Magis: Raúl Rodríguez ‘97

Magis is a Jesuit value that can be translated as “more” or “greater.” It refers to the idea of striving for excellence and continuous improvement in all aspects of one’s life. This value is rooted in the belief that God created each individual with unique talents and abilities, and that our responsibility is to use those gifts to the fullest extent possible in service to others. Magis encourages everyone in a community to push themselves to be their best and to always seek ways to do more, be more, and give more in the pursuit of their goals and service to others. It is a value that inspires individuals to strive for excellence in all that they do. This core Jesuit value is perfectly embodied in Raúl Rodríguez, who serves the community in and outside of Belen in countless ways.

Raúl Rodríguez ‘97, has been guided by the principle of “doing well by doing good” in a community, which he says was his main takeaway from his time at Belen. From an early age, Raúl understood the importance of being hardworking and productive in life but never forgetting where he came from and giving back to the community. This core value of service to others, to provide the underprivileged with the same opportunities he had, ultimately drove him to begin the Li’l Abner Foundation. He created the foundation in 2009, however, the roots of this project extend back to his earliest memories as a child working at the mobile home park his parents ran.

Throughout his childhood, Raúl spent his summers, spring breaks, and winters maintaining the mobile home park. From the tedious tasks of picking up pieces of trash by hand across the 110-acre park, cleaning sewer lines, changing electrical panels, and installing mobile homes, he gradually grew a resilient spirit of service and outreach to others. After college, he wanted to continue the values his parents had instilled in him of serving those in need and being mindful of his upbringing, thus sparking the creation of the Li’l Abner Foundation.

He had initially started the foundation to help the residents of the mobile home park, but more so the marginalized children of the park. Raúl noticed that most of the children living in the mobile home park had parents working full-time jobs or two part-time jobs, which caused them to lack role models to emulate. This created a cyclic process of children seeking leadership and guidance from their older peers, who were perhaps not exemplary people to follow. With this problem in mind, Raúl went to Belen and the FIU Honors Program seeking students to tutor the children at the mobile home park. Students began mentoring, tutoring, and serving the children of the park, which opened their eyes to the possibilities and opportunities they had not even known existed. Over the past 13 years, the foundation has evolved into something much more than providing role models for these children, rather, it provides these children with an option to change and choose what path they want for themselves, which Raúl says is the most fulfilling aspect of his service.

Belen students volunteer with the Li’l Abner Foundation not just in the park but amongst the entire district. Among the activities they help with is the Thanksgiving Day Bash, where 3,000 people are fed, the Christmas Toy Drive, where 500 toys are distributed, and the Disney on Wheels Program, which transports terminally ill quadriplegic children every year as their final wish. Raúl hopes that the same core values that he learned as a student at Belen continue to resonate with students today. Among his takeaways from Belen are “doing well by doing good,” work hard, be productive, excel in whatever you do in life, but never forget where you came from and give back to the community, so those people that you give back to can live the same life that you do.

Gradually, the foundation expanded its services provided to children. From initially mentoring and tutoring the children, the foundation has since partnered with Olympic athletes to sponsor and work with the children, provided archery and dance lessons, and granted scholarships to the children—all intending to provide these children with the option and opportunity to pursue their passions. As Raúl’s parents and his education at Belen taught him, he wishes to impart the same values of discipline and ethics to the children, to make them better people who similarly serve the community. Now, as a father to a Belen alumnus and current student, Raúl hopes that his children have similarly taken away the values of perseverance and service imparted to him from a young age through his education at Belen.

Raúl has made a remarkable impact on the community, from beginning the foundation as a “one-man show” to having a lasting impact on thousands of families across Miami. The resounding message he would like to leave with readers is that each one of us can live out the Magis in all aspects of our lives. The magis is a call to greatness, a challenge to go beyond the norm, to strive for excellence in all that we do, and to never be satisfied with mediocrity.