{"id":8923,"date":"2021-05-10T01:13:04","date_gmt":"2021-05-10T01:13:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/?page_id=8923"},"modified":"2025-11-21T22:54:59","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T22:54:59","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/?page_id=8923","title":{"rendered":"About Us"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-page\" data-elementor-id=\"8923\" class=\"elementor elementor-8923\" data-elementor-post-type=\"page\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-fe3d702 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"fe3d702\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;,&quot;ekit_has_onepagescroll_dot&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-269bf3f e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"269bf3f\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;ekit_has_onepagescroll_dot&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4656eb2 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"4656eb2\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;ekit_we_effect_on&quot;:&quot;none&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">ABOUT OUR ORGANIZATION\u200b<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e13e690 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"e13e690\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;ekit_we_effect_on&quot;:&quot;none&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div><p class=\"font8\"><span class=\"wixui-rich-texttext\">The Valentine project is a non-profit organization on a mission to provide a family-like environment focused on whole-child care for the orphaned youth of Tanzania. Through meeting physical, spiritual and emotional needs we seek to redeem as much of the orphan crisis as we can by caring for these treasured sons and daughters of God. <\/span><\/p><\/div><div><p class=\"font8\"><span class=\"wixui-rich-texttext\">\u00a0<\/span>Our children live in a walled compound with around-the-clock care provided primarily by five \u201cmamas.\u201d Three meals a day are provided at the home from our residential kitchen; often supplied by our sustained agricultural projects in and around the home. Each child is provided with educational opportunities suited to their specific needs and goals as they grow. We provide full medical care and support for each of our children.<\/p><\/div><div><p class=\"font8\"><span class=\"wixui-rich-texttext\">Our organization is run by a board based out of America, consisting largely of our original founders and other individuals who are passionate about the children of the Valentine project. We partner closely with the Anglican diocese of Dar Es Salaam in our operations and management of the home. Read more about each of our board members and partners below.<\/span><\/p><\/div><div><p class=\"font8\"><span class=\"wixui-rich-texttext\">We invite you to join us in our mission of championing the least of these, to become all that God has created them to be. Through your donations, prayers and support, we are able to reach more and more children, all of which deserve our utmost efforts.<\/span><\/p><\/div><div><p class=\"font8\">\u201cPure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.\u201d<\/p><\/div><div><p class=\"font8\">-James 1:27<\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a099598 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"a099598\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;ekit_has_onepagescroll_dot&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e24662c e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"e24662c\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;ekit_has_onepagescroll_dot&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-12f7c64 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"12f7c64\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;ekit_we_effect_on&quot;:&quot;none&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">OUR STORY<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1808c9c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1808c9c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;ekit_we_effect_on&quot;:&quot;none&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div><div><p><strong><i>What started as a heart-first passion to help, birthed a wild dream that by the grace of God came beautifully and miraculously true\u2026<\/i><\/strong><\/p><\/div><p>Dr. Rick Vanderslice first went to Tanzania in 2006 on a medical mission lead by his local Hilton Head Island church. The experience for him was transformational. Rick returned the next year to the same small fishing villages to do more work. This second trip allowed Rick to spend more time and discuss parish issues with Archbishop Valentine Mokiwa. Over many discussions the enormity of need was apparent, however, the need to help orphans seemed to stand out. Rick told Mokiwa that he would do what he could. Upon Rick\u2019s return home, the daily grind resumed, and life went on. The idea of an orphanage stayed in his thoughts as he pondered the quixotic task at hand.\u00a0<\/p><\/div><div><p>Rick continued to return to Tanzania and hosted many of his Tanzanian friends back in the United States. As Rick and his wife, Joni, interacted more and more with Tanzania and it\u2019s people, they grew their philanthropy in both the medical field (for Rick) and business mentorship (for Joni), as well as a lunch program for Tanzanian school children going hungry. As their passion for this amazing country and beautiful people grew, Rick and Joni (current chair of the board) became certain that an organization to help the vulnerable youth of Tanzania was where God was calling their philanthropic efforts. At a late night post-safari dinner; they had just finished showing many close friends the enamoring country of Tanzania. The group was unanimous that night in their drive to create a children\u2019s home to house the tragic abundance of orphaned youth in Dar Es Salaam. Many of these passionate and dedicated individuals remain on our board today.<\/p><\/div><div><p>Rick said of the project, <strong>\u201cIt started with encouragement from my wife and clergy. It led to discussions with friends and acquaintances, all who responded enthusiastically. We then formed a board of people determined to take this idea as far as we could. Soon 26 kids will be living in a safe, loving environment. It has been a long journey to reach this point. The list of challenges has proven formidable. The generosity of our donors has been a wonderful thing and the guidance of our friends at The Global Orphan Project a tremendous blessing. We are delighted to be where we are. We have a long way to go. With God\u2019s help, we will one day have more kids receiving the food, clothing, shelter and education that every kid deserves.\u201d<\/strong><\/p><\/div><div><p>In 2020, Rick passed away after a battle with a rare cancer; the Valentine Project continues to carry on his heart and mission through it\u2019s dedicated board of family and friends. Today, the board is led and Co-Chaired by Joni and David Burden, and features many close family and friends who hold this project in deep personal regard. We continue to partner with the Anglican Diocese of Dar es Salaam, under the leadership of Bishop Jackson Sotheness.<\/p><p>Today the home is nearing 40 children in its care- and counting, many of the toddlers who began in the home are now ambitious teenagers.\u00a0<\/p><\/div><div><p>We continue to endeavor to grow in excellence as we care for at risk youth in Tanzania, championing them in and for Christ, as has always been our mission.\u00a0<\/p><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-55c1091 e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"55c1091\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;ekit_has_onepagescroll_dot&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-e404f68 e-transform elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"e404f68\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;_transform_translateY_effect&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:181,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;ekit_we_effect_on&quot;:&quot;none&quot;,&quot;_transform_translateX_effect&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;_transform_translateX_effect_tablet&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;_transform_translateX_effect_mobile&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;_transform_translateY_effect_tablet&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;_transform_translateY_effect_mobile&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]}}\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"450\" src=\"https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Untitled-design-7-1024x576.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-21002\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Untitled-design-7-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Untitled-design-7-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Untitled-design-7-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Untitled-design-7-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Untitled-design-7-1568x882.png 1568w, https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Untitled-design-7-600x338.png 600w, https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Untitled-design-7.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9b99935 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"9b99935\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;ekit_has_onepagescroll_dot&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-85d9ea1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"85d9ea1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;ekit_we_effect_on&quot;:&quot;none&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">OUR TEAM<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7c39f0e e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"7c39f0e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;ekit_has_onepagescroll_dot&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0a6417e elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"0a6417e\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;ekit_we_effect_on&quot;:&quot;none&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"board-widget\">\n    <div class=\"board-member\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Picture1.jpg\" alt=\"Member 1\" class=\"board-photo\">\n        <h3>Sarah & John Cunningham<\/h3>\n        <p class=\"board-bio\">Sarah (Vanderslice) Cunningham and John Cunningham live in Bluffton, South Carolina, and both serve\non the Valentine project board. Sarah, along with her sister Grace, had the immense privilege of growing\nup with the Valentine Project with her parents as founders. From a young age, the Valentine Project has\nbeen a fixture of her family\u2019s life and she continues to aid the board in administrative endeavors,\norganizing outreach, participating in aid trips and in-country projects. John hails from Monroe,\nLouisiana, and moved to the Hilton Head area when he married Sarah. John\u2019s background in animal\nhusbandry and the veterinary field makes him a valuable resource for our agricultural and sustainability\nprojects on the Valentine Project compound. Their favorite part of working on the Valentine Project is\nseeing the children\u2019s personalities grow and change as they thrive over the years- there\u2019s nothing quite\nlike quality time. John and Sarah reside in the Lowcountry with their baby boy, Josiah.<\/p>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"board-member\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Picture2.jpg\" alt=\"Member 2\" class=\"board-photo\">\n        <h3>Joni and David Burden<\/h3>\n        <p class=\"board-bio\">Joni and David Burden both serve on the Valentine project board, with Joni leading the organization as\nChairman. Joni led the founding of the Valentine Children\u2019s Home with her late husband Dr. Rick\nVanderslice along with several devoted and dedicated colleagues and supporters. Joni was first\nintroduced to Tanzania and the country\u2019s pervasive orphan crisis as she accompanied Rick on one of his\nmedical missions. With hearts burdened by the plight of more than two million children without families\nor proper care (as of 2020 the number nears three million), and heeding the urging of local clergy, Joni\nand Rick felt called to start the Valentine Project in 2008.\nWith extensive experience working in the Middle East and Africa when working for Citi Bank, Joni\u2019s\nhusband, David Burden, plays a crucial role providing expert direction and guidance to our onsite staff.\nBy working closely with our in-country managing director and other local partners, David administrates\nmany of the US board\u2019s initiatives. David is the Founder and retired Executive Chairman of Timbers\nResorts which develops and operates resorts in numerous locations in the USA as well as in Italy and\nMexico.\nDavid and Joni reside in the Low Country where Joni works as the Founder\/Executive Chairman and\nCreative Director of J Banks Design; an international commercial and<\/p>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"board-member\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Picture3.jpg\" alt=\"Member 3\" class=\"board-photo\">\n        <h3>Anne Hinely<\/h3>\n        <p class=\"board-bio\">Anne had always hoped that one day she would have the opportunity to travel\nto Africa for missions work. To be given the chance to experience the culture,\nmeet the people, and most importantly give a helping hand to those who need\nit.\u00a0When she\u00a0was invited to join a team going to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania in\nthe summer of 2009, Anne was ecstatic to go, having\u00a0no idea that she was\nabout to embark on a journey from God. Anne\u00a0fell in love with the people of\nTanzania and\u00a0couldn\u2019t wait to go back the following summer&#39;s to share more\nof her support. In Anne&#39;s words &quot;Each child is so unique and special, we\nwanted to make sure we were offering them the best environment to gain\nconfidence and find success academically.&quot; Since then, Anne\u00a0have become\nthe educational consultant on the VCH Board of Directors. Along with tracking\ntheir academic progress, we also work as a team to promote each child&#39;s\nspiritual, emotional, physical and social growth.<\/p>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"board-member\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/3cb518_28779798e0b94234b36af349e395e815mv2_d_2622_3278_s_4_2.jpg.webp\" alt=\"Member 4\" class=\"board-photo\">\n        <h3>Reverend Greg Kronz<\/h3>\n        <p class=\"board-bio\">Growing up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Greg never had the time or money to even think about\ntraveling.\u00a0The\u00a0thought that one day he would be part of the &quot;Missionary&quot; and helping others all over the\nworld never once crossed his mind. But, as he grew he could feel he was destined for a greater cause.\nSo, he traveled his way to South Carolina and through his travels he found his calling with the church.\nAnd through god\u2019s blessing, this led him to Bishop Valentine Mokiwa, who visited Hilton Head Island in\n2004 for a well needed vacation. Valentine Mokiwa observed Rev. Greg Kronz service and was so\ninspired by his work he insisted that Greg come to Tanzania, to his Diocese in Dar Es Salaam, to teach his\nclergy. Fast forward: Greg eventually invited Dr. Rick Vanderslice to lead a &quot;medical team&quot; to the\nDiocese of Dar Es Salaam, and the following year, Joni, his wonderful wife, joined the team. They were\ngiven a vision for the orphaned children of Dar Es Salaam and invited Rev. Greg to be part of their\nmission. Henceforth the Valentine Project was Born! Rev. Greg Kronz have visited the Valentine\nChildren&#39;s Home since its beginning a number of times and have watched the Home flourish, blessing\nthe children, their extended families, the Diocese, and the community. Greg has served as Rector\n(Pastor) of St. Luke\u2019s on Hilton Head Island from 1992 until his retirement in 2022 after 30 years as\nPastor of St. Luke\u2019s. Since that time, he has been blessed in retirement to spend more time with\nMeredith, and with children and grandchildren. He continues to preach and teach in various places\n(including St. Luke\u2019s) in the United States, and in other countries, including and especially Tanzania,\nwhere he can visit the Valentine Children\u2019s Home. He enjoys his family, playing golf (in reality, most\nsports: recreational, or spectator!), reading, and playing guitar.<\/p>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"board-member\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Picture5.jpg\" alt=\"Member 5\" class=\"board-photo\">\n        <h3>Chris Burden<\/h3>\n        <p class=\"board-bio\">Chris Burden, President of J. Banks Design Group Inc., leads the company with 20 years of experience in\nthe luxury resort development business. Prior to joining J. Banks Design, Chris most recently served as a\nChief Development Officer leading the development of several of the world\u2019s highest-ranked boutique\nluxury resort properties, frequently alongside J. Banks Design on the interior design for each of these\ndevelopments. Chris has extensive experience with completing resort development at a very high level\nof quality, authentic to the destination, while having an excellent understanding of project\nmanagement, construction, design, engineering, scheduling, budget, and client communication. Chris\nleverages his development experience to oversee new construction and development initiatives for the\nValentine Children\u2019s home.<\/p>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"board-member\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/kp.jpg\" alt=\"Member 6\" class=\"board-photo\">\n        <h3>Kevin Patrick<\/h3>\n        <p class=\"board-bio\">Kevin is an insurance adjuster and CEO of D&#39;Brook &amp; Company, Inc. Kevin is\na father to three wonderful children - Ella, Hake and Jeep.\u00a0As close friends of\nthe founders of The Valentine Project, Kevin and his wife Darcie embraced\ntheir vision to support the orphans in Dar es Salaam and have traveled to\nTanzania multiple times to support the Children&#39;s Home.<\/p>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"board-member\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/dk.jpg\" alt=\"Member 7\" class=\"board-photo\">\n        <h3>Dina Kriscunis<\/h3>\n        <p class=\"board-bio\">Dina Kriscunas has established her career working with major corporations\nwithin their finance operations.\u00a0After obtaining an MBA from the University of\nPittsburgh, Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business, Dina went through\ncredit training school and became a lender for Mellon Bank serving large\nindustrial companies.\u00a0 She also held positions with Dick Sporting Goods as\nCorporate Budget Manager and with MMC 20\/20 Inc., a boutique healthcare\nconsulting group, leading their financial department. Dina has\u00a0been involved\nwith the Valentine Project since its inception and has served on the Board of\nDirectors over the past several years managing\u00a0the financial requirements.<\/p>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"board-member\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/jf.jpg\" alt=\"Member 8\" class=\"board-photo\">\n        <h3>Jenifer Fielding<\/h3>\n        <p class=\"board-bio\">Jenifer Melin Fielding graduated from Furman University and then attended the Medical University of\nSouth Carolina where she earned a Masters Degree in Cardiovascular Perfusion Technology. \u00a0Jenifer\ncurrently owns and operates a medical practice in Hilton Head, SC, called Low Country Perfusion, LLC.\n\u00a0She also started JBK Enterprises, a global medical equipment distribution company. \u00a0Her favorite\npastime is international travel with family and friends. \u00a0She has spent much of her free time traveling to\nvarious areas of Africa. \u00a0Tanzania is the African country where Jenifer has spent the most time\nvolunteering at the Valentine Children\u2019s Home and the\u00a0Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute in Dar Es\nSalaam..<\/p>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"board-member\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/54827603-10566825-image-a-15_1646180734656.jpg\" alt=\"Member 9\" class=\"board-photo\">\n        <h3>Carmen Mullen<\/h3>\n        <p class=\"board-bio\">Judge Carmen Mullen and her 15 year old daughter, Tevi, visited the\nValentine Children&#39;s Home in Tanzania for the first time in June of 2019.\nStruck by the love, exuberance and curiosity of the children at VCH, their\nfamily has joined many others in making VCH a family purpose. With the\nencouragement of VCH&#39;s founders the Mullens are humbled to serve the\nchildren of VCH and look forward to many visits and sustained growth of this\nworthy project. Being a part of VCH has helped their family connect to others\nnot just locally, but afar, giving purpose and meaning to their lives outside of\ntheir immediate community.<\/p>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"board-member\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/gc.jpg\" alt=\"Member 10\" class=\"board-photo\">\n        <h3>Grace Chronis<\/h3>\n        <p class=\"board-bio\">Grace Vanderslice Chronis first visited Dar es Salaam in 2010 on a trip in which her eyes were opened and her life perspective was forever changed. Following in the footprints of her parent\u2019s strong leadership, vision and heart to serve, Grace now serves on the board of directors handling clerical and administrative tasks. Grace graduated from TCU in May 2022 with a degree in Finance with Real Estate and now works as a commercial real estate appraiser. Grace and her husband, Matt, reside in Dallas Texas.<\/p>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"board-member\">\n        <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/e69767ba-0cec-4afd-a759-7c7e0a00b06d-2.jpg\" alt=\"Member 11\" class=\"board-photo\">\n        <h3>Bishop Jackson<\/h3>\n        <p class=\"board-bio\">Jackson Sosthenes Jackson is an Anglican Bishop of Diocese of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Born on 14th March 1977. He is married to Frida and God blessed them with three children Janeth, Japheth and Janipher. He was ordained as a deacon in August 2006 and priesthood on 25th January 2007. He completed diploma in Theology at St. Mark\u2019s Theological College Dar es Salaam, Tanzania 2007. He graduated Bachelor in Divinity at St. Paul\u2019s University Limuru-Kenya. Also he graduated Master\u2019s in Religious Studies at Trinity School for Ministry Pennsylvania USA 2015. He worked as priest for the Diocese of Zanzibar before he was appointed to a Dean of Students at St. John\u2019s University- St. Mark\u2019s Center. 2015-2018. Currently He is a Diocesan Bishop for the Diocese of Dar es Salaam since he was enthroned on 4th February, 2018. As a Diocesan Bishop apart from administration duties he has been working in many mission work like caring for the needs such as Valentines\u2019s Home Children Center, teaching and preaching the word of God (Discipleship) and Church planting.<\/p>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>ABOUT OUR ORGANIZATION\u200b The Valentine project is a non-profit organization on a mission to provide a family-like environment focused on whole-child care for the orphaned youth of Tanzania. Through meeting physical, spiritual and emotional needs we seek to redeem as much of the orphan crisis as we can by caring for these treasured sons and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"elementor_header_footer","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-8923","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>About Us - Valentine Project<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/?page_id=8923\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"About Us - Valentine Project\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"ABOUT OUR ORGANIZATION\u200b The Valentine project is a non-profit organization on a mission to provide a family-like environment focused on whole-child care for the orphaned youth of Tanzania. Through meeting physical, spiritual and emotional needs we seek to redeem as much of the orphan crisis as we can by caring for these treasured sons and [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/?page_id=8923\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Valentine Project\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-11-21T22:54:59+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Untitled-design-7-1024x576.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"13 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/?page_id=8923\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/?page_id=8923\",\"name\":\"About Us - Valentine Project\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/?page_id=8923#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/?page_id=8923#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Untitled-design-7-1024x576.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-05-10T01:13:04+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-11-21T22:54:59+00:00\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/?page_id=8923\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/?page_id=8923#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Untitled-design-7.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Untitled-design-7.png\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1080},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/\",\"name\":\"Valentine Project\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Valentine Project\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/JBANKSDESIGN_ValentineProject_LogoDesign.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/08\/JBANKSDESIGN_ValentineProject_LogoDesign.webp\",\"width\":196,\"height\":98,\"caption\":\"Valentine Project\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"About Us - Valentine Project","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/valentineproject.org\/?page_id=8923","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"About Us - Valentine Project","og_description":"ABOUT OUR ORGANIZATION\u200b The Valentine project is a non-profit organization on a mission to provide a family-like environment focused on whole-child care for the orphaned youth of Tanzania. 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