About Us
We are a small organization. As such we each wear many hats. Pam is our founder and the juice that keeps us going. Tejendra is there in Nepal for all the day to day interactions. Our Board members, David, Kristin and Pete provide deeply valued wisdom, enthusiasm and energy. Richard brings his vast experience to our Advisory Committee.
And our sponsors provide the love and generous support that make this project happen.
Who We Are
Pam Whitworth
Founder and Director
Pam traveled to Nepal for the first time in 1995, fulfilling a dream she had had since she first started reading stories about the Himalaya when she was 12 years old. Little did she know how profoundly that trip would change her life; opening a door onto experiences and a destiny she could never have envisioned.
She started sending a single child to school in 1997. Over the years she asked friends to help with educating disadvantaged kids in Nepal and so, the project grew. Then one day she suddenly realized she was smack in the middle of developing the kind of charity that she had always felt called to create. And Shanti Children’s Foundation came into being. Pam continues to visit Nepal about once a year to oversee Shanti and to connect with the children and school administrators, ensuring that SCF runs smoothly. Day to day she manages all the many details of running this non-profit. In addition to her full time job with SCF, she is an artist and designer.
Dave Gold
Board of Directors
Dave one of our first sponsors for children through Shanti and a founding Board member. He and his wife Caryn have been enthusiastic and generous supporters of Pam’s work since the earliest days. Dave lives in Los Angeles, is a world traveler, a physicist and a successful retired businessman with experience in the non-profit world. A natural philanthropist, his practicality, business savvy and compassionate heart are a great asset to our SCF Board of Directors.
Richard Grimlund
Retired Treasurer / Current Advisory Board
Richard from North Liberty, Iowa is a retired accounting professor. Richard first traveled to Nepal in 1965! He and his wife Ute live out in the country and grow much of their own food. They are long time SCF sponsors. They are also people who are deeply invested in making the world a better place. Richard served on the Board of Directors of several non-profits over the years and brings that wealth of experience to Shanti. Fortunately for us, although retired now from years as Shanti’s dedicated Treasurer, he continues to be there for expert advice and support.
Kristin Ruether
Board of Directors / Secretary
Kristin is an environmental lawyer from Boise, Idaho. Over the years her passions have included volunteer work resettling refugees from Bhutan and Burma. Kristin now brings to Shanti a heartfelt love for our sponsored children. Over the course of three visits to Nepal she has formed a unique bond with the kids who treat her like a big sister. They love to spend time with her because she listens and is sincerely interested in their lives and how they think...and she’s so much fun!
Kristin is enthusiastic about the value of education and how it can change lives. Her commitment to the children of Shanti is infectious, inspiring others to become donors and sponsors.
Pete Dollive
Board of Directors
Pete’s been a stockbroker for 38 years and brings years of financial experience to work Shanti. “ I feel inspired by Shanti’s commitment to impoverished children with little hope for advancement in life, helping them to get the education they so desperately need”.
Pete and his wife Patty have followed Shanti's development over the past 20 years and have always been there to support our kids in whatever way they could.
Pete and Patty feel a particular affinity to Shanti, as they went to India in 1992 to adopt their beautiful daughter Raina, who was 4 months old at the time. She is now 28 years old and flourishing. “We have seen first-hand a stunning level of poverty. Of course, love of children is a universal feeling that I'm sure you share. They are our hope for the future. And Shanti is doing something to make that better future a reality.”
Pete is working to help Shanti raise funds and to be more secure.
Tejendra Lama
Assistant to Director, stationed in Nepal
Tejendra Lama is our “man on the ground” in Nepal. Starting in 2015 (fortuitously, just before the earthquake)he has been a constant link between our Director and the schools, our children and their families. He worked tirelessly attending to the myriad urgent needs in the wake of the earthquake disaster: locating our kids and their families, providing aid wherever needed, working with our schools to repair damage, distributing food and medical supplies. Our hero.
With great compassion and good common sense he continues to coordinates daily with Pam to manage all the many details that come up in the lives of our 100 children.
We are fortunate to have him on our team!