How We Started

The Fox Valley Mission Group, Inc. (FVMG) was started in the early 1990's, when a small group of men volunteered to help a missionary priest friend with a building project in rural Nicaragua. It continued with a group of volunteers returning each year to help with projects that the local community needed. Through the years, news of the group's work spread and more people volunteered to help. As the number of volunteers grew, so did the needed projects.

FVMG has provided volunteer labor in Nicaragua, Honduras, Belize, Mexico, Arizona, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Kentucky. The group has built churches, schools, convents, water systems, latrines, community centers, and individual homes. Medical facilities, dormitories, orphange group homes, and disaster relief are included in the scope of projects the FVMG has undertaken. We have also done maintenance and repair work to existing structures, including electrical wiring, painting, and plumbing.

As the volunteer efforts of the group became more widely recognized, donations of building materials and financial support were received. The decision was made to incorporate as The Fox Valley Mission Group, Inc and register as a charitable organization. We accept tax deductable donations, financial and raw materials.

The FVMG is governed by a Board of Directors with elected offices of President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer. There are no paid positions. All Directors and Officers are volunteers.

All FVMG volunteers pay their own travel expenses, including ground and air fare. International mission trips are planned in the late Summer and Fall with the travel scheduled for sometime in late January early February. Groups of 12-15 volunteers travel to the project site together. The group will stay in the project community, eat the local foods, prepared by local people. The accomodations can be spartan. The weather is generally warm and humid.

There are opportunities for volunteering in the continental US as well. Recent trips have taken groups to the hurricane ravaged areas in Mississippi and Louisiana.

Some volunteers find the mission trips to be physically challenging, but everyone finds them to be emotionally and spiritually rewarding. All ages and skill levels are invited. Our volunteers range in age from early teens to mid 80's, with skills from experienced carpenters, electricians, and masons to teachers, nurses, and housewives. White collar, blue collar, skilled, unskilled, professional, or laborer everyone is welcomed.

For more information please contact a member of the board (Contact Us) to attend one of the informational meetings.

A schedule of upcoming FVMG trips, meetings and events can be found on the Scheduled Events Page.