Intro

 📍 Welcome to The Corvus Effect, where we take you behind the scenes to explore integrated self leadership and help ambitious family men build lasting legacies for themselves, their tribe, and their community. I'm Scott Raven, and together we'll discover how successful leaders master a delicate balance of career advancement, personal health, financial growth, and meaningful relationships. Get ready to soar.

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Meet Peter Schaller: Community Development Specialist

And hello everyone. Welcome to this episode of The Corvus Effect. I am Scott. Today I'm honored to be joined by Peter Shaler, a community development specialist who is dedicated his life to breaking cycles of poverty in Nicaragua.  As executive director of Rayo Del Soul, Peter leads transformative initiatives that empower children, strengthen families, and revitalize entire communities from educational programs to sustainable farming. His holistic approach shows how authentic leadership can create lasting change, and he continues this with his academic background in community organization. Public administration as well as his current doctoral work in environmental conservation and restoration.

So, brilliant man. A lot to get into. Peter, welcome to the podcast, man.

Good morning, Scott. Thank you. Thank you. It's great to be here. This opportunity to.

Absolutely, absolutely. And your path. Is not a very common path. It's not like somebody wakes up one day and says, you know what? I wanna get into international development work. So let's just start there.

Peter's Early Influences and Path to Nicaragua

In terms of the early influences that have led you to this path.

Yeah, certainly. Um, I, I grew up in Connecticut and it was never encouraged in my family, really. Um, I think that one of the best decisions that I made was not going straight into college. Uh, so I was out working and trying to my best to stay outta trouble for a few years before I actually moved to Virginia.

And lived with my uncle who was involved in nonprofits and had worked quite a bit in Mexico and Central America and was bilingual. So that inspired me to go back and to get a, an undergrad degree.  And uh, when I was finishing that, I had a minor in Spanish and I went to Virginia Commonwealth University.

They did not have international development programs at that time. I think that's, that's a fairly recent academic field.  But they did allow students to apply to what they call the non-traditional studies program where you could design your own major, which is what I ended up doing. That's probably what kept me in school for four years to a degree.  And then

But I, I mean, that must be really interesting from the standpoint that you're at university and then you're coming home and saying, yeah, I designed my own major because they didn't have it. that must've been an interesting experience and conversation.

Yeah, it was, there were a lot of areas that, that were interesting. A lot of courses, um, you know, like social work courses  and environmental.  Uh, had a minor in Spanish, but none of them really responded to what I felt like, you know, was my calling. So I was really fortunate that at the university they allowed for, for, for those independent study programs.

Mm-hmm. And when you're talking about, you know, this decision at such a relatively young adult age, right?  I, I'm fascinated in terms of  what was the magnet that said, you know what? I am going to bet the farm for lack of better term on this because I know this is what I should be doing.

Yeah I realized that there were a lot of problems in the world that were not being adequately addressed. Um, before deciding on Central America, I worked with, uh, homeless folks in  the us there, there was then, and there still is a great need.  Um, but when first went to Latin America, I discovered that the need was so extensive.

So, so,  um.  A lifetime of work to be done. So that's, that's when I decided to make that, that commitment. 

 Wow.  Why Nicaragua specifically? There's a lot of areas of the world as you spoke about there. This is greatly needed. Why Nicaragua?

Well,

First Impressions and Settling in Nicaragua

I didn't initially choose Nicaragua. I was looking at different options, um, in Latin America when I was finishing up my undergrad, I. I had a minor in Spanish and, and really wanted a work experience, but didn't wanna just be a tourist or, you know, a backpacker. So,  uh, I, I, I actually found a, a small book that was published at the University of Wisconsin called Alternatives to the Peace Corps, and it was a listing of different organizations that hosted volunteers and provided, you know, the, the kind of work opportunity I was looking for.

And  Nicaragua just kind of rose to the.  Once I was there, you know, I had a chance to travel around Central America and, you know, get to know a little bit more. But then I realized that Nicaragua was definitely the country with the greatest needs in the region.

So beyond having the greatest need in the region  what was it that  made it feel like. This is gonna be home, for lack of better term, because you could be in a place with a lot of need, but it still feel not quite right, uncomfortable, et cetera. There was something where you said, beyond the level of need, this is what I experienced.

That was a complete surprise to me.

That's true. In fact, I, I remember distinctly arriving at the airport in Manawa for the first time and having a strange sensation of coming home.  Even the, the smells and the sounds, everything seemed strangely familiar, even though I'd never been there before. You know, prior to that, I'd only, I've been to Europe a couple times, but not to, you know, a developing country more so than that.

You know, my first experience as a volunteer, I was placed with a family in a, in a rural community, in a fairly remote area, and, you know, lived with them for three months, you know, ate what they ate and slept where they slept.  And the, the, not just the family, but the community was so inviting and so accepting.

Um, I, I think having grown up in the northeast, you know, where,  uh, how can I say this tactfully  bit colder

We, we, we keep it real on this podcast. Say it however you

Yeah, family, family and community I think have, um, somehow lost importance in certain parts of the United States. And I felt that, you know, growing up that I was in a community that that wasn't exactly the type of community that I wanted to, to live in.

And I did find that, and in Nicarag I found that, you know, just people were connected and people were supportive of one another. Everybody knew one another. People were, you know, outside and always, you know, doing something as a family, as a community. And that's what I think was missing. So, and, and on a very, um, personal level, it kind of filled also a void that I think I had at that

stage of my

fantastic.  You know, I gotta imagine that the, like everything in life, something which is completely refreshing and new seems brilliant at first, and then in short order, the challenges arise in terms of.

Challenges in International Development Work

What you truly have signed up for, and I'm curious, some of those early challenges that you had to face in your journey that very, well, could have derailed you from Rail Del so ever existing.

Uh, there are constant challenges. Um.  You know, and Nicaragua as, as is true in most of Latin America, there are structural challenges, you know, in, in social, economic, political systems that make it very difficult sometimes to get work done. Uh, there are a lot of barriers, a lot of bureaucratic barriers.

there are a lot of limitations in terms of resources being available and that can be frustrating, but when. I always go back to, something that Mother Teresa said when she was asked, you know, how in the world she was able to serve so many people and her response was so simple that she said, I just love the person in front of me.

And when you can

So

the person in front of you and then see a change in the person, uh, or you know, people that you're serving and see a, significant life transformation.  Those other larger problems become less important because, you know, we can't, you know, today there are a lot of things in the world that I would love to be able to solve sitting at this desk right now.

Um, but, you know, I have limitations. However, if I go out and, and meet somebody, meet somebody living on the street or somebody who doesn't have enough to eat, there is a direct action that, each of us can take that has a significant impact.

Yes.

I was just talking with some friends about this.

There's the, um, parable of the starfish. You know this, there's this young boy walking on the beach and there are these thousands of starfish watched up that are drying and dying in the sun and starts to pick them up and throw them back into the ocean. And somebody comes up and says, well, what are you doing?

You're crazy. I mean, you can never make an impact. Look how many starfish are on here. And he says, well, he picks one up and throws in the water. I says, well, it made a difference to that one.  And that's, that's what we focus on every day.

Yeah, absolutely. And it's such a great metaphor in terms of just because there's a million things to be done, that doesn't mean that the one action doesn't have a value.

The Formation of Rayo Del Sol

And for you, I think one of the major. Points of action was the formation of Rayo Desal in 2006, and I'd love for you to go into the origin story and evolution of that with the audience, because now we're talking about the vehicle, which is crystallizing your drive for your professional mission and personal values.

Yes. So I was, working at a much larger organization at that point and got sort of a random email  from some people that I did not know in Atlanta. they had been going to the same church together and felt, you know, a need to,  put their faith into action. So they had established a, a nonprofit, a 5 0 1 in the state of Georgia, but really didn't know what to do with reached.

A lot of different organizations in a lot of countries,  they were looking for something that was a relatively, you know, feasible travel, um, you know, venture from Atlanta. So, there was at that point a direct flight from Atlanta to the Manawa. 

Right.

according to our, organizational lore, I was the only one that responded to them  incredibly.

I still can't believe that today that, people did not follow up on that lead. So we got conversations and we started to, you know, explore options and started out, with Riley Soul, which was already legally established in the United States, collaborating with the organization I was working for.

And in 2013,  after doing that for a few years, uh, we decided that it was time to go solo. So um, we'd already legally established the organization in Nicaragua, but in thousand 13, uh, we really just. Dedicated full-time to it, um, in terms of developing programs and, you know, fundraising and, and everything that it requires to build an organization.

So we built it up, you know, basically from Zero and have really tried to build a unique organization.  I've had the opportunity to work with a lot of nonprofits over the years. That's pretty much all I've ever done in my adult life is work with nonprofits and, um, seen a lot of things done well and a lot of things not done so well.

So. We built an organization that's really focused on, you know, first and foremost stewardship of the resources that we have. So our, our impact per dollar, I think is significantly better than, than not every, but a lot of organizations. Um, we have very efficient use of our resources and we also really focused on, you know, the core values and, um, the mission of the organization and relations and the people that we're serving, which sometimes in larger organizations, as you grow, can be sort of lost in the shuffle.

You get so tied up with, with money and fundraising and granting, writing and reporting, that all of a sudden the people you're serving kind of take a, you know, a backseat to, to what you're doing. Organization on a.

Yeah. Yeah. It's so important in order to keep the mission, the mission, and putting it first, uh, being able to really say, look, this is about the impact we're leaving, not.  Us as individuals. And you know, if I were to summarize for the audience some of the key program areas that you guys have spiritual growth.

Educational quality, community health, youth in action, community development. I'm curious, as you were evolving Delsol, I got it right this time because my Spanish is broken. I,

that's

and you said that it wasn't really until seven years after the formation that. The treadmill really took off. Was that around the time that you guys aligned on those five key areas and said, look, we wanna create as much impact as possible,  but for us to have the most impact per effort, we're gonna have to be selective.

Well that, that,

Expanding Rayo Del Sol's Impact

that's actually been, um,  a process over the years. when we started out, we started out with something very small and we were really focused on primary education and nutrition.  It was, um, sort of the easiest, that was the lowest hanging fruit at the moment. There were, you know, since schools that we were serving that had dire need, you know, for infrastructure improvements and materials.

nutrition for the students. So we started there and then,  and we've used that model as we've gone along. So once you get a foot in, into a community through the school, which is a neutral, neutral space, where, you know, all of a sudden the divisions and politics and religion don't really matter as much to people, then we get to know the other challenges that families are facing.

Started.  Education and in school nutrition. And then we added on health and then we added on a scholarship program, the youth program, because we realized that kids were only making it through elementary school at best, and then not continuing to high school. So then we, we focused on keeping kids in school.

And then the last part has been economic development, uh, which is our community development program where we focus on finding ways that families can generate more income. We  we're a non-denominational faith-based organization. So the spiritual component has always been part of our organization.

Although, uh, we don't, we don't plant churches. We're not trying to convert anybody. None of our services are contingent on, on anything except being human. So when we set the table, everybody's welcome. We just use, you know, um, our faith as the kind of motivating factor for what we do. But, um, you know, in a very inclusive way that, that nobody's excluded.

So that's, that's a sort of, mm.

Yeah. Would you consider yourselves as poster children? For the phrase, think big, but start small. I mean, you guys have impact and success stories. If I'm reading this correctly, from 41 different communities in the area and that you truly have developed those. Authentic partnerships. Like you said, you've gotten past the typical barriers like politics and religion, and just the compounding effect of putting your efforts into the right place with the right intentions.

Absolutely. Um,  and this is something I.  I see you know, these, these growing needs. And especially now with the situation in Nicaragua where the needs are, are, are growing every day.  and so we started with something very small. We started working in one school with an enrollment of 400 students and then, you know, almost every year we have expanded our, our coverage to add on more communities, more schools, you know, more people.

I know that can be sometimes very taxing to our staff. I'm aware of that. That's probably, where my North American mentality kicks in of, you know, wanting to do, you know, bigger, stronger, faster. I mean, that we're sort of programmed that way. I've brought, at this point, I think I'm about half and half, you know, my life, half in the US and half out.

But, you know, those are my formative year. So, I think I'm always thinking in terms of what more can we do? How can we add on other programs? How can we reach more communities

Right. Well, well, even in North America that not every, uh, region of North America is the same. You will new as well. I do. northeast versus down south in Atlanta has completely different vibe. Completely different. This is how I'm gonna leave my impact. I.

That's true. I mean, in the Northeast everybody's just going and pushing and running every day. So that's, although I, you know, in the end, I don't think it's such a bad thing because it challenges us then to find the resources. To be able to do it. So, you know, right now there are other programs.

For example, one issue we haven't been able to address is housing.  Uh, there's a significant need for housing and I know that, before too long we need to find money to build houses.

Mm. Yes. Yes. And, we'll come back to that. Towards the close because I do want people listening to the podcast to not only know where y'all are headed, but how they can be a part of the movement and helping and housing for sure definitely strikes that cord. And I would probably imagine that part of where that. Thought processes in terms of what we can do next. How can we expand, how can we compound on our efforts? Comes as a direct result of, you have a very diverse set of voices in this  movement that create a very multicultural team. Which can both be a help and a hindrance at the same time, and I'd love for you to help us understand how that environment has helped you grow and thrive as an impactful leader.

Building Local Leadership and Empowering Women

Yeah, it's, been really critical, for our organization to have success, first and foremost to build up local leadership. So I'm only non Nicaraguan. Born, member of our staff. We only have one person that works for us in the US and in Nicaragua. Every, everybody else is local staff. So, and the majority of our staff are women. 

 not because of any other reason, except they've, they've been the most qualified candidates and especially for this kind of social services that we provide. I think women have a lot more natural abilities for the, the kind of compassionate services that we provide. So we.  70% of our staff are women, and the  leadership roles are both women as

well 

Wow. Wow. That, that, that's, that's phenomenal. It just goes to show that you know, right person on the right seat, on the right bus, doesn't matter what you look like, right. That, you know you get the job done if that's in place,

Yeah. Yeah. So I know, I don't want delve into DI because I know that's a very controversial topic right now. People have opinion on  steer.

Yep. Yep.

But you know, we, we do hire the most qualified people and, it is a great thing to be able to give women the opportunity to be in leadership roles. cause a lot of times, you know, a lot of organizations will not, uh, provide that foundation, you know, for women to grow in those roles.

And, you know, Nicaraguan women are, are very strong. It's a culture, culture that has always valued, I think, women's contribution,

you know, to to politics, to social movements, to economic, you know, economically, they, they bear the burden of the local economy. We work with a lot of, families that are run by single moms and they have extreme, strength and resilience  to overcome so many challenges.

So that's been A real pillar for our organization, not just to grow, but to, to really have our roots deep in the communities because women,  I think have, a natural ability to relate to other people, especially to other women. And that's, that's critical.

Cultural Differences and Organizational Growth

I could imagine that, but I can also imagine that  some  of the elements which make a organization of multiple people run efficiently, such as I.  Decision making such as trust, such as communication, that that did not come easy at first, given the differences from just the way that everybody grew up.

Yeah. Um, there is that openness to, continual learning, right?

Hmm.

Living in two different cultures, requires that, that kind of openness to  understanding, taking the value from things that we learned growing up, and then also being open to different ways of doing things. A a lot of people, for example, from the states and from Europe, that move to Latin America become quickly frustrated with the sort of, you know, the lack of punctuality and lack of.

Right.

Nothing really ever happens when it's supposed to or how it's supposed to. And you sort with that. So, um, you know, obviously there's value in punctuality. I respect.  Those are things that we can bring to the table, but we also have to be open to the fact, well, maybe it's really, it's not critical and nobody's gonna drop dead after meeting, doesn't start at eight, you know, and if somebody's dropping off their kids at school and they get there 15 minutes late, I mean, it's not the end of the world.

so a little bit of flexibility and, and being able to, pull from, from both worlds, so to speak. And, it increases our. Our understanding of different cultures and different people. And the more we understand one another, the the closer we become. And I think at this point in the world, that's what we really need is for people to be able to understand one another.

Addressing Immigration and Poverty

You know, that's a great segue into some of the misconceptions that others outside looking in may have on international development work. you hear about this all the time from all these different sources in terms of, we need your help. We need your help. We need your help. I do think that there is a segment of the population, which, for lack of better word would say quit asking, but perhaps it's just that they're not aware.

To your point, how true change takes time and can't be faked. It's gotta be authentically built.

That's absolutely true. so  there are a.

 And again, these are politic issues, but.

Mm-hmm.

It's, it's an undeniable fact that conditions in Nicaragua and Central America and Latin America in general today, are directly related to, the history of US foreign policy in the region. So there's,  we could argue that you know about what the impact has been, but I mean, if you read through history, I mean, it's, it's factual, you know, not, not a partisan issue.

So a lot of the conditions of poverty and the lack of resources and stability, you know, have to do with direct US intervention. So to a certain extent. We have a responsibility. You know, I I know a lot of people prefer to support organizations locally,  but uh, you know, I think as a country and as a culture, we have a certain responsibility to, try and fix, you know, some of the wrongs that have been done  and especially today.

Um, I was just talking with some friends earlier this morning, you know, this is another political issue, which it's complicated no matter what side of the on, but immigration is a difficult issue for everyone.  the reason that. people decide to make that. Drastic decision of, you know, leaving their country, leaving their home, their family to try and get to the United States is out of desperation and lack of opportunities and income.

So a lot of what we do is also try to provide families with opportunities and with income so they don't feel obligated to leave the country. So, you know, indirectly we're contributing to, you know, hopefully make some small improvement and a critical issue that affects, you know, a lots of.  United States and Canada are affected right now by the immigration crisis.

You know, there's, there's no easy fix, there's no silver bullet for immigration.  I hope at some point that, you know, politicians are able to, really work on bipartisan solution because it really take, does take input from all different angles to come up with a solution. In the meantime, we feel like, the more that we can do to strengthen families and build communities and create opportunities, the less likely it is that people.

Feel,  you know, the desperation to leave. So it is an issue that actually affects all of us in one way or another. so acting locally is great, but I think acting internationally also has, ripple effect that creates wellbeing for people in all different countries.

right. And like you said, we're not gonna delve into the politics here. we are non-political and non-religious in terms of this podcast, but we do want to recognize that. There are a tremendous amount of mouths to feed all over the place and that the folks who are trying to do their part, like you said, the one starfish on the beach of a million, right?

That one starfish is still very important, and that one starfish has some immediate needs. That go along with the long term objectives of the movement, which I could assume that you as the executive director of Rile De Soul, that you're having to balance those asks and direction every single day In terms of where can you be most impactful, both in the short term and the long term.

 Yes. contributing to people's, basic wellbeing and quality of life I, is just essential,  you know, no matter where they are. I mean, that's, that's the way that we sort of look at it, you know? there are a lot of places that we could choose to work. We just happen to end up in this one small corner of the world where people.

Suffer from, you know, conditions of scarcity, from lack of food, lack of access to education, lack of basic healthcare. when we can contribute through our services, you know, some, some small contribution to making their lives better. I think we all, we all benefit from it. the commitment can come from a lot of different places.

People have personal commitments spiritual commitment or political commitment. What, whatever it might be. The, the root of it doesn't really matter, but I think if we all focused on, you know, in some way making other people's lives better, then, then we all benefit from it. You know,  there's no doubt about that.

Making a better world is, is a good thing for everybody. From, from the wealthiest people in the world to the poorest.

The Outlier Project Partnership

Yeah, and you know, you and I we're both part of a, broader networking group, the outlier project. I know that you're partner with them every year in terms of onsite work, which is done during the winter time. And I'd love for you as best you can to describe.  How that event makes people feel, makes people so enriched by being in the presence of this is what it's all about at the end of the day, and how even the smallest change can be so impactful.

Oh my gosh. God, that's a great question.  Trips we've done, outlier community, have been phenomenal.  Volunteer groups and mission groups for, for many, many years. And the only time I ever felt nervous was when we were waiting for the first outlier group to come last February in 2024,  simply because, I mean, I know they're  very smart, accomplished people, you know, critical thinkers, and I knew that  our operations and our organizations scrutinized.

Such amazing professional and personal capabilities looking at our work that it was really important, you know, to me, to shine. So I was nervous before that first visit.  And the response that we got from the folks that visited,  was just amazing. I mean, it, it was for me and for our organization, it was such a vote of confidence.

everyone on the trip was, you know, emotionally highly affected by, you know, the conditions that they saw.  I think by the response that they saw us being able to formulate, you know, to the great conditions of adversity that, of the families that we were serving. And the second trip I was a little bit less nervous 'cause I already knew it would be.

Right, right. Right.

But, but the same, I mean, we had, you know, some, some people, and not just that it matters, you know, their position or their title or how many letters are after their name, but just knowing that, You don't get to those levels of professional accomplishment unless you're an extremely capable and extremely intelligent person.

So, you know, the second trip was, was equally as important and we really wanted to make a positive impact, and that that does have, you know, a multiplying effect because then all of a sudden we have people, you know, with large networks of personal and professional contacts that are, you know, posting about the trip and, and sharing photographs and videos and, you know, sharing their experiences.

And that really helps us to, to build out, our community of supporters. And, you know, that proof of that is that we just, this past Saturday did our first fundraising event in New York City, which, for us is kind of like going from the little league field to, you know, the Yankee Stadium. it felt like, you know, it was kind of the big times for us because, you know, well that's, we do events in Atlanta, but seemed like, you know, New York City has kind of. A mystical appeal to it and you know, there were a lot of very influential people there. So it, because these connections out.

I'll let the Yankee thing slide as I'm a, uh, diehard Red Sox fan, so I'm not gonna talk about torpedo bats and, the leg. But, uh, I know, the event that you are speaking of, chasing forehand who, is another phenomenal person, uh, I'm so glad that you guys have partnered together on that to bring what you do that's good together between your organizations to New York City for.

Locally to, see and hear. So that is a phenomenal experience. we're getting close to the close of this episode and so typically I do a tip of the cap to Randy PA's the last lecture, and his book closed with his last head fake of this was written for my kids, so I'm gonna. Play off of it a little bit.

Let's say that you're here in the Atlanta area, Peter, and that you're being invited to speak to either my son or daughter's school. They're both middle school age and you wanted to talk to them in terms of how your commitment to a career.  Community transformation and social justice has really driven sustainable impact and authentic leadership. They have now heard your story and they've heard what you've done.  What do you want them to take away as they leave that auditorium?

The Importance of Ethical Leadership

The world needs great leaders right now. Um, the world in general,  not just nua states.  Conflicts to, to the magnitude. I don't think in my lifetime, I, I, I've witnessed, you know, a certain precarious state of the world that that really requires, um, ethical leadership.  And, you know, I, I think the most important lesson is that, um,  you know, we can use our leadership abilities  to serve, you know, a greater good.

I, I always come back to that because we've sort of created a culture in the world and, you know. United States is, is certainly prone to this  where we are most concerned about our own personal wellbeing.

You know, and sort of, even if you could go back to the 1950s in the pursuit of the American dream, the American dream has everything to do with what I can obtain for me and my family.

and, the founding of the United States, if we go all the, go back to the colonial times, you know, when, Alexander De Tocqueville did his study of American culture was that it was a culture that was based on civic engagement. You know, that's, that's still true. I mean, the United States is one of the most civically engaged countries in the world, but it has definitely slipped in recent years.

And, uh, I think it's important to recognize that, that we need to return to that focus on serving others, you know, on that civic engagement, on whatever level, whether it's local and, you know, state level, national, international, there's always something that we can do and that requires responsible, ethical leadership and people that place.

The good of, of humanity, for lack of a better term, first and foremost. You know, and, and then we all benefit from that. Like I said, I mean, I personally, I've had a, an extremely good quality of life, as a direct result of, focusing on, serving other people. And, it's fortunate.

It's, really a, a blessing to be able to do that, to make a living.  To know that at the end of the day, you know, something today is probably a little bit better for somebody somewhere because of the work that we do.

and I would say, just to clarify something, you know, we hear in the Corvus community talk about the progression of enhancing yourself, expanding those efforts to your close tribe, extending it to the community in order to really leave the legacy that you want. So there is a degree of.

Selfishness because you do have to start from a position of self-leadership with self-awareness, self-belief, and self-accountability. But selfishness in and of itself is not necessarily a bad thing when it is aimed at the right broader intentions. Would that be fair?

Yes, definitely. Because  in order to effectively serve other people, you know, we ourselves have to be in a solid position in our lives. You know, that means for, for me personally, that means. Spiritually, emotionally, physically, intellectually. You know, if, if you're not, if you're not living a good life, if you don't feel good, know, if you have health problems, if you have mental health problems, if you're disconnected spiritually, whatever your belief system might be, then I think it's difficult to serve other people effectively.

So that's, that's an important step in the process.

right. The adage that hard to fill other people's cup if your cup is, uh, empty. But at the same time, if there's a way that all cups are full, then that would be glorious, for lack of a better term. And this chat has been glorious, Peter.

Opportunities for Involvement and Volunteering

let's help the audience understand where they can learn more and more specifically how they can get involved if they're so inclined.

There are plenty of opportunities to get involved. Uh, there's, there's a lot of information on our website, which is just,  Prior sold org.  and there are email addresses and phone numbers that's on there that come direct. We're a small organization, so everything comes directly  to me one way or another.

Um, and, and there's always in time, you know, we, we really base our organization on, on relations. So if anybody reaches out with an email, when set up a phone call or something, you know, there's always time to do.  we do host quite a few volunteer groups during the.  For people that are interested in having that experience contributing to something good, but also having that enriching experience, of understanding of their culture and, and, you know, speaking with people they wouldn't normally speak with.

Then we have plenty of space on our calendar to schedule other groups. We have, Formal events in Cincinnati and Atlanta in October. I do not have the dates in front of me right now, but I can get those.

And, you know, we're always open to scheduling other, you know, visits to, businesses or churches or, you know, civic groups that might be interested and, presenting, you know, more information about how to get involved.

So 

Okay. And then, you know, in terms of the overall mission and organization, right? One of the things that I know.  Is often a struggle for these type of organizations is having the right capabilities to take the next step, whether that be tradesmen or technical skills or whatever. Right. Are there any things that you are seeking in terms of your growth where if somebody wants to get involved by what they can contribute, in that realm, that they can reach out to you?

Absolutely. So volunteering, uh, doesn't have to take place in Nicaragua. We, we have a couple of of volunteers that were at our New York event.

Substantial contributions to our communications, you know, platform. Uh, there are also two outliers, Victoria Walling and Audra

Yep.

Um, we're, yeah, right now we're trying to build out our economic development, program so people with experience in entrepreneurship, in business management, you know, everything to do with, business development is, greatly needed.

our health program too, we're, we're facing right now.  Extraordinary demand for health services.

So health professionals that, that also might have experience in, you know, how, how we can more efficiently manage our, our patient load. You know, right now we have pretty rudimentary tools for, Not for treating patients directly, but for managing, you know, the patient database and managing information and getting lab work done and getting that, you know properly.

So a lot of systems that if we had better systems in place, you know, a lot has to do with technology in specific fields and know health education.  That would really help us to be more efficient and allow us to expand the more efficient we are, you know, obviously the more time we're gonna free up and that'll enable us to, to serve more communities.

So plenty of professional areas, health, education, nutrition, business development, agriculture,  just about anything you can think of. youth, obviously, you know, counseling for youth. I mean there, there're just a, a lot of areas that, that people would be able

Yeah.  Yeah. Well I certainly hope from this episode that those people who are in those spaces and that are motivated be part of the mission and cause do reach out to you. Certainly encourage y'all who are listening to do so, because I hope that you've taken away that. Peter's a wonderful leader and that the mission truly does have impact at a very human level.

Peter, any final thoughts before we close this episode out?

Just grateful for this opportunity, Scott, and this, this space, and be able to communicate a little bit about what we're doing.

Final Thoughts & Takeaways

this is a model that we hope to be able to replicate, possibly in other countries. We even thought about doing something, domestically in Atlanta. It's not exactly on the boards right now, but, think the model that we're developing could be beneficial in, in a lot of different countries.

hopefully in the future we will, be able to expand and our, our only goal really is to be able to serve more people

and to.

Yeah, and you know what? Hey, you know, being able to serve more people, even if it's one person at a time or one starfish at a time as you, uh, allude to at the beginning, right? That's still an impact and that still has value. That is a wonderful story, and I can imagine that. You will have many, many starfish that you help along the way.

Peter, it's been an absolute honor. Thank you so much for being on the podcast, man.

Thank you Scott. Really appreciate this, this your, your time and this, this space and an opportunity to talk to folks.

Absolutely. To my listening audience, thank you as well for spending your time listening to this episode. I encourage you to please share with those in your circle who would benefit from this. Make sure that you subscribe and check us out@thecorpus.com or on Major. Podcast platforms and I look forward to seeing you all next time on the Cobras Effect.

Take care.

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Outro

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