On a blustery cold day in Chicago, the leadership teams of Therapy Volunteers and Hillside Health Care International met to discuss an exciting new opportunity for collaboration between the two nonprofit organizations.
“This is a unique opportunity for our organizations to collaborate. Our missions are closely aligned, and if we work together, we know we can make an even bigger impact on the communities we serve,” said Lynette Gomez, a native Belizean and executive director of Hillside Health Care International.
Along with several Hillside board members, Lynette spent an afternoon visiting the Therapy Volunteers office in Chicago during a recent trip to the U.S.
Hillside, headquartered in Punta Gorda, Belize, has been providing healthcare for underserved populations in southern Belize for over 22 years. Meanwhile, Therapy Volunteers focuses on delivering free pediatric therapy services—including speech, occupational, and behavioral therapies—to children in Belize City and other regions.
“Both of our organizations are dedicated to providing free, critical support in the communities we serve,” said Idar Lamo, Director of International Partnerships for Therapy Volunteers.
“Since we opened our clinic back in early 2022, we’ve heard about the incredible work Hillside is doing,” Idar continued. “We knew we wanted to build a relationship with them, and we’re excited that it has led to this meeting.”
During the meeting, the two organizations discussed specific ways they could collaborate and enhance their impact.
“We are excited to see where this goes,” said Matt Schoeck, a Hillside board member who previously spent a year in Belize as the organization’s medical director. “Therapy Volunteers has incredible expertise in various therapies that can serve our populations. While we’ve offered physical therapy for many years, we see tremendous potential in expanding those offerings and introducing consistent speech therapy to the community. And that’s just scratching the surface of what this partnership could bring.”
Both teams agreed the meeting was productive and laid the groundwork for future collaboration.
“In the coming months, we plan to send clinicians to Hillside on short-term trips to assess needs and support Hillside’s staff,” Idar explained.
Carley Kirsch, a Hillside board member, and Kimberly Schoeck, a speech-language pathologist (SLP) who has previously served at Hillside, also attended the meeting. They shared Therapy Volunteers’ enthusiasm.
“This is a great first step, and we believe it marks the beginning of a long and fruitful partnership,” they said. “Most importantly, this partnership will benefit the families we are both so dedicated to serving.”
With this new collaboration, Therapy Volunteers and Hillside Health Care International are taking the first steps toward expanding essential healthcare and pediatric therapy services to more families in need throughout Belize.
