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Cities and Sponsors
Washington, DC
Fuddruckers, Chinatown
Giant Foods
Applebees, Falls Church
Quiznos 19th & K Sts.
TGIFridays, National Airport
TGIFridays, Vienna
Bridgeton, NJ
First Presbyterian Church
The Jewish Federation
Vineland Rotary
Boston, MA
Gordon College
Clarksburg, WV
Sutton Inn and John Skidmore
Chunki’s Pizza
Minard’s Restaurant
City of Clarksburg
Clarksburg Convention and Visitors Bureau
CENTRA
Tomaro’s Bakery, Inc.
Clarksburg Mission
Liberty High School
Robert C. Byrd High School
Notre Dame High School
Oliverio’s Peppers, Inc.
Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church
Young, Morgan & Cann
Marino Brothers Meats
Liberty High School Civil Rights Team
Chicago, IL
Omaha, NE
The Mammel Foundation
Tulsa, OK Cherokee Nation Enterprises
Crowne Plaza Hotel
Gilcrease Museum
Greenwood Cultural Center
Leadership Tulsa
University of Oklahoma—Tulsa
Los Angeles, CA
Coordinators
Dhiren Mehta
Hasani Perry
Jay Stinnett
Peter Kipp
Rajen Dhami
Host Families
Dhiren and Rajul Mehta
Ramesh and Bindi Doshi
Hemendra and Rekha Doshi
Narendra and Charu
ManiarHasendra and Bina Shah
Additional Supporters
Shefali Mehta
Ashok and Vidya Sapre
Raj and Manjri Dhami
Al and Lourdes Fasani
Virendra and Urvashi Shah
Mike Zuck
Eba Hathout and Mohamed El-Shahawy
Phoenix, AZ
Moyes Storey Law Offices
Central Arizona Project
Light of Hope Institute
Arizona Interfaith Movement
Arizona State University
Austin, TX
St. Matthew's Episcopal Church
Austin Recovery
Selma, AL
Montgomery Rosa Parks Museum
Selma Chamber of Commerce
Alabama State University
Southern Poverty Law Center
Brown Chapel
Ft. Myers, FL
Hope House
Uncommon Friends
St. Peter Lutheran Church
Coalition of Immokalee Workers
Florida Gulf Coast University
Richmond, VA
Healing, History and Hope
Hope in the Cities
Museum of the Confederacy
Black History Museum
Saint Paul’s Baptist Church
Quioccassin Baptist Church
Westminster-Canterbury
Participants
Zoryana worked as an interpreter and teacher of the English language in several organizations in Ukraine, including the Lviv State TV. In 1999-2001, she served as one of the project coordinators of an NGO based in Lviv, “Student Brotherhood”. Having spent a year in London, in a multicultural and pluralistic environment has helped her redefine the needs of her community at home, especially in accepting difference and diversity.
Natasha Ghilascu is from the Republic of Moldova. In 2003, she graduated from the Academy of Economic Studies. Following graduation, she participated in internships at United Nations Development Program where she analyzed Moldovan human development policy and Moldovan export promotion. Since 2000, Natasha has been strongly motivated to contribute to the positive welfare of others and to address educational challenges through NGO work. To that end, she became involved in Initiatives of Change-Moldova, initiating activities for youth and NGOs through mass-media projects and educational courses.
Howard Grace,* from the United Kingdom, is a former math teacher committed to motivating responsible community serving students. Howard has worked with Initiatives of Change in Holland, India, Australia, Sri Lanka, Russia, Southern Africa, Eastern Europe and the US. He brings a wealth of experience in educational programs and is the UK national coordinator of the Initiatives of Change schools service. In this capacity he has facilitated, with international teams of young people, over 700 workshops in schools in the UK. These aim to stimulate thought about motivation, purpose and values amongst Senior High school students.
Will Jenkins,* from the United States, is the Director of Communications for Initiatives of Change-USA. He has worked for several international organizations and founded and directed his own local nonprofit, which engaged the performing arts to address social issues faced by middle and high school students. He is a trained mediator and has an M.A. in Intercultural Communications. He has professional experience on both the performance and production sides of theater, radio and TV.
Hoang Le Danh is soon to be a graduate of the International Trade Faculty of the Foreign Trade University, Vietnam. However, his most recent success was starting a business specializing in farmhouse bird nest trading and breeding. Hoang hopes that his new business can lead to a movement to breed birds and to collect nests in farm houses rather than the current damaging practice of exploiting nests in their natural cave environments. Hoang became acquainted with Initiatives of Change at the Asia Pacific Youth Conference and has been part of dialogues promoting reconciliation in the region.
David Ruffin, from the United States, has just returned from three months working as a volunteer in a highland pueblo in Guatemala, where he taught English, Math, and Reading to a class of indigenous Mayan children. After graduating from Northwestern University with degrees in Music and Drama two years ago, he has worked as a elementary school teacher, political campaign director, waiter, as well as actor and singer, before deciding to take some time out of the country. He says he is thrilled to be taking part in the ACTION program.
Wambui Nguyo from Kenya holds a diploma in banking and finance. She has been heavily involved in a number of Initiatives of Change leadership programs in Africa. Wambui worked with the Clean Africa Campaign to launch the pilot program for a leadership-training course held in Nairobi, Kenya, and with Action for Life to launch a similar leadership-training program held in India and South East Asia. Most recently, she took part in the Creators of Peace, a women’s peace initiative held in Kampala, Uganda. Wambui is committed to carrying forward the values, faith and spirit of commitment gained during her involvement with Initiatives of Change wherever she goes.
Maria Florencia Ruiz, from Argentina, holds a degree in Nutrition from the University of Buenos Aries. She has worked as a freelance translator, and as manager and salesperson in businesses ranging from Levi’s to graphic design companies in Argentina. In Buenos Aries, she did volunteer work for a government project, “Ser Solidario”, providing information about Public Health and Nutrition in disadvantaged areas of the city. Serving as one of the people who helped run the Initiatives of Change conference center in Caux, Switzerland, during the summer, she has experienced a multicultural working environment and hopes to use that experience in the course of the ACTION Program.
Ashley Sider, from the United States, just graduated from Goshen College with a Bachelors degree in History and International Studies. At the College, she completed a three month service and study term in the Dominican Republic. Ashley enjoys working with people and learning from them, and she hopes to engage in fruitful exchanges with fellow participants and hosts of the ACTION program. Having traveled various parts of the US as part of her coursework, she is passionate about the need for equal opportunity in America’s schools, especially in the South.
*ACTION Team Leader
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