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Keela Grimmette
Founder
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. Their smiles and laughter echo in her heart and mind. These children became her passion and her life. She was not willing to leave them behind and so she founded Reason2Smile to ensure their futures.
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Donna Rosenblum
Executive Director Donna resides in Merrick, NY with her husband and three children. She is the Supervisor of the School Library System for Nassau BOCES. Donna is passionate about children and education. She is Reason2Smile’s Executive Director and chair of the educational committee. She is constantly coming up with new ways to impact people locally and abroad. Donna travels to Jambo Jipya School annually. "For me Reason2Smile has filled a void that I was not cognizant existed. I am so grateful to be a part of this organization and its members. In the words of Muthami, a 14 year old orphan from the school ‘Life is Good!’" |
Christina Lawrence
Board Member Christina lives in Upstate New York with her husband Jasen, her sons, Asher & Asa, and a houseful of cats and dogs. She received her BA in Art History at Wells College in 2007. She currently curating and renovating a 1800s transitional Adirondack Camp and an extensive antiques collection. Not only is Christina a member of the board but also serves as Reason2Smile’s treasurer. |
Kitty Dates
Board Member Kitty lives in Sterling, NY with her husband and enjoys life embracing her children and grandchildren. She is a retired school teacher and believes that there is so much that education can offer our world. She followed her daughter, Keela, to Jambo Jipya School in Kenya in 2007 and fell in love with the children there. "We are so blessed in our American culture, but we often forget that we are blessed to be a blessing. I think living with gratitude and reaching out to others with compassion gives us our greatest opportunity to find joy in our life’s purpose." |
Linda Caniano
Board Member Linda Caniano is a retired School Media specialist who has lived in Massapequa, Long Island, New York since 1972. As a mother and grandmother, she feels strongly that education is the key to economic stability, and equality. Reason 2 Smile is an important way to show our responsibility and commitment to others no matter where they live, and partnering with Jambo Jipya gives us a real opportunity to make a difference in the world. I have been so blessed in my personal life, that it makes me happy to know I am helping to make life just a bit easier for the girls and boys of Jambo Jipya, and to help them become fully entitled citizens of the world. Working with Keela and Jackie on Reason 2 Smile’s World Music Festival has been extraordinary. They have inspired me to get involved locally to support education globally. My own belief that education is the path to a brighter future is resounded by the mission of Reason 2 Smile. I have watched my daughter benefit from an amazing education and believe every child should have access to these resources. I am honored to contribute to a group whose success is measured in the smiles and advancement of the children at the Jambo Jipya school. |
Christina Dierlam
Board Member Christina Dierlam is a social studies teacher at Floral Park Memorial High School. A passionate educator and mentor, she is nationally board certified and has won numerous teaching awards. Christina is a world traveler and that reaffirmed her commitment to issues in the developing world. A champion of education, she led three student trips with buildOn to Nicaragua to build schools. Those life altering experiences led her to continue this type of service work and her involvement with Reason2Smile and its mission at the Jambo Jipya School. |
Sebastian Waldron
Board Member I am currently in a Masters of Divinity program at Duke Divinity School. I plan to graduate in May of 2021. At Duke I currently serve as the President of the Prison Justice Action Committee as well as a 3rd year class representative. My current work is focused on creating a more just criminal legal system through the lens of Christianity. At Duke I have had the opportunity to serve as a chaplain in a state prison. I have also had the pleasure to serve in Kenya for two months through the Umoja Partnership—an interfaith non-profit organization based out of Indianapolis, Indiana. While in Western Kenya I worked in 19 different primary schools, and more specifically with orphans and vulnerable children providing them with educational resources. I am originally from Saranac Lake, New York and worked with Reason2Smile in its early stages while in high school. While serving in Kenya I found my way back to working with Reason2Smile and am so honored to now serve as a board member for the very organization that helped spark my passion for justice work in the world. The children and staff at Jambo Jipya are near to my heart and I am excited to work with them. |
Melinda Alford
Board Member Melinda lives in Garden City, New York, is married and the mother of five children. She is the School Librarian at the Unqua Elementary School in Massapequa, New York. “ I learned about Reason2Smile when I attended a BOCES workshop for school librarians. It instantly struck a chord with me that this was an organization I wanted to be part of. Here, we all have so much that we forget about how fortunate we are. I introduced my students to the Jambo Jipya School by reading them Neema’s Reason to Smile and having my students make bracelets with Kenyan beads. By comparing their lives to that of a Kenyan child, my students have a greater appreciation of all they are fortunate to have and have been very enthusiastic about fundraising to help Kenyan children go to school. It has been an amazing experience to be part of this organization.” |
FOUNDING MEMBERS
Mark Demers
Founding Board Member Mark has a Degree in Music from the University of Vermont and a Masters in Divinty from Boston University School of Theology. Mark has been United Methodist Clergy from 1981 through the present. He is currently serving as pastor of the First United Methodist Church in Burlington, Vermont. Mark is married with three grown children, one grandson, and one granddaughter. He currently resides in Burlington, VT. "I have been given so very much. Reason2Smile inspires me to give something back - a bridge connecting needs with resources, where love and compassion meet in the middle.” |
Stephen Doxzon
Founding Board Member Steve is the owner of Adirondack Lakes & Trails Outfitters in Saranac Lake. This is primarily a paddle sport retail shop. They also rent canoes and kayaks and offer guiding and other services. Steve currently resides in Lake Placid, NY. “I have a keen interest in the people of Kenya. I worked for the YMCA of Kenya for three years and am aware of the needs of the people of Kenya especially the children. I believe Reason2Smile is a unique opportunity to do something tangible and lasting for the children and community of Mtwapa.” |
Rita Griffin
Founding Board Member Rita has taught for 29 years. Currently she teaches first grade at Cato-Meridian Elementary, a rural school between Rochester and Syracuse. Rita is married and has two grown children, a son and a daughter and five grandchildren. She lives on a small farm in Marcellus, NY. “The first time I saw Keela, after her first stay in Kenya, I knew this was not going to be a short term ‘Fundraiser.’ This was going to be a lifetime commitment for her and to see her passion and feel her energy, I knew this was something I wanted to be part of." |
Steve Preston
Founding Board Member Steve was born and raised in Lake Placid in a large family with 6 siblings. After a 12 year healthy career at Bank of Lake Placid, he took the job as Guest Service Manager at the Holiday Inn where he learned the hospitality business. After 10 years Steve moved to the competitor, Hilton Lake Placid Resort to become the Director of Sales & Marketing. After 6 years of 80 hour weeks and a lot of stress, he stepped down and is now the Senior Sales Manager, focusing on conference sales for Associations, Government and other groups. Steve currently resides in Saranac Lake, NY. "When someone has a passion as strong as Keela’s about Reason2Smile and Jambo Jipya, I cannot help but want to share that with her.” |
Nip Rogers
Founding Board Member Nip attended George Washington University from 1979-1987. He received his BFA in 1983 and his MFA in 1987. Nip has been a freelance illustrator since 1987. He currently resides in Lake Placid, NY (his hometown) after being away for 30 years. Nip traveled to Kenya in 2008 and spent a couple of months visiting Jambo Jipya School. “Keela has started doing something I have always dreamed of doing. I have been involved almost from the beginning of Reason2Smile and I am not about to stop now!” |