From the streets of Haiti to the fields in Indiana, Maxito Isenhower is living the American Dream and taking advantage of every opportunity available to make life better for those he loves.

New to the Grayson County community, Isenhower is trying to carve out his niche in the town he has relocated his wife and young son to while working as the financial advisor for Edward Jones Investments.

Although the Edwards Jones office has stood on the square in Leitchfield for the last eight years the new face behind the desk belongs to Isenhower.

Born in what he calls the forgotten third world country of Haiti, Isenhower believes there were little opportunities for a better life in his home county and is grateful to the missionary that adopted him and brought him to America.

“About 80 percent of Haitians live under the poverty line,” said Isenhower. “My dog lives better than about 60 percent of those in Haiti because she gets to eat two meals a day.”

He described the educational system in Haiti as purposeless because there are no jobs available and it is hard to get an education with so many distractions at home.

“It is survival of the fittest with about two-thirds of the population living off the land with a quarter acre of land,” said Isenhower. “That is what my dad did and my mom would go to the ocean front where she would gather vegetables to help provide enough to feed us.”

When he was 10 years old his mother fell dead at his feet and Isenhower is unsure what was the cause of his mother’s death.

“A missionary then adopted me and I was raised by her parents in Indiana,” said Isenhower. “I believe my mom made that sacrifice for us so we could have a better life. That beginning made me a stronger person. I know what it is like to have nothing.”

Isenhower added the biggest difference in my life in the United States and in Haiti is simply opportunity.

“Things are not peaches in my life right now but they are a lot better than what I had,” said Isenhower. “The whole process of moving here was a blur. My mom had just died and I did not speak any English. In Haiti I spoke Creole and was learning French.“

The fact that Isenhower speaks with almost no accent shows how hard he has worked to become a part of his adopted country.

After graduating from Ball State University in 2006, Isenhower began working as a sales manager for a financial company in Muncie, IN, but felt he was unable to fill a lot of needs of his clients and began to explore other options.

“Finding a new firm that offers a broad range of products for all financial needs was initially what brought me to Edward Jones,” said Isenhower, “and the way they do business and the respect they hold from the overall brokerage firms was very convincing. The biggest thing that brought me to Edward Jones was their focus on customers, amongst everything Edward Jones does they put customers first.”

Taking the position in Grayson County at Edward Jones allows Isenhower to build more than a home for eight-month-old son Maxito, II and wife Jataun.

“Moving here and taking over this office has given me an opportunity to settle and build a future,” said Isenhower.

“I want to make a difference,” said Isenhower. “I started life with nothing and have been given so many opportunities so by reaching out to those that do not have as much and educating those who do not have a lot, I can give back. It may take time to reach these goals.”

The office administrator, Cathy Bradley, has teamed up with Isenhower to help the individual customers in Grayson County prioritize their financial goals and develop strategies.

Their overall goal is to be visible throughout the community and inform people of all the financial opportunities available to them.