WestCare Pacific Islands has officially welcomed Sanctuary Incorporated into its network, marking a new chapter in community care for Guam and the region.
The merger preserves Sanctuary’s 54-year legacy of providing emergency shelter, transitional housing, and Guam’s only residential substance treatment program for youth, while strengthening organizational capacity and expanding services throughout the Pacific.
WestCare Pacific Islands Chief Operating Officer Aja Ramos said the partnership will help extend the same level of care beyond Guam.
“Under the WestCare Pacific Islands umbrella, we have operations here in Guam, in CNMI, and in Palau,” Ramos said. “I’m really excited about, and so is the staff, being able to help in the same capacity here on the island in other regions, to include CNMI, and hopefully one day, Palau.”
According to WestCare Pacific Islands Board Chair Maria Eugenia Leon Guerrero, the merger will enhance administrative systems, grant opportunities, and long-term sustainability, while keeping Sanctuary’s identity intact.
“Sanctuary’s mission lives on,” Leon Guerrero said. “We’re not just preserving a legacy, we’re expanding it.”
Both organizations emphasize that the merger is not a loss of identity, but a continuation of purpose: to provide youth and families with compassionate, culturally grounded care.
WestCare Pacific Islands now plans to strengthen regional support systems for at-risk youth in the CNMI and beyond, with a unified mission to uplift island communities across Micronesia.
For more information about WestCare Pacific Islands and Sanctuary’s programs, visit https://www.westcarepacificislands.org
