Decatur group aids HonduransBYLINE: SHELIA M. POOLE
Staff
DATE: February 18, 2004
PUBLICATION: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The (GA)
EDITION: Home; The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
SECTION: Atlanta & the World
PAGE: F2
A decade ago, it would have taken wild horses to drag Atlanta businessman Bob Hope to the remote Agalta Valley in Honduras.
No running water. No electricity. No paved roads.
Today, the president of Hope-Beckham Inc., a public relations and event marketing firm, is preparing for his seventh trip to the Central American country, where he will join other volunteers of Decatur-based Honduras Outreach Inc.
The nonprofit Christian-based organization was formed to work side-by-side with Agalta Valley residents on community projects such as building schools, medical clinics and even latrines.
This weekend, Hope is set to lead a team of business people, many of whom he knew as former vice president of the Atlanta Braves and senior officer of Burson-Marsteller in New York. They are using their acumen -- and sometimes dollars -- to help Hondurans.
"It's hard not to be touched by these people," Hope said. "They have nothing, but their needs are modest. There is no access to education. No access to health care. There's not even a cash economy to speak of."
The Agalta Valley, home to about 25,000 residents, lies in Olancho province. It's among one of the least developed areas of the country.
Over the years, Hope has enlisted the aid of attorneys, technology experts, medical professionals, real estate developers and entrepreneurs in the effort.
The group has looked at ways to develop commerce in the area -- including what they hope will be a successful coffee co-op -- and fund medical clinics, schools, a library system and agribusiness.
One of the most ambitious projects to date is the establishment of a micro-lending program to help home and village-based businesses. Loans can start as small as $50, Hope-Beckham Chairman Paul Beckham says. A loan as small as that could help entrepreneurs increase inventory, which would in turn boost sales and raise their standard of living.
The staging area for the community projects and religious missions is a 1,600-acre ranch -- called Rancho el Paraiso -- owned by Honduras Outreach.
One early supporter of the mission was Jerry Eickhoff, chief executive of Enterpulse Inc., a Decatur-based Internet portal technology company and one of the board members of Honduran Outreach.
Eickhoff said Archie Crenshaw, a retired real estate developer who has been involved in the project since the beginning, invited him to visit the ranch. Upon his return, Eickhoff brought the project to the attention of members of his church, who quickly adopted it as a project.
He said the Honduran government conducted a survey last year that cited the Agalta Valley as having the greatest improvement in the quality of life in the impoverished nation.
But the rewards flow both ways.
Hope said his perspective on life has been changed forever.
"These people have nothing, but they're not poor," he said. "There's a sense of balance and understanding about what it's like to be a human being."
