AMIGOS: Shaping Tomorrow's Young Leaders Since 1965

In 1965, youth pastor Guy Bevil led a team of teenagers into rural Honduras to save people from a polio epidemic. Their mission was to go to the most abandoned areas, where no health service was available. They did just that, protecting thousands from the disease. The team returned to the United States more mature, appreciative of foreign cultures, and aware of the personal benefits of helping others. Their success proved that young people can make a positive difference in the world. It also led to the establishment of Amigos de las Américas (AMIGOS), an educational charity that inspires and nurtures young leaders through volunteer programs abroad, particularly in Latin America.

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, AMIGOS now has affiliated chapters in more than two dozen major US cities. Over 20,000 young people have participated in its programs to date, each of them becoming a lifelong catalyst for social change.

Bevil believed that young people are just waiting for an opportunity to do important things and will always rise to whatever challenge they are given.