Larken Associates Continues to Aid Ongoing Humanitarian Crisis in Guatemala Following Devastating Hurricanes and COVID-19 Pandemic
Larken Associates, a regional leader in commercial and residential real estate building, development and management, announces a $5,000 donation to From Houses to Homes, a Guatemalan-based grassroots organization providing sustainable housing and access to health care and education to support the organization’s ongoing work to provide relief to struggling Guatemalans. The company’s latest donation follows the mass devastation resulting from Hurricanes Eta and Iota in November which decimated the already crippled Central American country as it struggled to survive the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and resulting economic crisis. Earlier this year, Larken Associates donated an additional $5,000 to provide much needed financial support to the organization amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The storms affected more than five million people — at least 1.5 million of them children — demolishing tens of thousands of homes, obliterating vast amounts of cropland and wiping out infrastructure.
From Houses to Homes’ mission serves to create pathways out of poverty through providing Guatemalans with access to safe housing, education, and health care that are typically impossible to find in the rural areas of the nation. Through its St. Joseph’s Medical Clinic, free medical and dentistry services have provided care to more than 30,000 people who typically would not see a doctor or dentist for their entire lives. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic mandates, St. Joseph’s Medical Clinic was forced to temporarily close its doors for much of the pandemic but has recently reopened. To increase access to education, From Houses to Homes built Escuela Kemna'oj, an elementary school that currently has an enrollment of 175 children ranging in age from Pre-K-12th grade. The school graduated its first student late last year. While Escuela Kemna'oj has temporally halted in-person learning, From Houses to Homes has made accommodations for students to learn from home. As most students lack electricity or computers, teachers photocopy their schoolwork to hand-deliver it to their homes.
Seeing the devastation and suffering the people of Guatemala have endured is heartbreaking. It’s frustrating that we can’t be there in person to help but we needed to find a way to provide support with so many hurting. As 2021 begins, I hope others will join us in supporting transformative organizations like From Houses to Homes as they continue to provide much-needed aid to our global community.
In response to the pandemic and the hurricanes, From Houses to Homes has been helping Guatemalans survive by providing food bags while continuing to build homes and educate children. Donations from organizations such as Larken Associates are critical in ensuring that From Houses to Homes can continue its mission.
The donations continue to cement Larken Associates’ commitment to the organization that began over a decade ago. President and CEO David Gardner has traveled to Guatemala 12 times to assist in the organization’s work to build homes. Last year, Gardner expanded his volunteer efforts with the organization, sending two teams of Larken Associates employees to volunteer in Guatemala to help construct homes. However, the COVID-19 pandemic made it impossible for the company to visit the nation to construct homes this year. In place of their volunteer trip, Larken Associates determined that direct financial contributions were the best way to support the organization in its crucial work.
“We recognize that bolstering and supporting our community cannot be defined solely by what happens in the backyards of our projects,” said David Gardner, President and CEO of Larken Associates. “Seeing the devastation and suffering the people of Guatemala have endured is heartbreaking. It’s frustrating that we can’t be there in person to help but we needed to find a way to provide support with so many hurting. As 2021 begins, I hope others will join us in supporting transformative organizations like From Houses to Homes as they continue to provide much-needed aid to our global community.”
To learn more about From Houses to Homes and how you can make a donation or help, please visit their website at https://www.fromhousestohomes.org/.
About Larken Associates
Larken Associates is a regional leader in commercial and residential real estate building, development and management. Leveraging over 50 years of experience, they are dedicated to bringing great spaces to live and work to life through a long-term ownership strategy and full suite of in-house capabilities. With a diverse commercial portfolio consisting of nearly three million square feet and 800 tenants across office, industrial, retail and mixed-use and approximately 2,000 owned and/or managed residential units across 22 unique communities, Larken Associates is deeply committed to the communities in which they work as well as the tenants and residents who call their buildings home. To learn more about Larken Associates, please visit us at https://www.larkenassociates.com/ and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
