Celebrating 25 Years

March 21, 2025

Highlights from our 25th Anniversary Celebration in Grand Rapids, MI

Here are a few of our favorite images from the events:

Phew! How much fun was Tuesday?! If you were able to join us for our 25th Anniversary Celebration of Stories lunch or dinner: thank you! Our team (though tired) is still feeling the excitement from all of the amazing conversations, the delicious food, the music, and the community. If you weren't able to join us: we missed you and wanted to include you in this recap!


Though I have so many favorite moments from Tuesday, here are some that I'm still thinking about today:

  • The words of ASJ co-founder Carlos Hernandez's son, coming to us across the years and the miles, reminding us that even in the face of injustice we just have to "keep going forward".
  • Hearing the updates from ASJ co-founder, Kurt Verbeek, about how ASJ's efforts ensured that 2 million public school kids in Honduras got 187 days of school and 170 days of school lunch last year.
  • Sending only 2.5 bags of trash to the landfill across both of our events (serving more than 500 people) thanks to our volunteers and Neland Ave Church. The rest was recycled or composted!
  • 360 of us singing Happy Birthday to ASJ-US to celebrate 25 years of doing justice in Honduras!
  • Together, raising more than $136,000 (and counting)!


That's right, you read that last one correctly.


Because of your generosity, we raised more than $136,000 together - meaning that we met our $100,000 match and will be sending at least $236,000 to ASJ-Honduras to support and advance our shared work for justice!


For context, this is enough to fund almost 50% of our education program work for an entire year. Incredible!


Even though you all obliterated our goal, we are still accepting donations for this event. If you weren't able to join us or know someone else who would love to support the work of ASJ, you can click the button below to help add to our total. What do you think - can we send $250,000 to Honduras?

Donate


Thank you to the band Radio Free Honduras for creating an unforgettable vibe for our dinner! If you liked what you heard, they are on Spotify and all other major streaming platforms.

Our caterer, Antojitos Veracruzanos Rincon Catracho, delivered an unforgettable Honduran dinner! Their restaurant is local (1802 28th St SW, Wyoming, MI 49519), so If you liked what you tasted on Tuesday, make sure to visit soon for more!

We want to thank our corporate sponsors for coming alongside us this year!

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Hondurans cast their ballots during the November 30, 2025, general election, which saw historic vote
By Brian ASJ December 10, 2025
Hondurans cast their ballots during the November 30, 2025, general election, which saw historic voter turnout and a peaceful process supported by more than 12,000 national and international election observers working to safeguard transparency.
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ASJ-Canada and ASJ-US Congratulate the Honduran People,  Call for Full and Transparent Results As sister organizations committed to justice, peace and hope in Honduras, ASJ-Canada and ASJ-US extend our deepest congratulations to the people of Honduras on the peaceful conduct of their national elections on November 30, 2025. With the initial tally showing an extraordinarily close vote, we call on election authorities to do what is necessary to ensure a transparent count of the remaining ballots in order to guarantee public trust in the final outcome. We commend the Honduran voters for their dedication to democratic participation and their commitment to shaping the future of their country through civic engagement. We also recognize the efforts of electoral authorities, civil society organizations, the international community and the thousands of volunteer observers who worked to ensure a transparent, orderly, and secure process. We are especially proud of our sister organization, ASJ-Honduras, for their unwavering commitment to democracy demonstrated through their electoral observation efforts, their analysis activities, and their consistent call for a fair and orderly process. Now that such a process has been achieved, the work turns to counting the votes with accuracy and transparency. The results remain close, increasing the possibility of a contested result. We support the work of the election officials at the National Electoral Council to give Hondurans confidence in the final results by conducting their count with rigor and transparency. We remain hopeful that the spirit of peaceful participation in the democratic process embraced by the electorate will carry forward into the post-election period to come. We look forward to continued collaboration with ASJ-Honduras as we all work together toward a just and hopeful future for all Hondurans. Matthew Van Geest President, Board of Directors ASJ-Canada Russ Jacobs President, Board of Directors ASJ-US
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Dear friend,  I couldn’t stop looking at the picture. Of course, there had been plenty of inspiring photos from this summer’s Prayer Walk for Peace and Democracy. The sea of blue and white rising and falling as hundreds of thousands walked the Honduran hills through Tegucigalpa, flowing like a never-ending stream. Catholic nuns praying their rosaries alongside Pentecostals dancing in the streets. But the picture that still knocks me flat is the closeup. The one of the two men standing side by side (picture enclosed). They are exhausted, and the shorter collapses into the taller. The tears mostly hold joy and relief, but they are mingled with something darker. After all, there had been threats—promises of harm done to themselves and their loved ones if they led their followers through the streets of Honduras in prayer. Despite the fear and intimidation, Pastor Gerardo Irías and Monsignor José Vicente Nácher forged ahead. They knew Honduras needed unity and, above all, prayer before the looming November 2025 presidential elections. As an ASJ supporter, you know that these kinds of threats aren’t out of the ordinary, and your support has helped slow and reverse violence in Honduras. Today, I am writing to share a way you can continue standing with brave Hondurans like Pastor Gerardo and Monsignor José in hope. The Evangelical pastor and the Catholic archbishop put the word out as widely as they could to their churches, hoping to mobilize 20,000 to walk and pray. Instead, an estimated 230,000 walked in the capital of Tegucigalpa alone. It was a historic moment. And without your past support for ASJ, it may have never happened. After all, two years prior, Pastor Gerardo and Monsignor José didn’t even know each other’s names. They first met in 2023 at ASJ’s offices. They were two of many civil society leaders convened by ASJ to discuss safeguarding democracy– especially before the election in 2025. It was at that meeting that they shook each other’s hand and learned each other’s name. It was at that meeting–and many subsequent meetings–where old religious prejudices began to be replaced by trust and mutual affection. So, when the moment came this summer to act, Pastor Gerardo and Monsignor José knew what they had to do. And they knew that they had to do it together.
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