How we got started...
Our board:
Michael Ewens , born November 22 1958 in Roseburg Oregon held an interest in developing countries and poverty relief from a early age. He has over 20 years in the construction trade including two years with Habitat for Humanity and supervision of a school and clinic in Knya Africa. In pursuit of simple living he has developed skills in organic gardening and animal husbandry. Since 2006 He has been working and developing contacts in Chajul Guatemala to support the work of this organization. 9712 Kopachuck dr. N.W. Gig Harbor Wa. 98335
Karen Elam was born in Santa Fe, New Mexico, over 100 miles from the shanty town where her father served as pastor and her mother taught in the public school. Her parents fought for safe drinking water and sewage disposal and for better education for the community. Above all, they made every effort to bring people from all racial, ethnic, and social groups together in common cause.
By the time Karen attended Pomona College in Claremont, California, she had grown into the “family business”, having marched with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Chicago, participated in school levy campaigns in small town Iowa, and in writing grant proposals for after-school arts programs. There were septic and water system installations in Mexico and New Mexico and evenings spent teaching English as a Second Language while in high school in Phoenix, Arizona.
At Pomona College, Karen lived in the international dorm where she served as Resident Advisor. She graduated with a BA in Modern European Foreign Languages and received a community service award from faculty and students.
Upon graduation, she spent a year in Chartres, France, working as an English teaching assistant in the local high school under the auspices of the Fulbright Foundation. Karen followed her Fulbright year with graduate work in French at Arizona State University where she completed all but her thesis requirement in a Masters in French.
She then taught high school level French and Spanish at the Leelanau School, a private boarding school, in Glen Arbor, Michigan. Marriage drew her back to Chicago where she set up after-school language programs, taught French at the University of Chicago Lab School, and finally served as head of the foreign language department at Mt. Carmel High School in Hyde Park. Since then, Karen has devoted herself to raising her two children, tutoring in French and Spanish, and volunteering in the local school district where she served on various curriculum committees and offered Spanish instruction to elementary age classes. She is currently working on a picture book for young readers and is excited about the possibilities for Ripple Effect, Inc.
Shirley Anderson has lived and raised her family of five in Puyallup Washington . Currently she is an office manager for J&B Excavation and their family rentals. She has been a dedicated volunteer for Habitat for Humanity for 5 years in their Tacoma store.
Founded and created by Michael Ewens, our name was inspired by a song that the Ewens family used to sing to their four sons,” Drop a pebble in the water watch the ripples grow,” using this to demonstrate how each one of us has the ability to impact others lives.
The first ripple began when on June 16, 2006; their son Forrest lost his life in an ambush in Afghanistan. With the proceeds from Forrest’s life insurance, Michael went looking for a memorial project in Guatemala where he could help Forrest’s ripple continue to impact others lives. Like Michael and Forrest, each one of us can create our own ripple and make a better world.
When actions speak louder than inaction we will make a better world.
creating new opportunities for the Ixil people of Guatemala through sustainable programs for change.
