🌿 Winter 2026/27 β€” Costa Rica & Dominican Republic cohorts depart December 26.  Learn More β†’
About Us

About HELP2SERVE.CARE β€”
Built on Service. Defined by Purpose.

HELP2SERVE.CARE is the official steward of the ISV legacy β€” carrying forward 20+ years of structured service-learning built by the 30,000+ volunteers who came before you. Their dedication, service hours, and relationships with communities around the world created this foundation. Every future volunteer carries it forward.

Our Mission

30,000+ Volunteers Built This Legacy. HELP2SERVE.CARE Carries It Forward.

HELP2SERVE.CARE is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) delivering structured, transformative immersive global service programs β€” built on over two decades of proven frameworks that prioritize excellence, safety, educational integrity, and measurable global impact.

Our programs have connected 30,000+ volunteers have contributed 3M+ structured service hours across the globe β€” earning recognition from the U.S. State Department, the President's Council on Service, the Discovery Channel, and a Board of Reference that has included 33 U.S. Senators and Congress Members. Their service built this legacy. Every future volunteer carries it forward.

Our team brings firsthand leadership experience β€” having run and grown global service programs at scale β€” and founded HELP2SERVE.CARE to carry these same proven principles forward with greater reach, deeper impact, and stronger support structures.

We are building the future of global service, one cohort at a time.

Volunteer with local children

The One-Liner

"With HELP2SERVE.CARE, you're building your future β€” while helping shape the future of others."

Our Core Team

The People Behind the Mission

A team built on decades of clinical expertise, global service leadership, academic rigor, and on-the-ground experience β€” united by one mission.

Jason Speaks
Jason Speaks
PhD, FNP-C, RN
Founder & Executive Director
πŸŽ“ PhD Β· UC San Francisco πŸ₯ 20+ Years Clinical Experience 🌍 US Peace Corps Volunteer πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡³ UN Initiative Β· Dominican Republic πŸ“š Tenured Professor & Researcher
Founder
"My mission is to inspire a lifetime of service, leadership, and meaningful impact β€” while advancing sustainable change in communities around the world."

Jason Speaks is a nationally certified, Ph.D.-prepared Family Nurse Practitioner, clinician, educator, and global program leader. As Founder and Executive Director of HELP2SERVE.CARE, he designs and delivers structured international service-learning programs grounded in safety, educational integrity, cultural respect, and measurable impact.

With 20+ years of clinical and academic experience, Peace Corps service, and leadership of a UN pilot initiative in the Dominican Republic, Jason brings a rare integration of expertise to every program HELP2SERVE.CARE delivers.

PhD Β· Behavior Change Family Nurse Practitioner Tenured Professor Peace Corps UN Initiative Β· DR
Adolfo Ramirez Adolfo Ramirez
Adolfo A. Ramirez
Co-Founder & Global Program Director, HELP2SERVE.CARE

"Life is like a sunny Sunday β€” you have to live it at the beach."

With 20+ years leading ISV programs across the Dominican Republic, Adolfo brings unmatched local expertise β€” from guiding groups up Pico Duarte (the Caribbean's highest peak) to managing all in-country logistics, safety, and program delivery.

πŸ‡©πŸ‡΄ DR Expert πŸ”οΈ Pico Duarte Guide 🌊 ISV Tour Leader 2005–2016
Ruth Abebe Ruth Abebe
Ruth Abebe
Co-Founder & Director of Global Student Programs, HELP2SERVE.CARE

"Join us in making a difference β€” and become part of something bigger than yourself."

Ruth designs and leads student-facing programs that connect participants with real-world service opportunities β€” building structured, transformative experiences accessible to students from all backgrounds and majors.

πŸŽ“ Student Program Design 🌍 Global Engagement πŸ’‘ Leadership Development
Meredith Madnick Meredith Madnick
Meredith Madnick
MA, BA Β· Chair, Board of Directors

"Compassion in action β€” creating impact that extends far beyond the moment."

A strategist, anthropologist, and Peace Corps Volunteer with 20+ years leading across public and private sectors. Currently Director of Development at the Santa Monica Mountains Fund, Meredith brings deep expertise in program development, organizational growth, and partnership strategy to HELP2SERVE.CARE's board.

πŸ•ŠοΈ Peace Corps Volunteer πŸ›οΈ Board Chair 🌿 Anthropologist
Alan DeFever
Alan DeFever
RPh, MSL Β· Vice-Chair, Board of Directors

"Advancing healthcare access β€” locally and globally."

A Medical Science Liaison, pharmacy entrepreneur, and 25+ year healthcare leader. Alan led a COVID response clinic delivering 58,000+ tests and 15,000 vaccinations β€” and brings deep clinical, operational, and scientific expertise to HELP2SERVE.CARE's board.

πŸ’Š RPh Β· MSL Β· Sanofi πŸ₯ 25+ Yrs Healthcare πŸ›οΈ Board of Directors
Our Framework

Why We Exist. How We Do It. What We Offer.

πŸ’‘

Our Why

We exist to create sustained behavior change β€” within volunteers and the communities we serve β€” through meaningful global service grounded in decades of trusted experience.

πŸ”§

How We Do It

By delivering structured, immersive, safe, and well-supported service-learning experiences rooted in one of the world’s most respected student volunteer legacies β€” we transform perspective, purpose, and community support systems.

🌍

What We Offer

Immersive global programs that transform service into lasting community impact β€” and inspire careers, meaningful connections, and a lifelong commitment to giving back.

Get In Touch

Contact Us

HELP2SERVE.CARE is headquartered in El Dorado Hills, California, and delivers programs through trusted global partnerships.

πŸ“ž

General Inquiries

+1 (415) 669-0055

Programs, dates, eligibility, and application questions

Mon–Fri Β· 9:00 AM–5:00 PM Pacific

πŸ“ž

Participant & Family Support

+1 (415) 669-0066

Pre-departure participants, current volunteers, alumni, and families

Mon–Fri Β· 9:00 AM–5:00 PM Pacific

πŸ“§

Email

info@help2serve.care

General questions, partnership inquiries, program information

Send an Email
🚨
Urgent Situations

Urgent contact information is collected from enrolled participants and shared directly and privately with participants and their designated family contacts prior to program departure.

Legal & Nonprofit Information

About HELP2SERVE.CARE

HELP2SERVE.CARE operates as a mission-driven educational service organization and is recognized under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code (EIN: 93-3620516).

Beginning with anticipated departures in 2028, HELP2SERVE.CARE intends to introduce a structured Micro Fellowship Initiative β€” supported through strategic charitable partnerships to expand access and strengthen measurable service outcomes.

Ready to Join Us?

Cookie preferences