Don Miguel Sánchez del Río (1912 – 1982)  Was a very sucessful businessman who dedicated a great deal of his time to provide sources for employment, as well as helping farmers and workers in his native city of Sahuayo, Michoacan, where he was City Mayor (1971-1974), as well as in many of the neighboring towns where his name is remembered with great respect and gratitude. Don Miguel also lived in the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco where he is equally remembered.

 Doña Marina Van Dyck Domínguez, the widow of Don Miguel, is an active supporter of the Foundation as well as of many other charities including an old age home run y the Sister of St. Joseph.

The members of the Foundation maintain a very especial  respect and admiration     

for the memory Lic. Adalberto Sánchez Van Dyck, deceased son of Don Miguel and 

Doña Marina without whose support the Foundation would have never been established.

 Margarita Sánchez Van Dyck,

Daughter of Don Miguel and Doña Marina is President and founder of the Foundation.  She has a doctorate in social psychology from E.H.S.S. (École de Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales) in Paris, France and taught at Instituto Tecnológico de Estudios Superiores de Occidente (ITESO). Her interest in social investigation led her to participate in several projects by different organzations in the City of Guadalajara and complete several reports on "Social Urban Movements" . In 1982 she met Lionel Fernández and Michael Swerdlow  who were looking for land to start a self-sufficient  community. It was through such a research that they became aware of the vast needs to be found in marginal communities in rural areas and decided to start this Foundation. Margarita was also a memeber of the State Commission for Human Rights in Jalisco from 1997 to 2001-

 Lionel Fernández is the director founder of  FMSR and originator of the idea. He is a native of Cienfuegos, Cuba, attended the highly reputable Colegio de Belén, run by Jesuit Fathers in Havana and received his high school education from Benedictine Priests in the United States in the city of Savannah, Georgia. He attended the University of Miami in Miami, Fla, where he majored in business administration and had a minor in Drama, since he had an idea of eventually being an actor-producer. He also attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City. Lionel served in the U.S. Army and upon his return to New York chamged careers again and opened his own business in the garment industry as a free lance designer after attending the Fashion Institute of Technology. A few years later he re-awakened his interested in philosofy, metaphysics and meditation and his life took a whole new course. He went to Mexico, met many people with the same interests, including Dra. Margarita Sánchez Van Dyck and together with Michael Swerdlow and others started the FMSR.

 Michael I. Swerdlow is a native of Brooklyn, N.Y and has a degree in psychology from the State University of New York at Stonybrook en Long Island. Michael, however has dedicated his whole life to music as a pianist, guitarrist, singer and composer and has played the starring roles in "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" and "Phanthom of the Opera" Michael  is also a founding member of the of the FMSR and his musical talent and outstanding ability to work with the young keeping discipline and captivating their total interest He has formed choirs on several occasions and taught Englisht, a profession he developed in the Kellner Institute in Guadalajara. Michael's musical talent was a very important contribution to the Centro Cultural Las Calas that the Foundation ran in Guadalajara for six consecutive years.

 Juan R. Lomelí, is the Secretary of the Foundation. He officially joined the FMSR in 1996. He has since then been an outstanding leader in many different ways. Today he runs the FMSR Educational Center which he was responsible for building and obtaining contributions of educational material including a number of computers donated by HP. Today, thanks to Juan´s efforts, children of lower income families can obtain a high school degree in the FMSR Educational center and older folks can learn to read and write. He's also in charged of the administrative area.

Otros miembros activos de la Fundación: