The Founding Advisors of Mitrata

As we continue to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Mitrata, we are also celebrating the people who have helped it become what it is today. Today we are spotlighting four individuals who were vital to the success of Mitrata. These dedicated, talented and wise people helped Founder and Executive Director Dr. Christine Schutz plant the seed of Mitrata and had a great impact on our early development. They were instrumental in building a solid organizational foundation for us to be able to support our mission of making a difference one child at a time.

Jim Brasunas

The first founding advisor we are spotlighting is Jim Brasunas. As with many others, Jim became a firm believer in the mission of Mitrata. This led to him becoming a child sponsor and then one of the early board members. Jim’s career had given him a large amount of expertise in the areas of nonprofit and start-up organizations. As Christine was looking for a way to turn the sponsorship of children into a fully functioning organization, Jim was kind enough to offer his knowledge to Christine. He was very instrumental in the establishing of Mitrata as its own 501c3 organization in 2005. Click the image to read more about the history of Mitrata and to watch a short video of Jim sharing his perspective on the beginning of Mitrata.

Leah Schulte

The next founding advisor we are spotlighting is Leah Schulte. According to Christine, Leah was the “One woman Peace Corps in Nepal.” She was the Executive Director of a nonprofit corporation named O.U.E.S.T. It was active in Nepal from 1998 to 2010. As an already established organization, O.U.E.S.T. was the perfect fiduciary agent for Mitrata from 2002 to 2005, when we were able to gain our own 501c3 status. O.U.E.S.T. supported the early sponsorship program by dispersing 100% of the donations from the states to our first NGO partner in Nepal. Even after they were no longer Mitrata’s fiduciary partner, O.U.E.S.T. remained a child sponsor and Leah remained a good friend of Christine and Mitrata. To hear more of Leah’s perspective on the first few years of Mitrata, click the image.

Gil Williams

The third founding advisor we are spotlighting is Gil Williams. Gil had been doing business in Nepal since the early 90s through his business, MacroSun International. Many of his Nepali business partners also became his dear friends. Gil introduced Christine to Nepal and she became good friends with one business woman there. Gil’s connections and Christine’s friendship sparked her first trip to Nepal and her return trip in 2002 became the very one that brought about the founding of Mitrata. Gil’s organization Macrosun International has held many fundraisers and events in support of Mitrata though the years and Gil was an essential board member from the beginning. He is highly involved in Mitrata to this day. Click the image to learn more about why Gil believes Mitrata has “been a great blessing.”

Nancy Williger

The fourth and final founding advisor we are spotlighting today is Nancy Williger. Christine had shared her dream of doing something to help the Children of Nepal with Nancy before traveling to Nepal for the second time. Nancy had previously traveled to Nepal and knew firsthand the challenges the children in Nepal were facing. Nancy willingly volunteered to sponsor a child, if Christine could find one in need of her help. Little did she know, she was volunteering to be Mitrata-Nepal Foundation for Children’s first ever child sponsor. From there she also became not only a founding board member, but she also served as the Board President for many years. She describes her involvement best by saying, “20 years and at least 8 t-shirts later, I am still on the board and have been to Nepal four more times since my first trip.” Click the image to watch a short video of Nancy sharing her perspective on all the things that transpired to being Mitrata.

Now, we want to take a moment and say thank you to Jim, Leah, Gil, and Nancy for the role you played in transforming Mitrata into what it is today. The time and effort you have put into Mitrata is priceless, and we cannot express that enough. You are truly irreplaceable members of the Mitrata family, and we are endlessly thankful for you.

Click the button above to learn more about the beginning of Mitrata, or to RSVP for our 20th Anniversary Celebration!