How did you come up with the idea for FBB?
Belize was one of the first Peace Corps host countries, opening its doors to volunteers in 1962. Multiple generations have served there as PCV, VSO, CUSO, JVI and other volunteer organizations. When I returned from my Peace Corps service, I was surprised to find that Belize was one of the few countries that didn’t have a formalized group of returned volunteers in the US. In 2004, I contacted the Returned Peace Corps Association to offer to establish an affiliate group for Belize. They put me in touch with another returned volunteer, Kristi Drexler, who had contacted them with a similar desire. We roped in some like-minded friends, all of whom had served in Belize, and pulled together the first steering committee to establish “International Friends of Belize”, which would later become Full Basket Belize (FBB). That was over 15 years ago.
Who was involved from the start?
Other founding members included: Jeffrey Cleveland, Kristi Drexler, Maya Ravindranath, Sarah Reynolds, Sandy Roter, Donna Statler, Maura Varley, and Brenda Link Williams — many of whom remain active with FBB today. The board also keeps rotating in new volunteers to keep the momentum going and fresh ideas circulating. Over the years, other board members (Jo Link and Brandon Kitagawa among them) have been so consistently involved that it feels like they’ve been around since the beginning. There are too many to list off the top of my head, but we’ve been so fortunate to have such dedicated folks involved from the beginning.
When was the first scholarship awarded?
Our first scholarship was awarded fifteen years ago, in the Toledo District of southern Belize. Back then, I assumed that we’d be able to continue providing a few scholarships every year, but I never imagined our scholarship program would expand so successfully, to the current scale of about 40 scholarships per year!
Are you surprised at how it has grown?
I’m surprised how we’ve been able to consistently grow our programs every single year, for 15 years straight, completely through volunteer efforts. This enables every cent to go straight to our programs. FBB is a labor of love for the board members who manage all the necessary aspects of a non-profit organization (programming, fundraising, communications/outreach, financial management, etc.), and that sustained dedication is what makes FBB special. I think our generous donors and supporters recognize that, so our donations have grown consistently each and every year — surpassing any expectations we had back in 2004.
What is your dream for FBB? Or what do you see as future goals for the organization?
If FBB maintained its current scope and scale, I’d be very happy. If FBB were to continue growing and expanding in a manageable way, I’d be elated! As long as FBB continues to provide a conduit for individuals to remain connected and support the efforts of Belizeans who are making a positive difference in their villages and towns, FBB is staying the course on the original vision we established back in 2004.
last updated 3/4/2021