TLC Board

Sam Cregar - Board President

Shaker Hts, Ohio

Sam was born & raised in NE Ohio where he also attended college. After graduating with an Early Childhood Education degree, he taught elementary school for three years. After a few years of different jobs he has landed being a real estate agent. Sam has been passionate about TLC for a long time & when asked to join the board, he happily accepted.

TLC board member since 2021

Linda Henry - Board Vice-President

Chagrin Falls, Ohio
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer - Lesotho

Linda joined the board after working in 2013 with Sr. Juliana Manele to set up the St. Camillus Centre Home for Orphaned and Vulnerable Children. She continues to visit the Centre as often as possible. She has led a team of physicians and organized shipping containers of medical supplies to clinics and hospitals in the Mohale’s Hoek region. Linda is committed to TLC and it’s mission to help the children of Lesotho. She was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Lesotho from 1980 - 1982.

Board Member 2014-2021. Reappointed in 2022.

sherry hellenkamp - board TREASURER

Tacoma, Washington
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer - Lesotho

Retired Customs Manager of Imports/Exports, Weyerhaeuser, Federal Way, WA, BA Business Administration

Sherry served in Lesotho as a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) in 1980-82 where she provided training in accounting to manage school funds. Sherry and her husband Joel (who also served as a PCV) returned to visit Lesotho in 1994 and again in 2010 while attending World Cup games in South Africa.  On this second trip, they shared their love of Lesotho with their 3 adult children and were able to visit Sr. Juliana and the St. Camillus Project.

Sherry’s prior career experiences include working as the Controller & CFO (11 years) for Morning Sun Clothing and as an accountant for non-profits and small businesses for 5 years. Past volunteer activities include serving on the Advisory Board for YMCA Camp Seymour, and volunteering with the Phoenix Housing Network, Habitat for Humanity, and St. Leo Food Connection.

TLC board member since 2008- 2016, reappointed 2019

Kelly Pauley - Board Secretary

Aurora, Ohio

Kelly was born and raised in northeast Ohio and attended college at Ohio State University. After graduating with her undergraduate degree, she then attended A.T. Still University in Mesa Arizona where she received her Doctorate in Occupational Therapy.

Kelly is currently a pediatric occupational therapist for Akron Head Starts and PRNs at a rehab center. Kelly has always loved working with kids and after hearing about the amazing projects and support that TLC has provided to the children in Lesotho, she could not wait to be apart of the team. 

Board Member since 2022

Shawna Cain - board member

Portland, Oregon
Returned Peace Corps Volunteer - Mohale's Hoek, Lesotho

Shawna served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Mohale's Hoek Lesotho in 2012 - 2014, where she was introduced to the St. Camillus Center, Linda Henry, and The Lesotho Connection.

While her main assignment was on food security and sustainable agriculture, you could often find her playing with the fun-loving kids at the St Camillus Center, located just across the street from her rondavel (round house), working on women's artisan projects, or teaching swimming lessons, zumba and yoga with Basotho friends.

It was the experience of farming in Lesotho that ushered Shawna into a future life path working in the intersection of social and environmental sustainability, and today she manages the food recovery program at Oregon Food Bank helping route >160 grocery store donations to neighbors experiencing food insecurity.

She lives in Portland with her husband and two terriers.

TLC board member since 2021

Palasa Gororo - Board Member

Orange County, California

Palesa Maieane lives in Orange County, California with her 3 kids and husband. She loves that Southern California is such a melting pot, rich in diversity and various cultures. She enjoys going out, exploring her surroundings, getting to meet new people, and exposing her children to all that California has to offer them.

Palesa was born in Washington D.C. to African parents (both natives of Lesotho, Southern Africa) who were working in the diplomatic service at the time. While she was born in the USA they opted to move back to Lesotho once their term of service was over so they could raise their children amongst their people and culture. Palesa thus grew up in Lesotho and South Africa, and moved back to the USA at the age of 19 to pursue her college education. She attended Private British Schools (elementary to high school) with all the expatriate children in Lesotho, giving her a broader global view and an appreciation for different cultures and norms.

Palesa began her undergraduate studies at The University of Cape Town (South Africa) and completed them at The Ohio Dominican University in Columbus, Ohio where she obtained a B.A. in Economics and Business Administration (cum laude and Honors Program). She has an MBA with a focus in International Development/ Sustainable Economic Development from Hope International University in Fullerton, California.  Palesa also holds a Research certificate from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio in The Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Development Economics.

Palesa currently works in Supply Chain Operations for one of the largest Wine and Spirits Distributors in the USA where she manages all forecasting for large brands such as Tito's Vodka, Bogle Wine, and Cutwater Ready to Drink Cocktails.

Board member since 2021

Mary Lemke - Board Member

Tacoma, Washington

Mary Lemke has a heart for the HIV/AIDS community and a passion for empowering youth towards a greater future. It has always been a dream for her to visit Africa and she would love to go as volunteer for The Lesotho Connection. This dream inspired her to join the board in 2019.

Mary is a Tacoma native, having lived both north and south of 6th Avenue, a licensed massage therapist, and mom of three.

TLC board member since 2019

Lewis “Weej” Mudge - Board Member

Charlotte, Vermont
RPCV Mohale’s Hoek, Lesotho

Lewis, who was known in Lesotho as Weej, was the first Peace Corps Volunteer at the St Camillus Centre in Mohale’s Hoek from 2002 to 2004. While there he and Sister Juliana worked to establish the centre as the HIV/AIDS pandemic was at its height. He was deeply affected by his time in Lesotho and subsequently dedicated his career to Africa. He went on to work in Malawi and Morocco before moving to Congo in 2008, where he trained journalists in the region on how to best cover ongoing trials at the International Criminal Court. In 2011 Weej joined Human Rights Watch, based in Rwanda, where he currently works as the Central Africa Director. In 2015 he moved with his wife and first child, Thayer, to Nairobi, Kenya, where their next two children, Leslie and Quinton, were born.

In 2018 the family moved back to Vermont. Weej continues to cover Central Africa for Human Rights Watch, working with teams in the Congo, Rwanda, Burundi and the Central African Republic documenting human rights abuses and coordinating advocacy efforts to end them.

When he’s not travelling, Weej serves on the Selectboard for his town in Charlotte and spends time hiking and skiing with his family.

In 2017 Weej took his family back to Mohale’s Hoek to visit Sister Juliana and the St. Camillus Centre and is looking forward to going back.