ABOUT US
What began as a vehicle to empower the fundamental needs and education of children, has grown into a movement filled with people and support from all around the world to see the dream of orphanages emptied by empowering lives fulfilled.
MARKED was born as a dream developed in the heart of a young girl over 20 years ago. With a rich heritage of family that is full of love for the children and people of Latin America, Jaclyn (founder) took her first trip to serve the orphan community at the young age of 10 years old. Captured by love, this fire-filled girl began to share with anyone who would listen that she indeed would change the world by empowering lives in what is classified as the orphan and vulnerable community. In her highschool years, Jaclyn was given countless opportunities to share her vision in schools, faith based communities and was even featured and recognized on a local radio program for her efforts and achievements. In teenage years she was joined on many short term trips to Mexico by Micheal who would later become her husband. As they began to date as teenagers, she made it very clear that nothing was going to stop her from seeing her vision and dream fulfilled so at the end of her senior year she packed her bags and moved to Mexico to serve.
A few short years later Jaclyn and Micheal were married and while they took semi-annual trips together Micheal was building a successful career in the banking industry and Jaclyn continued to work full time in the states all the while traveling between Mexico and their home in Seattle. As a VP at one of the world's largest financial institutions, Micheal spent nearly a decade building a career that would support their philanthropic and humanitarian efforts in Latin America for the years to come. As they continually saw countless lives transformed through their efforts it became clear that it was time to build an organization that could support all that was happening in Latin America.
In late 2011 MARKED was born. What began as a vehicle to empower the fundamental needs and education of children, has grown into a movement filled with people and support from all around the world to see the dream of orphanages emptied and generational cycles broken by empowering lives fulfilled.
We began by reaching a humble 80 children in the support network and one partnership children’s home (orphanage) and have since grown to impact thousands served, dozens of villages, children’s homes, community centers and much more. MARKED is more than just an orphan & community care organization but a movement of individuals compelled by love and fueled by passion to see cycles broken, lives transformed, roots mended, and families made whole.
In late 2013 as MARKED grew, Micheal and Jaclyn decided to leave their lives in the Pacific Northwest to relocate to Guadalajara, Mexico. So after selling their homes, cars, and giving the majority of their possessions away, they consolidated their lives into 6 orange rubber bins and on January 3rd, 2014 they relocated to reside full-time in Mexico. Today their story continues to be written as the Millers spend their time in both the US and Mexico, they along with their growing team have and will continue to fight for the dream that is still very much alive in their hearts. They have experienced every challenge imaginable, yet they remain committed to seeing every family brought to wholeness, and a world where no one is orphaned. Today MARKED is still reaching and seeing a growing impact in Latin America all while traveling across the United States to raise awareness, speaking and building community.
This is not just the story of a couple and their team trying to make a difference. This is YOUR story. Each of you who have connected, partnered, and supported is a significant part of our journey and impact making this story a part of your own. Our team isn't limited to our staff but it's each of you who make all this possible. This is your legacy. That together, we will see generational cycles broken, families restored, and a world where the term orphan is only written in the history books.
*Numbers last updated: June 2020
OUR MISSION
We dream of empty orphanages, freedom and healthy families across Latin America and beyond by getting to the root of the problem. Breaking cycles of poverty, drug abuse, trafficking, imprisonment, criminal activity and abandonment by empowering lives with sustainable systems to go further than they could have dreamed. Empowering families to be made whole is what we are going after.
Our Mission is to reach those who are often forgotten about, as well as those targeted by organized crime groups. We exist to partner, build, and create sustainable programs and jobs that both provide education as well as daily needs such as food, clothing, and appropriate medical attention. Our desire is to see the generational cycle of drug abuse, imprisonment, and homelessness broken forever for our communities. We aim to change mindsets and create a culture and legacy of adoption in this generation that is passed down to the generations to come.
OUR METHODS
Empower | Sustain | Transform | Repeat
Teaching, training, equipping and empowering families in high risk communities with the tools to succeed, no matter the cost.
Our methods are simple: we partner with existing children’s homes (orphanages), as well as communities and establish preventative centers in villages and at risk communities. We identify the problems and/or lack, meet with our team, define major goals, develop a plan and get to work.
Our plan is not to recreate the wheel but to partner with systems, and government that are already in place and need support and direction to succeed.
Although we do have our own and intend to build more bases and centers, we believe that to truly change the world we must carry vision not to just build more structures but rather empty the ones that already exist through a model of empowerment, sustainability and whole families.
We believe in empowerment always, reunification when possible, adoption when necessary with transformed families as the goal.