Our Mission

Our mission is to help the Mayan people of northwest Guatemala improve the quality of their lives through programs in health, education and related infrastructure.

Our Vision

The vision of Casa Colibrí is to:

Make medical and dental care available and accessible where none existed previously.
Decrease the rates of maternal and infant mortality.
Ensure that all families understand the need for, and routinely use, filtered water.
Have every child stay in school, read at least at an 8th grade level, and have a vision for their future.
Encourage entrepreneurial activity by providing the knowledge and financing options needed to initiate and support small businesses.
Continuously improve and enhance our programs.

Who Supports Us

Casa Colibrí supports its programs with funds provided by grant-making organizations and generous individual donors. All donated funds are used specifically to purchase medication, supplies and equipment needed to support programs or to pay the salaries of our three Guatemalan employees (clinic nurse, clinic caretaker and executive director.) All members of the Casa Colibrí board of directors are volunteers. All volunteers pay their own expenses to attend meetings or to travel to Guatemala to assist with programs. No funds are used for fundraising efforts or other administrative functions.

For More On What We Do, See Our Video:

Casa Colibri Staff

Juan Francisco Fernandez

Executive Director

Francisco Fernández is a motivated and capable leader. He was born in Guatemala, but when the civil war broke out, his parents sent him to live with relatives in Canada for safety reasons. Living abroad, Francisco learned to speak English and French fluently, which has shaped his life considerably. He later returned to Guatemala and resumed his studies, earning a degree in Tourism in 2001. He earned a second degree in Business Administration, graduating from the University of Galileo in 2003. While working as a travel guide throughout Guatemala and Central America, Francisco learned about the struggles of the Mayan people firsthand as he traversed the Guatemalan landscape. His seamless translating skills led to other employment opportunities, and he began to work in the non-profit sector. Francisco became involved at the hands-on level building the clinic in Nuevo Edén, and through this experience was inspired to make Casa Colibrí his life’s work. He is a loving husband and father of three delightful daughters.

Email: jfernandez@casacolibri.org

Mateo Nicolás

Clinic Nurse Practitioner

Mateo Nicolás is a professional nurse staffing the clinic full time. He graduated from the nursing school at the University of San Carlos in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala in November, 2015. Prior to attending nursing school, Mateo was a teacher in the village of San Angel. Since there was no village health promoter in the village, and since the villagers looked to him when health questions and medical emergencies arose, Mateo took the initiative to participate in health promoter training at Casa Colibri. His desire to learn and ability to quickly grasp health care concepts and techniques were readily apparent. We developed a plan with him to attend nursing school in preparation for staffing the clinic. Mateo’s nursing education and skills as a teacher make him uniquely qualified to provide health care and health education to the villagers in the area surrounding the Casa Colibri clinic. Mateo has been an invaluable asset to Casa Colibri. His credentials as a professional nurse, and the ability of the clinic to be staffed full time, will exponentially expand his impact on the community. Mateo is an indigenous Maya and speaks Q’anjob’al, Chuj, and Spanish.

Pablo Salvador

Caretaker

Palbo is a hard-working member of the Casa Colibrí team. He lives in the village of Nuevo Edén and is responsible for the security, cleaning, and maintenance of the clinic. He does an excellent job keeping the place spotless and in good repair. When visiting teams come to the clinic for medical mission trips, the floors are always gleaming white and the facility is in tip-top shape to start work immediately. A self-starter, Pablo asked if he could participate in a village health promoter training to learn more about community health issues. He was an excellent student and has already applied much of what he learned at the seminar to his everyday life. Thanks to Pablo, when mission teams arrive at the clinic, it is like “coming home.”

U.S. Directors

Jay Eastman

President

Jay Eastman, M.D. has practiced pediatric medicine for over 40 years. His office is in Birmingham, Michigan. He first became interested in international pediatrics when Trinity Health asked him to participate in a medical mission trip to Brazil. Since then, he has done medical mission work in the Marshall Islands, India, and Guatemala. He is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on International Child Health and is a devoted advocate for children’s health and well-being all over the globe. Jay is Physician Champion for Reach Out and Read-Michigan and is committed to seeing that children grow up with books and a love of reading. He is also a Past President and active member of the Rotary club of Rochester, Michigan. Dr. Eastman was honored with William Beaumont Hospital’s Outstanding Physician and Humanitarian Award. Jay is married to Linda, and they have four children and five grandchildren.
Contact Info
Phone: (248) 651-9638
Email: eastmanj@comcast.net

Jeannine Moreland

Director at Large

Jeannine is blessed with many talents, and she uses all of them in her work with Casa Colibrí. She received her nursing degree from the University of Michigan, where she later earned an MBA. Jeannine was an executive for a large pharmaceutical company for many years, retiring in 2011. Her many gifts include writing, organizational management, and the astute ability to assess a situation quickly and make improvements immediately. Jeannine was eager to interact directly with the Mayan people served by Casa Colibrí and made her first trip to Guatemala in January, 2015. We are grateful to have her on board!

Contact Info
Email: jeannine.moreland@gmail.com

Dr. Joe Naughton

Director at Large

Dr. Joe Naughton is a family practice physician by training. He served as the Director of Medical Education at Henry Ford Hospital-Macomb in Clinton Township, Michigan for ten years. Joe recently returned to private practice, feeling drawn back to his calling as a healer. Dr. Naughton has made numerous trips to Guatemala in the past 11+ years, treating hundreds of men, women, and children with acute health problems. He also serves as doctor for our team members. Joe has a wonderful sense of humor and an enormous heart. We count on him to lift our spirits after long hours and challenging cases. Joe makes friends wherever he goes. “Doctor José” is quite beloved among the patients at the Casa Colibrí clinic. We are grateful for his dedication.

Linda Eastman

Treasurer

Linda Eastman is a native Michigander, having lived in the Detroit area all her life. She and husband Jay have four grown children and five beloved grandchildren. Linda’s educational background is in Latin American Studies. A former primary school Spanish teacher, she became interested in Guatemala when her husband was invited to serve as medical director of a Rotary medical mission team. He recruited her to interpret for the group, and she has never looked back. She later joined the Rotary Club of Rochester, Michigan and serves as Literacy Committee Chair at present. What impressed her most about Guatemala was the tenacity of the Mayan people. They have endured for centuries, clinging steadfastly to their culture and traditions, and Linda admires them deeply for their perseverance. Her vision for Casa Colibrí is to establish a full-time medical presence at the clinic. She is also determined to get books into the hands of children through the Reach Out and Read program.
Contact Info
Phone: 248 651-9638
Email: McGindy@aol.com

Gerald (Gerry) Jackson

Director at Large

Gerry is a full-time professional engineering consultant and manages his own company, GJ Engineering LLC. He has earned both MS and BS degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Iowa. He holds professional engineering licenses in 9 states. Gerry is a former U.S. Army officer and also a former district governor of Rotary International District 6380 in southeastern Michigan, USA and southwestern Ontario, Canada and is currently president-elect of the International Fellowship of Motorcycling Rotarians in North America. Gerry was primarily responsible to design and implement the internet based remote medicine capability at our clinic in remote Guatemala and performs multiple functions while working in our various missions in the clinic. Gerry’s wife, Debbie, is a conservation specialist with the University of Kansas’ Monarch Watch program and works on preservation of the monarch butterfly. Gerry and Debbie have 3 children and 4 grandchildren. They enjoy travelling motorcycling, gardening and playing with their grandchildren.

Esther Duncan

Director at Large

Esther is a registered nurse from Naples, Florida. She spent her entire career working in Labor and Delivery, and she is deeply committed to women’s health. Esther has served in many capacities with Casa Colibrí. She is an outstanding educator and uses those teaching skills when participating in our Midwife Trainings. She also gives prenatal care and assessment to the pregnant women who come to the clinic during the medical mission trips. Esther’s many years of experience with birthing mothers gives her a unique perspective on childbirth and post-partum care. Her insight is extremely helpful when the Board of Directors makes policy decisions. Esther cherishes her role as mother of four and grandmother of three.

Dianne McKinnon

Dianne brings her vast knowledge of QuickBooks to Casa Colibrí. She serves as Assistant Treasurer, keeping meticulous records of expenditures, database management, and tax information. Dianne’s experience managing a busy pediatric practice makes her well qualified to serve on the Board of a non-profit humanitarian organization. We are very fortunate that she is willing to share her talents in this way. Dianne embraces challenge. She has lots of practice, having raised four outstanding and capable sons!

Dr. Debra Hibbeln

Director at Large

Debi is a dentist with a successful general practice in Rochester, Michigan. Always professional, she quickly establishes a rapport with adults and children alike because of her delightful sense of humor. Dr. Hibbeln completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Michigan and graduated from the University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry in 1993. She attended a residency in advanced dentistry at the Ohio State University Hospital. Debi loves to travel with her husband and two sons and has been to some of the most amazing places in the world. Besides alleviating pain for hundreds of indigenous Mayan patients who wait in a long line to see her, Debi is an intrepid driver who likes to maneuver a 4 × 4 high-clearance pickup truck over the rocky, muddy Guatemalan terrain.

Dave Snyder

Dave is a former Peace Corp volunteer who worked in Guatemala right out of college. He earned an MBA from Harvard and enjoyed a successful career as a businessman, and later the CEO of his own company. Dave has worked in several Latin American countries. He makes his home in Miami, Florida and serves as a Spanish translator on mission trips. His keen insight and business acumen make him an invaluable member of our team. Dave and his wife, Sally, enjoy sailing on Biscayne Bay when they are not playing with their grandkids!

Gabrielle D'Angelo

Elle is an enthusiastic, energetic young woman with fresh ideas and a can-do spirit. She is dedicated to making the world a better place by generously offering her talents to Casa Colibrí. In addition to serving as a Spanish translator on our mission teams, Elle is our website administrator and media coordinator. With a special focus on women’s issues, she earned her Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Michigan. When Elle is not traveling to various points on the globe, she makes her home in Detroit, Michigan.

Judith Venuti

Judith Venuti, Ph.D., is a Professor of anatomical sciences and former chair of the Department of Foundational Medical Studies at the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine in Rochester Michigan. She has taught human anatomy and embryology to medical students, nursing and physical therapy students for over 25 years. During her academic career she has been engaged in cell, developmental and molecular biology research using a number of different animal models, including the mouse, chick and sea urchin. She is currently involved in creating animations of human development with the goal of illustrating difficult embryological processes by showing changes in embryo form over time.

Lilianna Hibbeln

Lilianna is a Chicago-based regulatory professional in the medical device manufacturing industry, specializing in international affairs with particular focus in Latin American countries. As a Spanish-speaker and graduate of the University of Michigan with degrees in English and Creative Writing, Lilianna brings a background in cross-culture communication, project- and program-management and administration, and generational perspective to the Casa Colibrí team.

Guatemalan Directors

Jay Eastman

President

Jay Eastman, M.D. has practiced pediatric medicine for over 40 years. His office is in Birmingham, Michigan. He first became interested in international pediatrics when Trinity Health asked him to participate in a medical mission trip to Brazil. Since then, he has done medical mission work in the Marshall Islands, India, and Guatemala. He is a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on International Child Health and is a devoted advocate for children’s health and well-being all over the globe. Jay is Physician Champion for Reach Out and Read-Michigan and is committed to seeing that children grow up with books and a love of reading. He is also a Past President and active member of the Rotary club of Rochester, Michigan. Dr. Eastman was honored with William Beaumont Hospital’s Outstanding Physician and Humanitarian Award. Jay is married to Linda, and they have four children and five grandchildren.
Contact Info
Phone: (248) 651-9638
Email: eastmanj@comcast.net