Dr. Timothy Steigenga has served as a grant-writer, fundraiser, founder and board member of several non-profit organizations serving the immigrant community of Palm Beach County and providing academic, social, educational services in Guatemala.
Dr. Steigenga was a co-founder of Corn Maya, Inc. in 2002. Corn-Maya Inc, is a 501 c(3) organization providing services to the immigrant community in Palm Beach County. Dr. Steigenga served as the primary fundraiser and coordinator of the organization from 2002 to 2010.
In 2006, Dr. Steigenga helped to co-found El Sol, Jupiter's Neighborhood Resource Center. He served on the board of directors from 2006 through 2010. El Sol (a 501 (c)3 organization) is a multi-service labor center and integration center serving the immigrant community of Jupiter, Florida. Dr. Steigenga served on the executive committee during the organization's first two years and served on the fundraising, personnel, board recruitment, and executive committees through 2010. He brokered a sister-city agreement between the city of Jupiter and the Guatemalan government, negotiated with the Town to provide a location for the El Sol Center, and brought dignitaries from Guatemalan president Oscar Berger to Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchu to Jupiter. Dr. Steigenga was asked to return to the board of El Sol and began his new term in May, 2017. www.friendsofelsol.com
From 2009 through 2014, Dr. Steigenga also served on the Board of Directors of the Guatemalan Tomorrow Fund (Ak' Tenamit). The Guatemalan Tomorrow Fund is a non-profit organization created to help the indigenous people of Guatemala become self-sustaining through projects to improve health care, reduce illiteracy, promote sustainable agriculture, small business development and to increase participation in civic affairs. The Guatemalan Tomorrow Fund raises money to support Ak'-Tenamit, a Guatemalan organization which provides health care, education and other important services for Guatemalan youth. www.aktenamit.org
Dr. Steigenga has also served on the advisory boards of two Guatemala-based non-profit organizations.
INCEDES is the Central American Institute of Social Science and Development, a civil society organization dedicated to contributing to the body of knowledge about migration from and within Central America, Mexico and the Caribbean. INCEDES carries out research with the purpose of informing public policy debate about migration. www.incedes.org.gt
INDESGUA is the Institute for the Development of Higher Education in Guatemala, an organization dedicated to helping young Guatemalans overcome the social, economic, cultural and political barriers to a higher education in their own country and abroad.INDESGUA provides assistance and guidance through the university application process as well as the scholarship and financial aid application process. www.indesgua.org