Keela Dates

Founder and Executive Director

Graduating in 2006 from Wells College, Keela planned to take a year off to volunteer abroad before returning to upstate New York and pursuing a career in education. Life, however, had different plans for her. The children in Kenya she planned to teach for only two months, touched her heart and changed her life. She came back to the United States with a new mission: creating safe, healthy, and happy living and learning environments for children in developing countries. These children are her passion and her life. Their smiles and laughter echo in her heart and mind. She is not willing to leave them behind.

Keela spends her days running Reason2Smile out of an office in Lake Placid, NY.  When she is not in the office answering emails and planning out upcoming fundraising events, she can be found speaking in schools across NY State (into Pennsylvania and Vermont as well).  She loves connecting with young people and encouraging them to reach out and help others.  

Once a year Keela flies to Kenya to reconnect with the children who put her life on the path she's currently traveling.

Read her personal blog here.