Dan speaking at the Safe Passage opening ribbon cutting ceremony.

In Loving Memory of Dan Casazza

Dan was passionate about education for children growing up in dangerous and marginalized environments, supporting and catalyzing projects in Guatemala, Kenya, and Brazil, and many other countries around the world.

Safe Passage was one of the first international projects that Dan gave his heart and soul to, working side by side with Hanley to build our first building.

A special story from Dan's family: ""Dan was doing missionary work in the highlands of Guatemala when he visited the garbage dump and met Hanley Denning. He learned of her plans to build the school and began to assist. He worked on locating a site for the school and by overseeing the general contractor during the building phase of the facility. He made several trips to the school during its construction, as construction was his area of expertise.

There is a story that’s part of our family lore. One morning he woke up and said, “There is a problem at the school, I’ve got to go down there.” He immediately flew to Guatemala and discovered that the holes being built for the windows were not the correct size for the windows that had been purchased. He arrived just in time to correct it. He was always blessed by remembering how the Lord sent him down there at just the right time."

Safe Passage is honored to be an important part of Dan’s legacy and will use gifts in his honor to provide a transformative, high-quality education and full wraparound services (health, mental health, nutrition, social work, parent education, job skills and training, and job or university placement) to 550+ students annually who live in the communities surrounding the Guatemala City garbage dump.

Today, Safe Passage graduates are forging a new and wildly different path than society once expected for them. With 30 graduates currently in university, many working gainfully in trades, and all of our students showing measurable academic and social-emotional growth year over year, and having graduated our first doctor from university in 2024 (and another set to graduate this year), we are proving that together we can break the cycles of abject poverty and violence in just one generation.

We are deeply grateful for your gift to Safe Passage in honor of Dan’s huge heart</b> and long history of supporting transformative educational projects around the world.

*Please make sure that your browser and operating systems are updated to the most current versions before donating. We take your online privacy and security seriously. Learn here about how we maintain the best practices regarding online security and protection.

Safe Passage accepts donations of cryptocurrencies using BitPay. Blockchain payments make the online payment experience simple and convenient on any device – no sensitive personal information is needed. 

Please send physical checks to: 
Safe Passage
PO Box 791899
Baltimore, MD 21279-1899