Guy Bevil Leadership Fund

A permanently restricted fund has been established in memory of Guy Bevil by the Foundation for Amigos de las Américas to support “Bevil Grants.” Donations will be invested and permanently restricted in order to preserve the corpus and intent of the Guy Bevil Leadership Fund donations and to enable it to be a sustainable and growing legacy.

Annually, the Foundation will award up to 5% of the revenue gained from the Fund’s investments. The annual awards will fund community-focused projects in Latin America which are collaboratively designed and conducted by AMIGOS Volunteers and host communities. The grant awards will acknowledge Guy Bevil’s belief that through the ingenuity of youth and multi-cultural collaboration, lasting health and community improvements can be made.

Please make checks payable to the "Foundation for Amigos de las Américas" with "Guy Bevil Leadership Fund" in the memo line.  Mail to:
Foundation for Amigos de las Américas
5618 Star Lane
Houston, TX 77057. 

You may also make donations online using the Foundation Gift form and type "Guy Bevil" in the "Donation in memory of" field.

In Memory of Guy Bevil

Guy Bevil, visionary, founder and first Executive Director of AMIGOS, died October 10, 2006, in Little Rock, Arkansas at the age of 71.

For those who had the wonderful opportunity to personally meet Guy or to hear him speak, you know how his caring spirit and strong belief in youth leadership inspired us. And while decades of AMIGOS Volunteers did not have the privilege of meeting him, Guy’s spirit lives on today in the hearts and lives of the thousands touched by AMIGOS’ mission and programs year after year.

In 1960, at age 25, Guy traveled to rural Honduras and was profoundly moved by the poverty he saw. After hearing a mayor in a small town comment, “Even God has forgotten that we are here,” Guy resolved to return one day to show the community that they were not forgotten by the world or by God.

A few years later as youth minister at River Oaks Baptist Church in Houston, Guy conceived the idea of an interdenominational service project in which teenagers volunteer their summer to address health care needs of rural Honduras. He secured the Honduran government’s endorsement and the support of many Houston-area churches, business leaders, and medical professionals.

As a result of his efforts, 277 volunteers received rigorous training and spent the summer of 1965 in rural Honduras. More than 571,000 people received immunizations against polio, smallpox and other diseases.

In 1965, Guy received the “Order of the Lempira” award from the Honduras government, Honduras’ highest civilian honor and the first time it was bestowed upon a North American.

From the beginning, Guy firmly believed that teenagers could be entrusted with great responsibility. He instinctively knew the experience would be transformational and that rural Latin American communities would open their hearts to young people.