Sherry Fine is the Founder and Director of Living Water Children’s Fund since its inception in 2008. She holds three masters degrees, from Cambridge College, Lesley College, and Smith College and has done extensive volunteering and travel in Africa, Haiti and Central America. She spent two years in the Peace Corps in Jamaica, WI and enjoyed many years as a teacher, principal and social worker in Boston, Mass. She is a proud mother of Jacqueline and Alfonso and grandmother of Dwayne, Deja, Jose, Alina and Averie. Sherry relocated to New York City in 2006 where she presently resides, works as a clinical social worker and directs Living Water Children’s Fund.

Arsha Khan is a trilingual first generational Canadian Muslim. A humanitarian who dedicates her time to community and activism. She is passionate about relief work and has a special place working with orphans around the globe. She completed her degree in Human Behaviour Psychology specializing in Autism Spectrum Disorder. She is a founder of a Behavioural Service company that provided Applied Behaviour Analysis. Arsha has a passion for travelling and experiencing different cultures around the world. As she steps into this new role she is focused on enhancing LWCF programs and expanding outreach efforts.

Sue is a retired elementary principal, still working as a program supervisor at Boston University in the School of Education. She has three grown children and two wonderful granddaughters. When she is not working or being a grandmother, she is a board member of a variety of town committees and non-profit organizations. Sue first went to Living Water Children’s Centre in 2009 and it’s had a special part in her life ever since!

Going to Haiti to help after the earthquake in 2010 proved to be a life-changing experience for me. There I met Sherry Fine and was soon involved in LWCF’s projects, which now span the globe. My special interests include improving educational opportunities and combating poverty in Haiti and assisting in improving the circumstances of children with albinism in East Africa.

Retired Advanced Practice in psychiatric nursing. Dorothy grew up in Wisconsin, lived in WI, NY, NJ, now in FL. She has 4 adult children, and several grandchildren. Dorothy became involved in LWCF after visiting school then named Joy House in Nairobi slum, and wanted to help the school. After meeting Sherry and joining the board she has focused her energy on helping the school now named after her, and developing sponsorship program for students to go to secondary school.

Aryeh Levenson, a practicing psychiatrist in Alaska grew up running around the forests of Massachusetts and exploring the waters of coastal New England. Despite being part of Red Sox Nation, he was always fascinated by other cultures and lands far away. After high school, Aryeh (pronounced like the three letters: R.E.A.) left his home in New England to obtain his undergraduate degree at Cornell University. There he studied religion, cross cultural psychology and anthropology, and came to a realization that he would never become a professional polo player.

After obtaining his degree, his wanderlust took him to Jerusalem, Israel; where he underwent Rabbinic studies before deciding to go to Medical School at Tufts University in Boston. After graduating in 1990 and completing two years of volunteer work in Israel, he went onto study medicine and psychiatry. Given his love of the wilderness and interest in cross cultural work, he brought his family to Alaska to work in the Indian Health Service, where he spent over 20 years practicing in Sitka and in Anchorage. In addition to working in Alaska, Aryeh has had the opportunity to live and practice psychiatry on the Hopi, Fort Apache, Havasupai, and Red Lake Chippewa Reservations; and work internationally in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Israel.

Aryeh frequently serves as an expert witness for the Alaska State Court System and has extensively worked in the Alaskan bush. He has lectured and/or teaches on a wide array of subjects including mental health, mind-body and natural medicine, spirituality and mindfulness practice.

Aryeh joined the board of Living Water Children’s Fund after a trip to Tanzania where he and his family came across an orphan boy and sought a safe and quality orphanage to help him grow and develop. While earlier he was most involved in Living Water’s projects in Tanzania; he has since primarily worked to expand our programs in Myanmar.

Now that his adult children have inherited his wanderlust and left Alaska to settle themselves in Israel; he lives in Anchorage with his wife, youngest son, foster daughter and dog Akko—who sometimes accompanies him to work.

Dennise Dalma-Weiszhausz, PhD is a medical device professional currently working at Intuitive Surgical, manufacturer of the daVinci surgical robot. Dennise grew up in a multicultural family in the outskirts of Mexico City, where she studied Biomedical Research at the National University of Mexico (UNAM). She moved to the USA for graduate studies in Molecular Biophysics, which she studied at Yale University and at Einstein College of Medicine. Though Dennise has always been very focused on science, she has always been an avid traveler and incredibly curious about other cultures and ways of living.

Dennise had the opportunity of volunteering through Catholic Charities to help Latin-American undocumented immigrants and asylum seekers adapt to living in the Bay Area. Also through Catholic Charities, Dennise had the opportunity of working in El Paso, TX where she helped asylum seekers from El Salvador, Honduras and Brazil as they were released from detention facilities. It was during this work that Dennise met Sherry and Sue and was so lucky to be invited to be part of the LWCF board.

Now that her adult children have left the nest, and have settled in Israel and Pittsburgh, Dennise lives in the Bay Area, California with her husband, youngest daughter and her two dogs.

Elyse McManus is a Junior in High School. Her grandmother, Joann McManus, was an incredible teacher who was strongly connected with LWCF. Elyse now works closely with the Joann McManus Academy in Dar Es Salem, Tanzania. She is incredibly honored and excited to work on the board of LWCF and create change and opportunities for deserving children around the world.

Maria Iorillo, Licensed Midwife, comes to Living Water Children’s Fund by way of her volunteer work in Haiti. Maria is a California Licensed Midwife. She has been to over 1600 births over her 38 years of practice in San Francisco. Most of her work is catching babies at home, but she also supports people having hospital births. She volunteered with Midwives for Haiti, teaching local Haitians to be skilled birth attendants. During her visits to Haiti, she befriended the locals, learning about their various projects – a small orphanage and a school for 200 children. LWCF is now helping to support these two projects. Maria joins the board with gratitude and appreciation for LWCF’s dedication to deserving children around the globe. 

Joy Ellis was born and raised in Jamaica before relocating to the United States. She holds a Master’s in Public Administration from Long Island City University and has dedicated the past twenty-eight years to working with a nonprofit organization in New York City. One of her primary passions is advocating for individuals with developmental disabilities. This commitment is deeply rooted in a personal experience involving her cousin, who has Down Syndrome and was unintentionally left in a vehicle during an outing. In 2024, to honor her cousin, Ms. Ellis organized a fun day fair for individuals with developmental disabilities in Portmore, St. Catherine, Jamaica. She aims to establish this fair as an annual event across the island. Ms. Ellis firmly believes that all individuals with developmental disabilities are entitled to lead fulfilling lives, a vision that fuels her efforts and aspirations within this field.

Yamina Sheikh is a Kashmiri human rights advocate, legal scholar, and artist whose work centers on the rights and dignity of children in conflict zones. A graduate of the University of Oxford and a current student at Leiden University, she brings a powerful blend of legal expertise, storytelling, and grassroots advocacy to LWCF.

Drawing from her own experiences growing up in Kashmir, Yamina has mentored dozens of students from underrepresented communities and led legal research that challenges systemic harm against vulnerable children. Her work ranging from drafting public interest litigation to painting for justice, blends law and art to humanize policy and ignite change. She currently leads LWCF’s global Children’s Rights & Artivism initiative, using creative tools like exhibitions and community storytelling to reimagine education and healing for children impacted by war. Yamina believes the pen, the brush, and the law are all instruments of hope and she brings them together in service of a world where every child can dream freely.

Meghan is a trilingual returned Peace Corps volunteer from Tanzania. After working closely with LWCF in Tanzania to relocate three young girls suffering from gender based violence, Meghan joined the board in March of 2025. She studied Environmental Engineering with a focus on Engineering for Developing Communities at the University of Colorado Boulder where she completed her senior design research on the impacts of cooking with biomass fuels, such as firewood and dung, on human health. After completing her undergraduate degree, Meghan worked as a mathematics teacher in the Bahamas and Tanzania where her dedication to serving disadvantaged groups grew with her love for the people in the places she lived and her awareness of preventable inequity due to a lack of infrastructure, services, and education. As a new member of the board, Meghan hopes to continue spreading LWCF’s mission through action.

Vedika joined the Living Water Children’s Fund board with a deep commitment to creating educational opportunities for children who might otherwise be overlooked. Born and raised in India and now based in the United States, she holds two master’s degrees in finance and business analysis. A volunteer leader in global women’s empowerment networks, she blends professional expertise with a genuine passion for building brighter futures. Outside of her career in finance and analytics, Vedika spends her time mentoring young women, volunteering in her local community, and exploring the outdoors through swimming, skiing, and badminton. She believes every child deserves not just a chance at education, but a chance to dream without limits.

Vivian McManus is a senior in High School and has been working with LWCF for two years. She spearheaded Vivian’s Garden Project, an initiative designed to support nutritional and environmental education for children at LWCF schools. Since its launch, the project has established sustainable gardens and food crops at seven LWCF schools around the world. Vivian is honored to serve on the board and looks forward to continuing her work alongside this dedicated team!