattle and works for Microsoft. After becoming aware of the work GFSF is doing in his home country, he immediately became involved. Sergio is passionate about giving back to Guatemala and he is working hard to lead our Global Expansion committee, revamp our website, and create a global presence for the foundation. The committee's efforts will allow GFSF to benefit from the involvement of donors and volunteers from around the globe.

Debbie Drollinger
Debbie heard about the foundation from her children who were in Doug’s 5th grade classroom the first year he visited Guatemala. After Doug presented Abraham’s dream to the group of students and parents, Debbie immediately wanted to be involved. Her three kids, although now in college, are still involved in fundraising and have visited Guatemala as well. Debbie works for Macy’s in Seattle and lives in the Redmond, WA area.

Judy Johnson
Judy came to the foundation after hearing about the project from her son, Doug. She has been with the organization for a number of years. She works as a manager in a Seattle-based company and has also visited the school & family in Guatemala.  She is proud of the foundation’s work and continues to work hard for the students, especially in the fundraising aspects of the organization.

Desiree Woodruff
Desiree is Guatemala-American; her parents are Guatemalan. Originally born in LA, her family moved to Guatemala when she was age six, where she learned to speak Spanish. She is now an ELL teacher in the Seattle area. Desiree has been happily married to Matt for 10 years. She heard about Doug, his travels, and his dream to build a school in Guatemala through her school district and became involved in order to give back to Guatemala  and help others in need.

• The Purple Turtle, Inc
• Stephen Bjerke
• Tim Getsch
• Edgardo Romo Lamas
• Brett Lopez
• Erica Mohler
• Luis Pedro Martinez
• Cesar Osorio
• Mynor Veliz

Sponsorship
Through our sponsorship programs, donors can provide a complete yearly education to a Guatemalan student for $250. Donors who sponsor a student will receive updates throughout the year as a personal connection to their students. The sponsorship amount is based on one student’s portion of the total school expenses including, but not limited to, teacher salaries, school supplies, materials, building maintenance & student textbooks. Because our Foundation has very small expenses and an all-volunteer Board of Directors, about 97% of the total sponsorship dollar goes directly to the education of the students at Instituto K’amawanik’. Sponsorship donations provide educational opportunities throughout the school; however, the personal experience of learning about one student in particular is incredibly valuable to our donors.

US School Programs
Our annual Friendship Week is held at Rosa Parks Elementary in Redmond, Washington. As a “sister school” to the Friendship School, Rosa Parks students participate in a week of fun activities and fundraising geared toward the theme of creating cross-cultural friendships through the lens of education.  U.S. students write letters to Guatemalan students and purchase authentic Guatemalan friendship bracelets to fundraise for the school. Students celebrate the end of Friendship Week with an all-school dance and silent auction as a fundraiser for the Guatemalan students. Students from other local schools including Explorer Community School, Emily Dickinson Elementary, and Alexander Graham Bell Elementary are also included in Friendship Week and fundraising efforts. 

Private Donations, Corporate donations, and Grants
The GFSF also relies on other private donations as well as corporate donations and matching funds to fund the foundation and our educational efforts in Guatemala.  Grants also play a role in the Foundation, specifically funding special projects such as the new student bathrooms completed in 2008. This grant was provided by Pangea Giving.