Lisa Hall, RN
Interim President and Clerk
Since 1995, I have been involved with children’s projects in the community of Camoapa, Nicaragua. I have served on US Boards, as well as volunteered at projects, making 5 visits to Nicaragua over the years. I feel a strong commitment to helping the children at Hogar LDA develop to their fullest capacities, and to accompanying them and their families on their journey to a brighter future.
Carole Lapidus, Clinical Social Worker MS, LCSW
Vice President
I have been committed to work towards making a difference for as long as I can remember. My particular interest and expertise has been working to remove the emotional roadblocks to learning using a mental health modality. I work with young children and families and train mental health workers and teachers.
I have stood with others in the US for the principles of social and economic justice for all. I first visited Nicaragua during the Sandinista years and was impressed with how much optimism and energy there was behind the new projects. I have been to Nicaragua almost every year since 1998, on delegations supporting community efforts to feed malnourished children, provide pre-schools and other educational structures for young people. Additional interests include micro-financing for cooperative work projects.
Allison Emmerich
Treasurer
Alison Emmerich has been working in the financial services industry for over twenty years, and brings her experience and knowledge to the Board as Treasurer. She is particularly interested in micro finance, and has long had an interest in Nicaragua, beginning when her children volunteered as part of a school project.
Rachel Louise Greenwood, MS Education
Founder, Executive Director, Board Member
I first became interested in Nicaragua in 1989, when a friend who was from Nicaragua asked me to help him drive a pick-up load of supplies and farm equipment there to help his family. It was the last year of the first Sandinista administration and of the US embargo, and everything was scarce. I was very much impressed with the kind and friendly attitude of the Nicaraguans, and their efforts to change their country. I made a promise to myself that I would return and contribute to their efforts.
A few years later my friend started a project for street children at his farm in the rural community of Masigue in the municipality of Camoapa. I visited and volunteered there several times over the next few years. After getting to know some of the community leaders in the city of Camoapa, I came to believe that my efforts would be better spent working with them to create a project for at-risk children in the town itself. Working with the leaders of various community organizations, I founded Hogar Luceros del Amanecer.
My undergraduate education was at Cornell University in the department of Nature, Science and Conservation Education. Many years later I completed my Master’s degree in Education at Kansas State University in 1992, and took various courses in Spanish and Latin American Studies in addition to my education classes. I feel that my varied experiences — teaching middle school math and science, teaching various levels in a cooperative school in Kansas, teaching adult basic education and English as a second language, and living and working on a farm — have proved valuable in developing the project.
In addition to my experience in education, I am using my interests in sustainable agriculture, and in conservation of wildlife and natural ecosystems to develop a project which I hope can be an example for others.
Emily Mew, MPPA
Board Member
I grew up in Northampton, MA. After graduating from college in 2001, having studied Anthropology and Spanish, I spent about 6 years working in the social service field with at-risk children, adolescents and families in Western Ma. During this time I did some traveling through Central America and also lived in both Spain and Guatemala for several months at a time. I have always had an affinity for the Spanish language and the Latin culture and an interest in serving the public, especially children.
After several years amid human service work while simultaneously developing a broader global perspective, I realized that I did not want to spend any more time working within organizations that only put Band-Aids on our social problems. So in 2007 I decided to go back to school for my Masters of Public Policy and Administration so that I could target the root causes of our world’s troubles. Not having any idea where I would end up, I coincidentally learned about The Sunrise Foundation at one of our fundraisers. I came down to Nicaragua in 2009, after graduating with my MPPA, and have been here ever since. I spend most of my time working on the ground here in Nicaragua but I travel regularly, bringing our important message back to the United States as a new Board Member.
Christine Kenneally
Board Member
After graduating from college in 2001 with a BA in Psychology and Spanish, I began my first job working in Los Angeles with families who had immigrated from Mexico and Central America, where I coordinated educational and mentoring programs for children and adolescents. Through this work, I developed a love and appreciation for the people of Latin America and their welcoming culture. I went on to spend nearly a year traveling and volunteering in Central America, mostly in Guatemala. For the past 10 years, I’ve worked with several organizations serving a variety of different populations, by running programs that provide direct services to help people help themselves. I am inspired by witnessing people have experiences that change their outlook on life and on their circumstances for the better. I’m currently working in the field of Arts Education, where I run an Artist Residency Program for teenagers from all over the U.S. Joining the Board of Directors of The Sunrise Foundation is a way for me to continue my human services work in a community where our efforts really do make a difference for people, and where there’s a real opportunity for cross-cultural collaboration and education.
Tom Waggle, BFA
Advisory Board Member
My first visit to Nicaragua in the spring of 1999 was the beginning of a life-long commitment to sharing my talents and time with the people of Nicaragua. During my four years of volunteer work in Camoapa I had the pleasure of meeting many of the people who would come to create the Sunrise Foundation. My time working with the children in Camoapa helped to inspire me to become an art educator here in the United States. I look forward to the development and growth of the Sunrise Foundation and hope that our efforts in Camoapa will have a lasting impact on the children we serve and the community in which they live.
Steve Boyda
Advisory Board Member
I’ve been involved with children’s projects in Nicaragua since 1995. As the father of five children and a practicing lawyer, I have a deep concern for the lives of children around the world. In particular, the children in Nicaragua find themselves in extreme hardship, after years of economic and political unrest in their country. I am proud to be involved in efforts to help them
