Who We Are

We believe that every child on earth deserves a permanent, caring family of his or her own. To that end, we follow this child-centered pathway:

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Education

Foster Care

Medical Care

Nutrition

Safe Haven Foster Care

Love Without Boundaries Foundation (Federal ID 06-1710161) is a registered 501c3 charity in the United States. As such, financial donations are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law in the US. Donors receive an acknowledgement receipt after each charitable gift, and a year-end summary is available to donors annually.

LWB takes transparency, financial accountability, and donor privacy very seriously. To make sure we maintain an unimpeachable ethical standard, we have put the following policies into place:

• Our financial records are audited each year by an independent accounting firm, chosen by an audit oversight committee who then reviews the findings. We know we are entrusted by our supporters to make the most impact possible with the funds received.
• Our board of directors holds regular board meetings. No board members receive compensation from LWB. Additionally, regular meetings are held with our project managers to make sure every program we run provides the highest quality care for the children we serve.
• LWB is committed to protecting privacy and ensuring the security of personal data for our donors, supporters, program participants, volunteers, team members, and partners, both in the US and internationally. See LWB’s Enhanced Data Privacy and Security Policy

LWB strives each day to be as honest and transparent as possible about everything we do. Have a question about how things are done?  Just ask us!  We will be happy to discuss anything we do. This is a team effort between you and us, and none of our work is possible without that trusted partnership. While we know that no company or corporation is perfect, we work each day to be the absolute best charitable organization possible.

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“There are nine people in my family so there wasn’t enough money for me and my sister to go to school before LWB. I love coming to school now as I learn so much here. I’ve made lots of friends and get to have lunch, too.”
Jason, a student at LWB’s Believe in Me School

“Before I went to LWB’s school, I couldn’t read or write, but now I can read great. I love school so much. The teachers here are very kind and respectful.”
Caroline, a student at LWB’s Believe in Me School

“I’m happy the LWB tuk tuk can pick me up for school each day as it’s not safe for me to walk alone through the jungle to get to school. I love the hot lunch program at the LWB school because I don’t get enough to eat at home. I think the food is really delicious!”
Anita, a student at LWB’s Believe in Me School

“I am really proud of LWB’s scholarship, which allowed me to become the first person in my struggling family to attend university. I am enrolled in a pharmacy program, and when I graduate, I plan to help others in need, just like I was helped.”
Megan, a university student in LWB’s Education Program

“Thanks to LWB, I am now studying electronic engineering at university. I love studying, and I know my degree will help me for the rest of my life. Without this opportunity, I would probably have to cross the border to work on a construction site. Now through education, I will have the skills and knowledge to have a bright future for me and my family.”
Paul, a university student in LWB’s Education Program

“I, myself, experienced many hardships as a child. I became a foster mom because I want to help other children escape from a difficult life like mine. To be a foster mom means not only feeding and caring for a child, it means bringing the warmth of a family and real hope so a child can grow up healthy and well educated.”
Foster mother in LWB’s Foster Care Program

“Thank you LWB for giving my baby the chance to live! I am so grateful for the successful heart surgery she received because of you. My entire family is so thankful for your help and support. A few short sentences are not enough for me to fully share my appreciation for LWB. Thank you for the good work to save the little ones in my country, Uganda.”
Mother of Jerusha, helped through LWB’s Medical Care Program

“From the first hug we give to a baby upon arrival to the last kiss when they graduate and we must say goodbye, we get to see the fragile baby grow and learn to trust and smile again. We feel so happy to see he or she gets a second life. The day we see a child off for their life is always one filled with such mixed emotions. We feel so sad to say goodbye to a child we have cared for, but we are happy for them that they get so much love and care from around the world. This makes me feel my job is so meaningful.”
Nanny in LWB’s Healing Homes Program

From parents adopting children who were in LWB care:

“Love Without Boundaries supported all of my daughter’s needs beginning with cleft lip repair surgery at 8 months old, enrolling her in foster care at 12 months old, and paying for preschool at age 4.  Her foster family’s love and her preschool experience eased her transition to her life post-adoption.”

“We are forever grateful to the Love Without Boundaries foster program in Changzhi. They provided our daughter with a foster home full of love and joy. We believe this is a huge part of what made her transition into our family so smooth. She is a child filled with joy and love overflows from her. We know this is because of the love she received while in LWB care.”

“Thanks to the treasure trove of photos and reports we received from LWB after our daughter’s adoption, she has a beautiful lifebook bursting with information we would not have had otherwise. This is crucial to our daughter and her identity as she explores and makes meaning of her story.”

“LWB changed the lives of two little girls by providing life altering surgery for them in their first year of life. They then became part of our family and changed the course of our lives forever, in ways we only dreamt might occur.”

All board members except emeritus members are independent voting members. Additionally, in order to ensure fiduciary oversight and best practices in charity governance, LWB’s chief executive officer is not a voting member

Alan Dahl, Board Chair

June 2018 to Present
Alan Dahl was in the business of growing healthcare companies for the last 30 years. He started in the post-acute space and has founded or actively participated in the leadership of healthcare companies both in the private and public settings. He co-founded a private equity firm working exclusively on working with small and mid-sized healthcare companies, which was his focus for the last half of his career. Alan and his wife, Carol, are based in Atlanta, have four wonderful children, and are blessed with five grandchildren. They have a long and active involvement in international adoption and children’s charities.

Bob Spires, PhD, Board Vice Chair

November 2016 to Present
Dr. Bob Spires is an associate professor at the University of Richmond in Richmond, Virginia, in the Department of Graduate Education. He specializes in research on nonprofits using education to address social issues, such as human trafficking and poverty in Asia. He lives with his wife, Amy, and daughter, Jane Claire, in the Richmond area. He has assisted LWB with program development, as well as monitoring and evaluating programs in Cambodia and Uganda.

Doris Acheme

June 2021 to Present
Doris Acheme is from Nigeria and currently resides in the US, where she is an assistant professor at the University of Georgia. As a researcher, her area of interest is in intercultural and intergroup communication. Specifically, she studies the role identity plays in the psycho-social responses of individuals during interactions. Doris is passionate about education and believes that children and teens, irrespective of their backgrounds, gender, and culture, should be given an opportunity to be educated. More importantly, children should be nurtured in other aspects of their lives, whether it be physically, psychologically, or emotionally. As a member of LWB’s board of directors, Doris hopes to contribute to the lives of children in need.

Pim Bhut

April 2021 to Present
Pim Bhut immigrated to the US as a Cambodian refugee in 1984. Inspired by the generosity of volunteers and nonprofit organizations that helped her, Pim has spent the last 20 years supporting Prey Moul, a small village in Cambodia, where she grew up. Independently and through fundraisers, Pim has provided resources to supply the village with clean water and support their local primary school with equipment and supplies. She also supports the Cambodian community at home in Richmond, Virginia, helping run the local Buddhist monastery and organizing cultural events. Through LWB, she hopes to continue her work helping other Cambodian villages in need.

Alisa Chan

June 2020 to Present
Alisa Chan was born in Cambodia, where she spent her first 15 years of life. She now resides in Jacksonville, Florida, and is a dedicated wife and mother to two wonderful children. Alisa majored in accounting in college with a minor in finance. For the past 20 years, Alisa has shared her time and knowledge to help those in need, especially the Cambodian community in Jacksonville. She is unwaveringly passionate in her belief that education is a fundamental human right; so she particularly appreciates LWB’s focus on investing in children’s education. As a member of LWB’s board of directors, Alisa’s goal is to help children grow up with the tools they need to achieve their dreams.

Dan Ellsbury, MD

September 2013 to Present
Dan Ellsbury is a neonatologist at Mercy Children’s Hospitals and Clinics in Des Moines, Iowa, and the national director of quality improvement for a large physician practice company called Pediatrix Medical Group. He also performs clinical research with the NIH through his affiliation with the University of Iowa as an adjunct associate clinical professor of pediatrics. Dan and his wife, Lisa, have 16 children, including ten who have been adopted from China.

Lisa Ellsbury

March 2015 to Present
Lisa Ellsbury has devoted her life to being a mom to kids with severe and complex medical problems. She has a special place in her heart for the many orphaned children she has seen in China and has become an active blogger (seriouslyblessed.com) and advocate for adoption of orphans with special needs. She has connected with a large and generous network of families who have felt the call to care for “the least of these.” Lisa and her husband Dan currently reside in Des Moines, Iowa with their 16 children.

Charlie Guo

June 2020 to Present
Charlie Guo is an analyst at Nissan North America, focusing on pricing, marketing strategy, and development. He has always been interested in social psychology, economics, and technology. Born in China, he is passionate about multicultural matters, China, and helping people across the world. Charlie was first introduced to LWB from his wife, who also has a passion for China. Charlie lives with his wife and kids outside Nashville, Tennessee.

Jennifer LaBahn, MD

June 2018 to Present
Jennifer LaBahn is a pediatrician who lives in Oklahoma with her husband Jacob and their six children. Jennifer began her medical career in the Army, providing inpatient and outpatient pediatric care to children of US service members. She also deployed to southern Afghanistan to provide combat medical care to US soldiers during Operation Enduring Freedom. For the past several years, Jennifer has provided medical and developmental consults to families in the international adoption process. She loves LWB’s programs that support family preservation, good nutrition and medical care, quality education, safe foster care, and adoption advocacy.

Marla Louie

May 2018 to Present
Marla Louie is from Vancouver, British Columbia. She is married to Sam and both are retired health care professionals. They have three adult married children and two grandchildren. Marla volunteers at the local food bank and is an active volunteer in her church community. She has been to Cambodia several times and is an avid supporter of educating the children and youth in several villages where LWB has a presence.

William Messerschmidt, MD

June 2018 to Present
Bill Messerschmidt is a thoracic surgeon and clinical informatics physician lead with Ballad Health Systems in Tennessee. He is Clinical Professor of Surgery at the James H. Quillen College of Medicine of East Tennessee State University. He and his wife, Bonnie, who is a Nurse Practitioner, live in Johnson City, Tennessee. Together they have five children, including two grown sons, three daughters adopted from China, and two grandchildren. Bill and his family are very involved with their church, their children’s school, extracurricular activities, and organizations such as LWB that support international adoption and underprivileged children.

Joanne Owyang

March 2015 to Present
Joanne Owyang has enjoyed a successful career in accounting and finance and is currently the Controller of Finfare. She lives with her husband, Jason, and their three children in Orange County, California. Their younger son and daughter were adopted from China as toddlers. Joanne was first introduced to LWB when they were in the paper-chasing process for their first adoption.

Amisha Patel

June 2020 to Present
Amisha (Amy) Patel is an executive for corporate healthcare companies focused on orthopaedic surgery. Amy was on the clinical side working in sports medicine and completed a research fellowship in spine surgery, focusing on trauma and degenerative issues. She then migrated to the corporate side, working in total joint replacement, pain management, and adipose tissue therapies for patients not ready for major surgery. Amy has published over 200+ articles and eight books. Amy resides in New York City, along with her multiple foster animals. She has been passionately involved with supporting underprivileged and orphaned children around the world.

Don White

May 2006 to Present
Don White and his wife, Grace, are the parents of twin daughters, Reagan (YaYun) and Sydney (YaQiu), adopted from Jiaozuo, Henan, in 2004. Sydney and Reagan are cleft affected and were two of some 30 children who had their clefts repaired on the very first LWB cleft trip in May 2004. Don is an author and internationally known speaker. His latest book is titled “Always End with the Beginning in Mind.” Don spent 40 years in the investment business. His involvement with the MDRT Foundation has resulted in several grants assisting LWB programs.

Amy Eldridge, Chief Executive Officer

Amy founded Love Without Boundaries in 2003 and has led efforts to create and implement life-changing projects for orphaned and impoverished children in multiple countries. Amy believes firmly that passionate and committed people have the power to change the world, and she sees a key part of her job as supporting and encouraging volunteers around the world to manage LWB’s many program areas. Amy is the author of The Heart of an Orphan, chronicling how one tiny baby with heart disease inspired a movement to help vulnerable children worldwide, and The Heart of Community, profiling the individual stories of some remarkable children and offering deeper insight on how a strong and authentic community can help transform the lives of children around the globe.

The following physicians and medical professionals volunteer their time and expertise to help ensure Love Without Boundaries has the information needed to provide the most comprehensive care possible for the children we serve. Our advisory board members are highly respected experts selected to provide a depth and range of experience in various fields of medicine.

Jason D. Ayres, MD

Board Certified in Family Medicine
Medical Director Camellia Lawley Hospice
Southside Medical Clinic
Gadsden Regional Medical Center
Southside, AL

Katherine Clinch, MD

Board Certified in Anesthesiology, Pediatric Anesthesiology
Associated Anesthesiologists
Medical Director of Anesthesiology
Children’s of Minnesota
St. Paul, MN

Lori J. Cohen, MD

Board Certified in Family Medicine
Bolivar Family Care Center
Citizens Memorial Hospital
Bolivar, MO

Neil Derechin, MD

Pediatric Anesthesiologist
Board Certified in Anesthesiology, Pediatrics, Pediatric Anesthesiology
St. Paul Children’s Hospital and Untied Hospital
St. Paul, MN

Ellen B. Dietrick, PT, DPT, PCS, C/NDT

Physical Therapist and Continuing Education Coordinator
Arlington Pediatric Therapy Management Services, Ltd.
Arlington Heights, IL

Jenny Dong, MD, FCAP

Board Certified in Anatomic & Clinical Pathology, Hematology & Pathology
Director, Hematology Laboratory
Department of Pathology and Laboratory
Kaiser Permanente Medical Center, South
Sacramento, CA

Teresa H. Doyle, MSN, NP, JD

Nurse Practitioner
Adult Medicine and Rheumatology

Dan Ellsbury, MD, FAAP

Board Certified in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Pediatrics
Director of Continuous Quality Improvement
The Center for Research, Education and Quality
Pediatrix Medical Group Inc.
Adjunct Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Iowa
Attending Neonatologist, Mercy Children’s Hospitals and Clinics
Des Moines, IA

William W. Hammill, MD, FAAP, FACC

Board Certified in Pediatrics Cardiology, Pediatrics
Novant Health Heart and Vascular Institute
Pediatric Cardiology
Charlotte, NC

Steve J. Hodges, MD

Board Certified in Pediatric Urology, Urology
Associate Professor, Pediatric Urology
Wake Forest University School of Medicine
Winston-Salem, NC

John Allan Ness, MD, FACS

Board Certified in Otolaryngology, Plastic Surgery
Ness Plastic Surgery
Wayzata, MN

Bonnie Straka, MD

Board Certified in Dermatology
Fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology
Founder and Owner of Albemarle Dermatology Associates
Charlottesville, VA

Christopher J. Tolan, MD

Board Certified in Otolaryngology
Midwest Facial Plastic Surgery and Aesthetic Skin Care
Facial Plastic Surgeon
Children’s Hospitals and Clinics Cleft Lip and Palate Team
Woodbury, MN

Administrative staff

Amy Eldridge, Chief Executive Officer
Kelly Wolfe, Chief Operations Officer
Sheri Russon, Chief Financial Officer
Julia Bennett, Director of People
Lena Fung, Director of Development

__________________________

Jan Champoux, Content Writer
Brandi Davis, Financial Liaison
Barbara Neiberg, Communications and Social Media Liaison
Jessalyn Schlitzkus, Social Media Specialist
Marcy Selander, Administrative Liaison

Program staff

Julia Bennett, Strategic Director – Latin America
Brandi Davis, Strategic Director – India
Kelly Eckert, Strategic Director – China
Arlene Howard, Strategic Director – SE Asia
Christina Lindseth, Strategic Director – Africa

__________________________

Gail Crawford, Associate Director – Africa
Kim Nguyen, Assistant Director – SE Asia

Cambodia

Sokleng In, Director of Cambodia Programs

__________________________

Vijohn Chea, Believe in Me Cambodia School Manager
Eliya Chhoeung, Cambodia Foster Care Manager
Sarima Chuon, Sokhem Early Childhood Development Center Manager
Tora Ket, Cambodia Foster Care Manager
Leat Lann, Cambodia Education Manager
Aun Srey Nich, Cambodia Foster Care Manager
Chao Srey Noch, Cambodia Dara Foster Care Assistant
Chum Pao, Cambodia Foster Care Manager
Leakena Ran, Rangsei Early Childhood Development Center Manager
Vuthy San, Believe in Me Cambodia School Manager
Sokhoeurn Say, Cambodia Medic
Navin Yen, Cambodia Medical Assistant and Administrator

China

David Zhang, Director of China Programs

Guatemala

MJ Ortiz, Director of Guatemala Programs

__________________________

Yeni Hernández, Guatemala Reporting Manager

India

Anupam Sarkar, Director of India Programs

__________________________

Shilpy Chatterjee, Senior Manager of India Programs
Stephy Stephan, India Medical Consultant

Uganda

Ronald Ssejjuuko, Director of Uganda Programs
Joyce Ssejjuuko, Assistant Director of Uganda Programs

__________________________

Sarah Ingariat, Pakwach Foster Care Manager
Sharon Karungi, Uganda Medical Nurse Coordinator
Sharifa Mutesi, Iganga Foster Care Manager
Sarah Namukasa, Uganda Foster Care Manager
Peace Okong, Mukono Foster Care Manager
Moreen Pak, Pakwach Foster Care Manager

At the heart of our charity’s success are the amazing volunteers from around the world who work every single day to make sure the children in our programs receive the best care possible. While LWB has a small number of paid staff to oversee charity operations, the majority of our programs are volunteer run. Each year, over 150 volunteers give their time and their hearts to help children in need, monitoring children’s progress, writing lesson plans, updating sponsors, and so much more.

Team leaders

Emily Bollinger, Rangsei Early Childhood Development
Kirstin Clark, China and Guatemala Medical
Mari Davidson, Nutrition
Ophelia Dunk, Guatemala Education and Special Projects
Jean Gabarra, China Healing Home
Bethany Gernand, India Foster Care
Sandi Glass, Adoption Support
Betty Kelley, Cambodia Foster Care
Kim Lockhart, Sokhem Early Childhood Development
Mary Mickelson, China On-site Family Care
Meg Montgomery, Adoption Advocacy
Sheri Moreau, Laji Landfill Community Services
Linda Phillipps, China Healing Home
Allison Roark, Unity Initiative
Jessica Schlitzkus, Safe Haven Foster Care
Lori Trumbo, Cambodia and India Medical
Victoria Tucker, Dara Foster Care
Kirsten Vizjak, Uganda Foster Care
Nancy Williams, Information Services