Dear Oasis Family,
These are exciting days for Oasis for Orphans and, as mentioned in previous letters, there's a lot going on. As you can imagine, this is not a one man operation - far from it. It takes many people to do the work to support orphaned children, from both sides of the Atlantic. Since taking the leadership role with stateside operations I have been working hard to develop the team to move our mission forward. Some faces have been around Oasis for years and others, like me, are new to the team. Together we are forging the trail for the next leg of the exciting Oasis journey. Let me introduce you to a few of the team members who give of their time, energy and leadership.
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| Rick, Nduati and Ann |
As you know, Rick and Ann Smith are our Kenya missionaries. They oversee the ministry on that side of the globe. They are responsible for the daily operations of all of our current projects as well as helping to develop new partners and projects. Without their dedicated service we wouldn't be where we are today. Rick has brought on a wonderful addition to the team, Joseph Nduati, our accountant in Kenya.
On the USA front, Diane Elliot is the Operations Administrator. Together Diane and I work to keep the stateside operations moving forward so Rick and Ann can continue their critical work on the front lines in Kenya. Nate Kaiser, whom most of you know, has a full time corporate job but dedicates the majority of the rest of his time to serving with Oasis as well. Nate has developed much of the infrastructure for the management of the massive amount of data required to run the organization. In addition, he has drawn building plans, built buildings in Kenya, and you have likely seen his photos and videos on our printed materials and at events. The five of us function as the operations team of Oasis, dreaming, planning and executing the daily details to serve our kids.
TEAM Oasis is a huge part of the financial engine that serves children
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| Team Oasis |
in Kenya and Kim Huffman is the amazing woman keeping it "running" smoothly. Kim also has a full-time job but still carves out huge chunks of time to manage TEAM Oasis. Sherry Boyack is Kim's right hand woman during the 2013 race season and with 450 runners this year she has been a life saver! Rounding out Kim's team are the dedicated racing team leaders and coaches who have selflessly given countless days of training help to new and experienced runners alike. Kudos to TEAM Oasis team leaders Dave and Conce Griffin, Hannah Haecker, Jen Neumann, Jon and Angie Guillaume, Julie Barrett, Maddi Guillaume, Natalie Boudreau, Sherry Boyack, Tiffany O'Malley, Tony Jao and many, many others.
We have many significant volunteers who lead and coordinate different parts of the
organization as well. Danna Herden is our sponsorship coordinator, Jim O'Malley our
education coordinator, Delilah Fritzler our gratitude 
coordinator, Kathy Mose our events coordinator, Kathi Derse our spiritual education coordinator, Cliff Rampal our finance coordinator and Scott Derse our medical advisor. Each of these individuals are invaluable for Oasis and many of them are looking for people to join their team and lend a hand as we grow. In addition, there are other teams that need talented leadership such as administration, volunteer coordination, marketing and communication, etc. If you are interested in volunteering please contact us.
There are, of course, many other important staff and volunteers in Kenya and in the US. At the top of the responsibilities list is our board of directors; Brad Beitzel, Greg Haecker, Scott Hayward, Chris Herden and Rick Smith. These guys are working hard to facilitate the transition of Oasis for Orphans from a one site operation to a multi-site growing dynamo for orphaned children in Kenya. We would be lost without them at the helm!
In Kenya there is a word used to describe how people help each other out in times of need. That word is Harambee. When resources are needed for a special occasion like a medical emergency or a wedding, the people of a village are asked to Harambee - literally "let's all pull together." That's what we are calling for here at Oasis. Let's all pull together and use our talents, resources and prayers to help save and develop the orphaned children of Kenya.
Harambee!
Tom Andersen
Manager of Oasis US Operations
