One Home Many Hopes: About Us

A Sampling of the One Home Many Hopes Volunteer Crew:

	Lydia Bradley – Originally from Portland, OR, Lydia currently resides in Jamaica Plain, Boston. Lydia is passionate about sustainable development and education for girls. She sought to get involved with a heartfelt and smart initiative and something local but international. OHMH was a perfect fit! She studied Political Communications at Emerson College and presently works as the Program Manager for Strong Women Strong Girls, an after school mentoring program for 3 – 5th grade girls. She loves coffee, wine, dancing, roof decks, sun, running, universal health care, v-day, and getting out of here once in a while…
	Jenny Dolan - Originally from outside Philadelphia, PA. Jenny currently teaches theology to high school students in Spanish Harlem, NYC. During her time in Boston studying at Boston College, she was lucky enough to meet Thomas Keown. Remarkably, years later, she found Thomas tolerable enough to accompany him and Matt Homberger to Kenya. The children of Mudzini Kwetu remain her fondest memory of the trip.
	Matt Homberger - Born and raised in Connecticut, Matt was then re-born in Boston. Matt currently lives in the East Village, NYC. He studied at The University of Virginia before continuing on to Harvard for Law. He was mobbed by the girls of Mudzini Kwetu on a day in late August 2007 which was “more affection than I ever received in my life.” After Thomas Keown was renamed "Jesus" by the girls, Matt was renamed "Philip" (after their silly, white lapdog).
	Jason Jacob – Jason is from New York, NY by way of South India and the Middle East. He currently resides in Watertown, MA. Jason works in Cambridge at an engineering research lab. He went to college at RPI in Troy, NY (a town which never really evolved past the Industrial Revolution). Jason started working with OHMH from the beginning when he heard Thomas' accounts of his trip to Mtwapa. He was deeply moved by the account of Anthony and his desire and willingness to do his part to alleviate the suffering of these girls who would otherwise be living on the streets with a minimal chance of survival. He strongly believes in the long-term vision of OHMH, particularly the goal of sending each girl to college so they can learn skills that will help them into adulthood.
	Peter Keating - Peter helped launch and sustain Epiphany School in Dorchester, a tuition-free middle school in Dorchester, MA in 1998, and has served in many roles, from Board president to part-time teacher. He is an active director/trustee for numerous non-profits, most of which focus on child and teen development. When he has a few minutes, he fulfills his obligations as president of Keating & Company, Inc. and Keating Holdings LP, both based in Boston. Peter's favorite activity and top priority is being a husband to his lovely wife, Alix, and a Dad to his wonderful children, Nate and Eliza.
	Thomas Keown – Born in Kilkeel, Northern Ireland and a graduate of Queens University in Belfast, Keown’s curious roamings have taken him to more than 30 countries around the world and included spells living in Vancouver, London, and nowadays Boston. His wanderlust has been steadied by the mission of ‘One Home Many Hopes’ and he believes that providence brought into his life the people on this page who bring life and hope to the girls in this place. By day Keown works for the Irish Immigration Center and as a freelance writer. By night he dreams of visiting Cleveland. Keown is an active member of Park Street Church, loves meat, and hates summing himself up quickly.
	Todd Kropp - Originally from Western New York, Todd is currently a graduate student at the University of Michigan in the Health Management and Policy program. Following college, Todd worked as a youth counselor in Salzburg, Austria for two years then relocated to Boston where he crossed paths with Thomas Keown at the suggestion of a wise mutual friend. Todd was moved to get involved with One Home Many Hopes after hearing about Keown's travels to Kenya and the inspiring story of Anthony Mulongo. He looks forward to the possibility of traveling to Kenya to meet Anthony and the girls.
	Vanessa Leong - A Chicago native with ties to four countries and seven other cities, Vanessa now lives in Lesotho, Africa, where she works to ensure that children with HIV/AIDS receive care and treatment. With an MBA/MA degree from George Washington University, Vanessa is committed to using whatever skills she has to help Mudzini Kwetu continue its work. She volunteers with One Home Many Hopes not because its work will change the world but because we are changing the lives of these individual girls. Vanessa loves holidays, hunting for ingredients in Southern Africa to make her favorite dishes, and the Internet. She misses U.S.-style customer service and CVS.
	Nathalie Lonsdale – Born in Surrey, England, Nathalie grew up on Long Island, NY before heading south for school in Texas. She moved to Boston to obtain her MBA from Boston University and is currently working at Fidelity Investments. Nathalie’s passion is travel and she has been fortunate to have traveled to all corners of the globe. She was inspired by Thomas Keown’s article in the metro to help stimulate the needy around the world, not just our economy at home. Nathalie hopes to take her son to someday meet the girls at Mudzini Kwetu.
	“The Order” – Under Jenny Dolan’s direction, these students from Cristo Rey High School in Spanish Harlem are a student led group in service to one another, the community, and the world. These kids held a food fast, video game competition, bake sale, and other initiatives to contribute over $3000 to OHMH and are continuing to raise money for the cause.
	Erin Prediger - Originally from a small town north of Philadelphia, PA, Erin now lives in Washington, D.C. after graduating from Boston University. She currently works for Melwood Global, a public relations and strategic communications firm. After meeting Thomas Keown and learning of One Home Many Hopes, Erin wanted to get involved in any way she could and she currently assists with OHMH's monthly newsletter. Erin has spent time in the western city of Kitale, Kenya on a dental mission and hopes to return soon so she may also visit the girls of Mudzini Kwetu.
	David Scott - Now a lawyer in Bristol, England, Dave originally became aware of Mudzini Kwetu while working for a legal aid charity in Nairobi, Kenya. Mudzini has close links with the local legal community as it often needs to obtain advice in relation to its running and child custody issues. Dave was and still is inspired by the sacrifices Anthony has made in his own life to improve the futures of the girls in the care of OHMH- "If he can give up a career, surely I can hold a fundraiser". Dave was also struck by the innovative approach and appetite and for improvement that Mudzini has. Dave likes the big portions you get in American restaurants, surfing and days off work. Dave also believes in the phrase "You (probably) can't change the world, but you can change someone's world".
	Reetu Sharma - Reetu is from the Boston area. She graduated from Boston University in 2005 and now works for the Brandeis International Business School. She became a volunteer of OHMH in November of 2007. Knowing that her work contributes to the growth and empowerment of these deserving girls in Kenya fills her with incredible gratitude for the opportunity she has to make such a difference.
	Carolyn Stremple Bennett – Carolyn moved to Boston in 2004. She currently works at the Boston Redevelopment Authority as the Digital Cartography & GIS Manager. In 2007, she met Thomas Keown after reading his Article for the Metro. She was so moved by what Anthony Mulongo had accomplished to help the orphaned girls in Kenya that she just had to help. Someday she hopes to travel with her children to Mtwapa to meet Anthony in person and meet the girls that she has heard so much about.
	Jon Tapper – Jon owns Melwood Global, an international strategic communications firm, has spent a large portion of his professional life overseas, working in and with the media on matters regarding human rights. He worked for three years at the United Nations in Geneva, heading the Department of Public Information's English language coverage of the Human Rights Treaty Bodies. Later, he worked in Afghanistan, assisting the Karzai Government in establishing and running a media operations center. Jon, who met Thomas Keown several years ago, was moved by the story of his visit to Mtwapa and wanted to help grow One Home Many Hopes in any way possible. Jon lives in Boston with his wife, Sandra, and his daughter, Anisa.
	Kathy Tunsley – OHMH Treasurer. Born in Dorset, England many moons ago, Kathy now resides in Sharon, MA. She came to the US in 1989 with her husband on a temporary work assignment and never left. Kathy has worked at the British Consulate in Boston and three years ago started her own landscape design business which she loves. She learned of OHMH through Thomas Keown who convinced her of its worthy cause, where a little makes the world of difference to these lovely girls.