LEAVE THE RAT RACE
Live Healthier
LEAVE THE RAT RACE
Live Healthier
The Vision
We envision a secure family-friendly intentional community of kind people of all ages, abilities, and faith systems, who want to step away from the insanity of the world, reconnect with themselves, their neighbors, Mother Nature and God, while impacting those around them in a positive way and living a healthy, balanced life.
About Belize
Located along the eastern coast of Central America on the Caribbean Sea, Belize is a unique blend of pristine nature, diverse geography, and endless adventure.
Roughly the size of Massachusettes, this relatively small country with only 419,199 residents is only 176 miles long and 88 miles wide and boasts rainforest-covered mountains, hundreds of cayes (islands, pronounced ‘keys’) and the largest barrier reef in the Western hemisphere.
With over 40% of Belize’s land mass enjoying a level of ‘protected area’ status, these diverse natural areas – lush with flora and fauna – form the basis of Belize’s strong appeal.
It’s no wonder Belize was part of the Mayan empire and later colonized by the British. Formerly known British Honduras, Belize gained independence in 1981, however, still remains a part of the British Commonwealth. English is the national language and Belizean currency is tied to the U.S. dollar, exchanging at a steady 2:1 rate.
It’s these ties to Great Britain that make Belize an easy destination for visitors to enjoy.
Corozal District
Corozal Town is located 88 miles N of Belize City; 31 miles N of Orange Walk Town, and 7 miles S of the Mexican-Belizean border.
A sleepy, seaside town in the norther Corozal District, it is located just south of the Rio Hondo (Hondo River) that forms a natural border between Mexico and Belize.
Set on the crystal-clear Corozal Bay, Corozal Town was an important center on the the early Mayan trade routes. Evidence of ancient structures remain in the ruins of Cerros, Santa Rita, and the old English trading hub of Fort Barley.
During the mid-1800s, the modern town was settled with a large population of Mexico’s Caste War.
About Chris
Founding member Chris Woods’ natural athleticism led to this early successes as well as his early injuries on football fields across Virginia. His intensive physical education as both a player and a patient was pivotal in developing his parallel interests in sports and healing.
The United States NAVY S.E.A.L. program recognized his intellectual and physical gifts, but a shoulder dislocation during an aquatic training earned him an honorable discharge from service. After recovering, he devoted his ‘spare time’ working at First Tee mentoring and teaching inner city kids how to golf. His own golf game improved considerably when he invented the Aquaclub to rehabilitate himself to play golf left-handed (which is how he met his future wife and co-founder Wendy Carter).
Chris has continued his education by studying massage, acupuncture, nutrition, and how to make food your medicine.
He is discovering the joys of Belize and growing his own food. He continues to be a mentor to kids at Community Restore (Corozal Town), teaching reading, math, and Bible studies.
Itaxah Village (pronounced ‘It Takes A Village’) is the manifestation of decades of dreaming of a healthier way of life and he looks forward to seeing his orchards and community continue to grow.
About Wendy
Founder Wendy Carter grew up dancing in waters across the country as a nationally competitive synchronized swimmer. Her godmother, an internationally renowned physical therapist, was one of her first coaches who taught her the mechanics of the human body in the water. She took a part time job in her clinics where she was able to rehabilitate her own athletic injuries.
She transistioned her passion for music and dance to the stage when she performed in several musical theatre productions around the United States. Her growing talents as an actor took her to The Russian American Theatre Company in St. Petersburg, Russia, an MFA from the DePaul Theatre School/Goodman School of Drama, and eventually to Los Angeles to save the world in bad sci-fi movies.
Wendy returned to Virginia to care for her terminally ill father and started a synchronized swim team for kids and also joined an internationally competitive masters team to become a gold medalist many times over. She earned a living as an actor, substitute teacher, an adjunct professor at the business school of VCU, and as a public speaker with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes among other organizations.
A lifetime of reading great literature like The Diary of Anne Frank, 1984, and Atlas Shrugged gave her an inkling of the direction of the increasing chaos of the world. Upon meeting Chris Wood, researching his vision of an intentional community in Belize (and falling in love with him) she agreed to leave the America she had loved and leap towards a different dream.
Wendy is excited to be a real Caribbean mermaid and use her multiple gifts at Itaxah Village aquatic and healing community. She volunteers with Chris teaching local children reading, math, science, and Bible studies. She and Chris are currently pursuing certification in Emergency Response Team Training so that they can be better neighbors in their new home in Corozal, Belize.
Watching Itaxah Village grow has been a heretofore, undreamed of joy, and she’s looking forward to sharing its sparkling water with like-minded adventures for who the siren song calls.
