Riley Fuller is the President and Co-founder of Humanity and Hope and Co-founder of Generous. Anyone who meets him (and we hope you get the chance) immediately feels welcomed into his life and his purpose. In fact, his whole family is involved with Humanity and Hope in some capacity (we love the Fullers).
Why did you want to start Humanity and Hope?
I arrived in Honduras and saw people living in a way where they were obviously having their futures and their dreams taken away from them, through no fault of their own. I saw a system full of organizations, governments & businesses trying to help by attacking issues, and not supporting people or even really looking at people as individuals. I wanted to use development to help people break free from poverty, and be able to make their dreams come true regardless of where they were born, what they look like, or who their parents are. From then on, I knew I wanted to be involved with H&H.
Obviously you’re a board member. Tell us about that.
Board members are key decision makers, they help keep the organization true to the vision and focused on our constituents. The board truly has the mandate to keep the organization focused on its effectiveness in terms of making the vision become a reality, and that means we get to be honest about both what’s going right and what’s going wrong. That allows us to celebrate when things go right, and innovate when they don’t. My job is to advocate for believing that everyone was born for greatness.
Out side of Humanity and Hope, what does your life look like?
I am married to Naz and am a father of 2 boys and 1 girl who have a ton of energy. I love to run, do yoga, and play soccer. We spend a lot of our spare time hiking both in the hills around Austin and in the mountains.
What are your hopes and dreams for Humanity and Hope?
My dream is that together we can change the story the world tells about us. The world says Honduras is poor, corrupt, uneducated, and hopeless to change any of it structurally. My dream is that this turns into a movement, and in 20 years the world calls Honduras a beacon of hope, a model for economic and educational transformation, and most importantly a country whose love can be felt around the world. Likewise, I want the world to change its story about the US. We aren’t ignorant, selfish, bigoted people who take advantage of others. I want the world to call US the model for radical unity, and a model for how a country can use it’s resources to literally unleash a generation of greatness on the world.
Why do you believe someone should get involved with Humanity and Hope?
Even though all of this is bigger than any one of us, we all still have an individual role to play. If you don’t use your life to fight to bring the greatness out of others, not only will they leave potential on the table but you will too. Together, we can help the world create a better story.
We have something special for Riley today - we are launching the fundraising for the Grand Farm! He is donating in honor of his birthday, but we are asking YOU to donate in honor of Riley as well. He’s turning 34, so we are asking that you donate $34 to the Grand Farm to help us purchase the 30 acres around La Coroza to grow our businesses there. Make sure you’re following our stories today to see some more surprises we’ve got in-store for Riley today!