Community Involvement

Casa del Jade is a corporate sponsor of HELPS INTERNATIONAL, an organization from the United States that sends medical teams to assist Guatemalan citizens.  HELPS has been sending teams since 1983, and sends an average of 10 to 12 teams a year.  These teams have 50 to 100 members and are self contained hospitals.  They work in medically underserved areas of Guatemala and normally treat 1500 to 2,000 patients per team.

Since Feb., 2004, Ma. Elena de Leech has worked as a translator on 15 Helps teams.  After the week of treating patients, all teams come to Antigua on Sunday for two and a half days of rest and relaxation.  Since Feb., 2004, Ma. Elena de Leech has given free walking tours (historical and shopping) on Monday and Tuesday to each team.  To date, over 80 teams have received the tour.

Each Tuesday evening the teams have a closing dinner, and Ma. Elena and Gerald Leech have attended every dinner and taken an average of 10 jade jewelry items to raffle off to say “THANK YOU FOR HELPING THE PEOPLE OF GUATEMALA!”  Gerald & Ma. Elena have attended over 80 dinners and conducted over 80 raffles to date.

Any Helps volunteer who purchases in our store receives a 10% discount on their purchase, and Casa del Jade also donates 10% of the purchase to helps.  Casa del Jade has donated trophies for golf and tennis tournaments, and has also donated jewelry for many Helps fund raisers in the United States.

About 9 years ago Helps started working in Community Development and has developed an environmentally friendly stove, the Onil stove.  They have also developed educational programs and programs for improving corn yields.  Casa del Jade has donated money to the stove program.

For the last 10 years, Ma. Elena de Leech has donated several days a month as a translator  in Obras Sociales de Hermano Pedro, a non profit hospital in Antigua.

Casa del Jade has participated since the inception of Bingo Joya in 1990 to raise funds for projects of Club Rotario Guatemala de la Asuncion.  Bingo Joya has been a joint effort of the Jewelers and Watchmakers Association and the Damas Rotarias of Guatemala de la Asuncion.  The Jewelers donate all the bingo prizes, always over Q100,000 per bingo, and the Damas Rotarias organize the bingo and sell the tickets.  Each year Casa del Jade has donated  the most valuable prize which  has always had a retail value of between US$1,500 to US$2,500.  Many times the jewel has been a one of a kind jewel designed especially for the bingo.

In July, 2007, Gerald Leech was invited to join Club Rotario Guatemala de la Asuncion and since has been an active member in the club and its projects.  In December, 2010, Gerald was elected President of his club for the period of 2012-13.  He and his family have been active in various club projects.

Casa del Jade works with many humanitarian groups working in Guatemala.  We offer a discount on purchases in our store and a percent of the purchases as a donation to their projects.

Maria Elena de Leech is one of the founding members and organizers of a Christian Ministry called Mujeres de Fe (Women of Faith).  This ministry works with several hundred women in Antigua and surrounding villages.  The goal is to improve lives through Bible Study, Monthly conferences with speakers dedicated to women´s problems, and an annual retreat.  Ma Elena has been working for 15 years in Mujeres de Fe.

For many years, Casa del Jade has donated jewelry for fund raisers for many Humanitarian groups here in Guatemala such as Damas Diplomaticas,  Damas Mexicanas, etc.

Since 1986, Gerald Leech has been working on security issues affecting La Antigua, Guatemala.  Starting in 1986, Gerald worked with a group of local businessmen trying to improve the service and working conditions of the local police dept.  This group met once a week from 1986 through 2006.

In early 1996, Gerald was the catalyst connecting the Mayor of Antigua, Victor Hugo del Pozo, and the Director of Fundesa (a local development foundation), Mr. Paul Weaver, to start the Antigua Tourist Police.  The police force was organized and administered by a civilian group called the “Consejo Consultivo”.  Gerald Leech was the Treasurer of the group from 1996 through 2000.

In 2008, Gerald participated in “Panchoy 50 Años”  which was group of approx. 250 people working to establish a medium and long term vision for  the Panchoy Valle in which La Antigua is located. Gerald worked approx. 7 months in the working group concerned with Security.

Ma. Elena de Leech also participated in the working group concerned with tourism.

In 2010, Gerald Leech participated in the first Congress for the Conservation and Development of La Antigua.  Gerald participated in the working group concerned with Security. The Congress was composed of representatives from the Federal Govt., Local Govt., Civil  Society, and   the business community.  The purpose of the Congress was to analyze important problems in 6 different areas such as Security, Conservation, Education, etc.  and to propose solutions to the problems.

At the end of the Congress a document was signed by the 4 participating sectors of society,  promising to work together to solve the problems.  To this end, a Follow Up Commission was formed and was composed of representatives of the 4 sectors.  Gerald Leech was asked to participate in the Commission as a provisional representative of the Business Community.

The commission has been meeting about once per week since August, 2010.