McKesson executive leads families out of poverty, one business at a time

A Mission of Hope

McKesson executive leads families out of poverty, one business at a time.

On his first visit to Ethiopia in 2009, Jeff Butler was struck by the devastating impact of poverty on so many

families there. “I saw for the first time how extreme poverty causes vulnerable families to disintegrate, leaving countless children abandoned and alone to survive on the streets or enslaved in human trafficking,” he recalls. “I couldn’t stop asking myself, ‘What am I going to do about this?’”

He soon discovered that the same strengths that helped him excel as an account executive at McKesson Medical-Surgical – listening, caring, building relationships and problem-solving – could also help him improve the lives of families in Ethiopia. Through Family Hope International, a nonprofit organization he founded 10 years ago, he has transformed families on the brink of starvation into independent entrepreneurs who can provide for their children and remain hopeful for a brighter future.

‘We believe in short-term support for long-term transformation. It’s been our joy to have graduated many families from our program as self-sustaining, successful smallbusiness owners over the past several years!’

New opportunities

Twenty years ago, when Butler’s longtime friend, Ben Hull, mentioned how much he enjoyed working at McKesson and suggested that medical product sales might be a great fit for Butler, it led to some careful consideration. “I had been with Boeing for almost 10 years and was ready to explore a new opportunity,” he says. Still, there were plenty of discussions with his wife, Crystal, before he felt ready to make the leap. “It turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life!”

Several years later, in 2009, Hull opened another door for his friend. “Ben invited me on a mission trip to Ethiopia to visit several widow and orphan homes,” says Butler. “My heart broke over the hopelessness I saw in the eyes of desperate mothers and hungry children. I learned that Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries on Earth. It has some of the highest number of orphans and homeless children. I could see how severe and urgent the need was and knew something had to be done.”

In 2012, he founded Family Hope International. He has served as president ever since alongside another close friend and McKesson account manager, Ethan Bauer, the organization’s vice president. Together, they have developed “an incredible U.S. and Ethiopian staff who really make this program work,” says Butler. “Both our parttime and full-time staff work tirelessly to care for our sponsored families. “If our team is successful

in their roles, we can fulfill our mission. So my primary role is to help them stay focused on – and expand – our vision, as well as help solve any problems and address obstacles.

“There is no way I could have done any of this without Ethan’s help and leadership,” he continues. “He has the biggest heart and there would be no Family Hope International without him. I’m extremely grateful for him.”

Short-term support, longterm transformation

First and foremost, Family Hope International aims to help families become self-sustaining, Butler points out. “Our goal for the families we welcome into our program is for them to thrive in a small business, thereby freeing them from poverty and giving them hope.”

The Ethiopian team begins by evaluating families’ needs. “In order to join the program, we need to determine that families will not make it – that they will disintegrate and their children will be abandoned to the streets,” says Butler. Family Hope International then pairs accepted families with a U.S. sponsor. “For $50 each month, the sponsor provides the necessary care to keep the family secure and stable. We send 100% of the sponsor’s money to Ethiopia (mostly to care for the family, but a portion is used to fund in-country operational costs as well). After six to nine months, we identify a smallbusiness opportunity for the family, which we train them to successfully operate and manage.

“We rely on our Ethiopian team to assess the best business

opportunities that lead to the highest likelihood of success for each family, in each region of the country,” he continues. “Then we work closely with them over the next two years to ensure they are successful and profitable.” So, for example, families living in a busy city may be trained to open a vegetable, bread or coffee kiosk at their local market. Families located in agricultural areas might receive oxen and be trained to plow fields, or grain so that they can learn to grow crops. Some families are provided with sheep for sheep fattening – essentially fattening up undersized sheep and selling them for a profit.

“We believe in short-term support for long-term transformation,” says Butler, an approach that appears to work well. “It’s been our joy to have graduated many families from our program as self-sustaining, successful small-business owners over the past several years!”

Vision Trips

Each year, Butler and Bauer take groups of people on Vision Trips, an opportunity for them to see the extreme poverty conditions in Ethiopia firsthand and decide if they can get involved moving forward. “We typically lead these trips in October and will return there October 2023,” says Butler. “We take between 10-16 people on Vision Trips. Our primary goal is for them to see firsthand the reality and severity of extreme poverty – what it looks like, how it impacts people and destroys families. We want people to see what hopelessness looks like.”

He also hopes the Vision Trips enlighten people as to how little it takes to make an overwhelming difference in the lives of others. “I hope our trip members leave Ethiopia asking themselves the same question I asked years ago: ‘What am I going to do about this?’ My hope is that this short trip will encourage people to join us in our efforts to preserve and empower vulnerable families.

“I recently returned from our Vision Trip this past October and once again was deeply struck by these families’ stories,” he says. In some cases, parents spoke of being suicidal before Family Hope International stepped in to help. “They couldn’t bear to go another day watching their children grow weaker without food and help. I was also impacted by stories from some of our recent program graduates whose lives have been transformed. I came away with an even deeper understanding that the help we provide at

Family Hope International means the difference between life and death to many families.”

Next year, Butler plans to expand his program to include Kenya and wishes his program could do even more to meet the worldwide need that exists. “As a 501c3 nonprofit organization, we rely on the generosity of our donors and sponsors. Donations allow us to sponsor and care for impoverished families, provide micro-loans to help get their new business started and offset any operational shortfalls. We must do all we can to help as many people possible. Bringing hope to others is such a powerful thing!”

To learn more about Family Hope International, please visit www.familyhopeinternational.org.

Father of 11

Jeff Butler truly raises the bar when it comes to giving of himself. In addition to the hours he invests servicing his medical products customers and rescuing impoverished families in Ethiopia, together with his wife, Crystal, he is raising 11 children. The Butlers adopted nine of their children from across the country, as well as from Ethiopia and China. “With so many children, life is a wild ride!” he says. “I’m thankful I married a super-mom like Crystal!”

Parenting such a large clan, running Family Hope International and his longtime career at McKesson have helped him grow in a multitude of ways, he notes. Although each of these comes with different needs, they’ve all taught him the importance of listening, caring, problem-solving to meet needs and building relationships. “It all comes down to the importance of connecting with others on a genuine and personal level,” he says.

“Serving in Africa has made me a stronger account manager and overall better person. At the same time, my career at McKesson has provided me with resources and opportunities to serve in ways I never imagined. I’m especially grateful to my McKesson colleagues who have been so giving and generous to Family Hope International. To all I say, ‘amesegenallo’ – or ‘thank you’ in the Ethiopian language, Amharic.”