About USGM
About
We are a 100% volunteer organization so your gifts can have maximum impact
USGM envisions an India where all her people have the opportunity for a decent life, dignity, and happiness regardless of caste, gender, or religion. We are proud to support the extraordinary work of Maher.
More About Maher
Board of Directors
Mikaela Keepin
SecretaryMikaela Keepin lives in Vermont. She is a mom, a nurse, and has been visiting Maher and following / supporting their work for over 15 years. Mikaela feels eternally grateful to Maher for the incredible social change they are enacting, and for being able to witness their work, and become dear friends with so many members of the Maher family.
Darcy Cunningham
ChairDarcy Cunningham, MBA, lives in Maine. For years she consulted to NGOs regarding vision, teams, and management. She currently owns her own business focusing on Yoga Therapy & Bowenwork. She has published three books on Maher: From Dignity to Despair: Step by Step Guide for Transforming the Lives of Women and Children – Successful NGO Creation Using the Maher Model; Rising to New Life: Stories from Maher; and Village by Village: Uplifting Communities the Maher Way. She is inspired by Sister Lucy and Maher for their amazing capacity to love and to creatively rise to challenges on behalf of others.
Sharon Atkinson
Board MemberMy name is Sharon Atkinson and I live in Omaha Nebraska. I first became interested in Maher when my sister, Lynda King, told me about this amazing orphanage in India. I met Sr Lucy when she came to the US in 2018 and it was then I knew Maher was a place I wanted to visit and be a part of. My sister and I went to Maher for their 22nd anniversary celebration in 2020 and I have been involved ever since.
Chaya Pamula
Board MemberChaya first discovered Maher over 20 years ago when she met Sr. Lucy. She was so touched and inspired by Lucy’s story and the work Maher was doing. She has been a volunteer and board member ever since. Professionally, Chaya is the President and CEO of PamTen, an IT Staffing and Solutions company. Currently living in California, Chaya’s philanthropy had guided her to be the founder and director of SOFKIN in India, which follows in Maher’s example. She also founded SheTek, which supports and promotes women in the tech field. Chaya is a mentor, technologist, philanthropist, a visionary, an entrepreneur and an inspiring, passionate person. She brings this insight and positivity to everything she does, including her support of Maher.
Sherry Helmke
Board Member2025 marked Sherry's fourth trip to Maher, since she and her daughter first visited in 2010. An experienced corporate and non-profit leader, she finds Maher a proven, holistic model for positive, lasting social change. Sherry and her partner split their time between Nebraska and Colorado. Born happy, she loves being outdoors, playing with her grandkids, writing, wandering, and sharing Maher's remarkable story.
Kate Stormfield
TreasurerKate is a recent transplant to Portland, OR and honored to be a member of the USGM Board. She is a mother, partner, sister, and daughter, and for her day job, works as a Nurse Practitioner specializing in women's sexual health and hormone therapy. Kate's connection to India began with her mother who was born and raised in Southern India, and Kate visited the vibrant country various times as a child and young adult. Her first visit to Maher was in 2014 during a trip back to her mother's birthplace. It was profoundly inspiring to witness the transformative work of Maher: the safe and nurturing homes it creates for residents that foster healing, education and growth, and the numerous community-led projects it supports to empower economic, educational, and social development in all the communities it serves.