U.S. Board of Directors
Lori Hart, a US Daylight Center and School board member since 2018, is a Family Nurse Practitioner living in Minneapolis Minnesota. Her areas of specialty are Pediatrics and International Travel and Tropical Medicine. Throughout her career she has enjoyed opportunities to practice in a variety of healthcare settings including volunteer work in Mexico, Haiti, Peru and Nepal. She has developed a passion for caring for and learning from her culturally diverse patients in the US and abroad.
Through her neighborhood church, Linden Hills United Church of Christ, Lori and her 2 daughters were introduced to Daylight Center and School in Kenya. They saved spare change and donated towards bunkbeds for the school’s dorms.
Eventually, in the summer of 2018, Lori and her daughters joined a team from LHUCC on a service trip to Daylight School. During the trip, Lori assessed and treated each of the 300 students plus many community members and school staff during a pop-up medical clinic located on the school campus.
Why I am involved with Daylight School: I feel honored to serve on the Daylight Board. I am very passionate about supporting and promoting the physical, mental and spiritual health of the students and the environment at Daylight so the children can reach their imagined potential.
I am so grateful for the gifts from donors who help realize the goals of Daylight School and the dreams of each and every Daylight student.
Lori Hart (co-chair)
Rebecca Erickson has been a member of the Daylight US Board since 2016. She has worked at various fun and creative jobs, with her last one being in conference planning. Since retiring, she has taken on many volunteer opportunities, one of the most meaningful being in group and in-home respite for people with dementia. As a member of First Presbyterian Church in Stillwater, Minnesota, she occasionally plays piano for worship, plays the bass bells in the handbell ensemble, and sometimes sings in the vocal choir. She has helped plan many retreats for the women’s group. She lives in Stillwater, Minnesota.
Why I am involved with Daylight School: This school is special. It’s a boarding school for about half of the students who attend Daylight. The boarders have been orphaned due to tribal violence, but it is so much more than a boarding school. The children are educated and fed and have a safe place to sleep, but they also experience the love of family from the incredible teachers and staff. The teachers aren’t just teaching academics. They are giving the children the family they’ve lost. The school’s amazing test results are a testament to the wonderful experience the children have. It’s an amazing combination. The teachers and all of the financial supporters of
Daylight School are helping the students achieve their dreams of being engineers, teachers, doctors, musicians and shopkeepers. I’m proud of the work I’ve done while being on the Daylight US Board.
Rebecca Erickson (co-chair)
Merv is a Minnesota native and Realtor with Edina Realty. Merv has always had a passion for serving the less fortunate. That passion has led him to lead several faith based mission trips to Haiti and rural Belize with the goal of empowering local communities in regards to health and food sustainability while serving the vision for those goals through indigenous leadership.
Merv lives in Maplewood with his wife Lisa. Together they love hanging out with their 3 adult children and two grandchildren, enjoying the walking and biking paths in the area and travel to their favorite destination, southeastern Idaho.
Why I am involved with Daylight School: I learned about Daylight when I read the book Poor Millionaires about 7 years ago and had the opportunity to meet the Co-founder Michael Kimpur. My wife and I became sustaining supporters of Daylight because it met all the giving criteria that we value. It was justice driven, seeking to provide education and hope to one of Kenya’s poorest areas. Providing a home for orphaned children and playing a role in the betterment of the entire community. When I visited Daylight in January of 2020 I found the leadership to exceed my expectations. It is a working farm with full time gardeners and herdsman. The staff and volunteers work hard to make the most of every donation coming from the US. I feel that my gifts to Daylight are contributing to the bending of the moral arc of the universe toward justice.
Merv Miller (board member)
Patricia Irons Roberts (board member)
Pat is a retired Minnesotan with a passion for working with those needing assistance to achieve their goals and dreams.
She worked for many years as an employment counselor with single mothers for non-profits. Her unique approach has always been wholistic in scope. Finding employment for her clients was just the start. How can you keep that job without daycare and transportation? How do you manage your finances and turn a paycheck into intergenerational wealth? How can we break the circle of poverty if we don’t take care of all the causes, not just lack of employment?
“I have built homes for Peruvians living in a garbage dump, mentored African immigrant families new to America, and gave teens living in poverty a safe place to live while they gained education. It has truly been a pleasure seeing people succeed with a little help.”
Pat lives in south Minneapolis with her husband Mike. Being a new grandmother to Frankie, Nathans son is the joy of her life. She loves to travel, play pickleball, ride her bike, and spend time with her friends.
Why I am involved with Daylight School:
When Michael Kimpur called my son Nathan 15 years ago to plead for help with 25 orphaned children, the second call was to Nathans parents (me). We have lived the joy and sorrow, achievements and disappointments, and everything in between in the 15 years I have been supporting Daylight financially, spiritually, and physically. To travel to Kenya and see the students and staff was a rare gift. I feel it is an honor to be a board member and help young Kenyans create a better country through our work at Daylight.
Morris Miller (Treasurer)
Morris
Becca Mealey (Director of Operations)
She lives in Rochester, MN. — and she joined the Daylight U.S. Board in 2017.
Becca is a retired school teacher who loves to learn! She especially enjoys helping others and watching their life journeys! She has traveled to the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Venezuela, and Belize with mission groups who work with local communities.
Why I am involved with Daylight School: I read the book Poor Millionaires — and then I had the opportunity to meet the co-authors Nathan Roberts and Michael Kimpur. I am inspired by the mission of Daylight, and I would love to see the school some day. I am interested in learning more and seeing the school’s impact on the children that they serve.
Kenyan Leadership Team
Paul Okiya (Head Teacher)
Paul oversees the student's academic outcomes and works with our teachers to prepare quality lessons. We are so grateful for his pursuit of academic excellence.
Mercy Chemutai Kogo (School Secretary)
Mercy is in charge of keeping records of students, reporting to the Kenyan Ministry of Education, and relating to Daylight student's family members. She is also the technology teacher and helps our students learn computer skills.
Reuben Losharipo (School Manager)
Reuben ensures that the school has the materials we need to meet the physical needs of the children and staff. He purchases food, fire wood, and school supplies. He is also in charge of staff payroll. Reuben has been with Daylight since the beginning 12 years ago and we are so grateful for his leadership.
Angelina Kimpur (Co-Founder)
Angelina is the school matron and the kids call her "Mama Daylight." She ensures that the students are healthy and well fed. She accompanies sick children to the doctor. She oversees the school kitchen which prepares over 1000 meals per day. And is in charge of the Daylight farm which grows 1/3 of the food eaten at Daylight. She is also the day to day project manager of Daylight building projects.
Michael Kimpur (Co-Founder/Director)
Michael oversees the large scale projects and visioning for Daylight. But he entrusts the majority of the day to day operations to the rest of the leadership team. This is because Michael also serves the Kenyan Government as the Director of Disaster Relief for the local West Pokot County Government. He works closely with the Governor of the region to help provide emergency relief caused by hunger, poverty, or natural disasters. Michael's work is vital to the health and safety of the wider community in which Daylight School is located.
