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About FreeSchools – Meet our Board of Directors
What we do
Free Schools began in 1999 at a convent school in Bihar, India. British humanitarian Mark Bloomfield and Sister Cresence, Mother General of the Sisters of Sacred Heart, devised this simple and cost effective model to educate desperately poor children who would otherwise NEVER attend school.
Using existing schools and facilities during after hours, local teachers are hired to teach “ESSENTIALS ONLY”: 3R’s/Health Issues/crafts and other income generating skills/Civic Awareness. The syllabus is tailored to meet the individual needs of each community.
A set of clothes and a nutritious meal is provided. At home students teach siblings what they have learned. There is no proselytizing, no religious discrimination. Priority, but not exclusivity is given to girls.
Being a small, volunteer-based organization enables 96% of funding to go directly to the field. Recognizing that Education is the KEY to breaking the cycle, funds raised are applied directly to programs rather than capital expenditures. Utilizing existing facilities rather than building new ones produces startling cost efficiencies. Educating one child for one year costs $15 fifteen dollars.
We presently have 45 FreeSchools in India and Thailand.
Download the Freeschools Brochure (200KB PDF) GO...
Our Board of Directors
Sue Tennant, President
Sue and her husband Derek own Silver Springs Culinary Retreat near Flesherton (www.silverspringsretreat.com). Silver Springs is a not-for-profit corporate retreat with luxury accommodations and meeting facilities for groups of 10-16. All proceeds from the retreat business go to FreeSchools World Literacy. An experienced entrepreneur and fundraiser, Sue is an ordained Interfaith minister and founding Chair of the Ontario chapter of World Interfaith Education Association, now Interfaith Ontario.
Lorraine Kirchmann, Vice President
Lorraine resides in Toronto and is a professional facilitator specializing in strategic planning, team building and leadership with clients such as Imperial Oil, Pfizer, Nestle Purina and AC Nielsen. An experienced teacher, communications consultant and charity fundraiser, she holds membership in Junior League of Toronto, Leacock Foundation and St. Paul’s Bloor Street Anglican Church. Currently chairs St. Paul’s Foundation for the Arts.
Blythe Malloy, Secretary/Treasurer
Blythe resides in Toronto and is a retired schoolteacher and Department head of English with a special interest in reading. Experienced working with adults and students new to Canada, coming primarily from war torn and impoverished countries. Has traveled in Asia with first hand knowledge of poverty issues and lack of access to education.
Directors - at - Large
Joanna Moore-Jennery
Joanna has worked in sales in the office furniture industry for the past twenty years. She was moved, at first introduction to FreeSchools, by how much of a difference can be made in the lives of these children with relatively little money. Lives in Scarborough Bluffs with 2 Newfoundland dogs and husband Nick, who shares her passion for FreeSchools, especially with regard to the transparency of the organization and the simplicity of the program.
Darryl Reiter
Darryl is founder and President of Children’s Technology Workshop (www.CTWorkshop.com) , a technology education company focusing on teaching children creative ways to be innovative through technology. CTWorkshop is quickly becoming the world leader in technology education for children. Having doubled in size for the past eight years, the company now boasts over 65 locations in operation across Canada, US, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Shanghai. Darryl and his wife Bonnie live in Toronto with their two young children who are also excited about helping other children less fortunate than themselves.
Larry Mann
After 30 years in public education in Toronto, Larry and his wife Lyn moved to Lake Eugenia, near Flesherton. His career spanned teaching children from Kindergarten to grade 12, adults at the Ontario Institute of Education (University of Toronto), administration as a school principal and facilitation as workshop leader and conference presenter in the areas of communications, organization and leadership. Later he worked as a consultant for the two largest school boards in the GTA and more recently was invited back to assume the role of Principal to help ease the gaps in leadership affecting some school boards over the past few years. Larry and Lyn are family-oriented with two professional adult children and together they enjoy hiking, cycling, kayaking, snow shoeing and skiing. Trips to Africa and Asia have allowed Larry to witness, first hand, the results of poverty and lack of schooling.
Keyur Patel
Keyur is a recent graduate from the University of Waterloo, (Ontario) with a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering. He lives in Mississauga and is currently working as a Junior Engineer at LKM, a Division of SNC-Lavalin Engineering & Technology. He was born and raised in Gujarat, India and in the year 2000 he immigrated to Canada with his parents and elder brother. In 2005, he visited India for the first time in the last five years and saw it from a new perspective. The poor living conditions of thousands of people deeply moved him and he decided to take a step towards helping the underprivileged in India. Freeschools provided a great opportunity for him to make a difference and do something for his home country.
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