About Us
A Need For Support
How our charity came together
In November 2020, the village of Oguis, located on the island of Catanduanes in the Philippines, was devastated when two powerful typhoons made landfall. The first one, recording 315 km per hour winds tore the roofs off of the homes, flattened shanties, and destroyed the water and electrical systems. Both the local school and sports court were also severely damaged. The second typhoon, which hit just ten days later, brought thundering rain and flooded the entire village. The storms also eliminated the main source of income for many of the residents of Oguis when all the bark was torn off the Abaca trees. These essential trees are regularly harvested as the main natural resource used for trade in the area. It will take two-to-three years to recover this source of income.
Hermie Jamer, a former resident of Oguis, was telling her friend, Joan Karstens, about the hardships the villagers in her hometown were experiencing. Joan immediately kicked off a compassionate campaign to provide essentials, then connected a group of seven philanthropists from southern Ontario, Canada. They jumped into action to assist the residents of Oguis to rebuild what was taken from them, and to provide them with hope for a more promising future.
The Super 7
Our dedicated team
Herminia Teves Jamer
Founder
Herminia Teves Jamer, affectionately known to her friends as Hermie, grew up in the impoverished village of Oguis, on the island of Catanduanes. Hermie was the fourth child in a family of eight, who all grew up on their father’s small farm (less than a half-acre). The family was raised in a shanty with mats for beds and no running water. Their laundry was washed in the nearby river. By age five, each child was helping harvest abaca tree bark in the hills. As they grew older, each sibling was responsible for financially supporting the next one’s education.
Hermie completed her university degree in civil engineering and after graduation, she taught at the university for three years. She then worked for a private company as a materials engineer for five years before submitting her application to work as a live-in caregiver with an agency in Canada. Meanwhile, Hermie married and had three children. With her goal of being a live-in caregiver in Canada, Hermie gained three years of experience in Hong Kong before being sponsored and hired by Joan’s cousins in 2009 to take care of their elderly relatives in Hensall, Ontario. Hermie sponsored her eldest daughter, Jayden, to come to Canada three years later to be a live-in caregiver too, this time for a woman in London, Ontario. After completing her work in Hensall, Hermie began working in a long-term care facility in London. Hermie was approved for a mortgage and in May of 2017, Hermie returned to the Philippines to bring the rest of her family to Canada. Hermie’s dream had come true as she and her family walked into their London home.
After the two severe typhoons hit Oguis in November 2020, Joan began to raise funds to help rebuild the village. Now, Hermie coordinates all the logistical efforts of the support team on the ground in the Philippines, and she keeps the Super 7 up-to-date on all progress. Her knowledgeable advice helps us efficiently launch all the projects we are doing to lift up the community in Oguis.
Joan Karstens
Canadian Liaison
Joan Karstens lives in St. Joseph, Ontario, with her husband Peter. The two of them founded Brentwood on the Beach and operated the 10-room, boutique-style bed and breakfast for 25 years. Throughout that time, they welcomed guests from around the world and had many loyal North American customers who returned each year. Joan’s warm and caring personality was one of the many reasons for their success.
From 1966 – 1967, Joan lived in Germany. While there, she travelled to several European countries. She learned to speak German fluently and also speaks some French. During this time, she developed a love for travelling. Upon her return to Canada she began a 10-year career as a Flight Attendant with Air Canada where she travelled internationally.
Joan was a founding member of the Huron Tourism Association where she was an active board member for over 20 years. She received awards for her work in promoting the area’s tourism industry.
She brought her community together to form the St. Joseph & Area Historical Society and was a major force in the development of several projects. These included the installation of a heritage walkway in their local park and a community play, Narcisse, which won a Governor General’s Award for the Society. Her networking skills brought all the key players together.
Since selling Brentwood on the Beach several years ago, Joan enjoys painting in her studio, attending a book club and conducting ancestry research.
When she learned about the devastation that two typhoons caused in Oguis – the home village of her good friend, Hermie Jamer – Joan became passionately involved in its restoration by coordinating and developing the projects and bringing the team known as the Super 7 together. She is getting to know many of the villagers and learning to understand the culture of the community. Joan’s enthusiasm for Lifting Up Oguis is contagious.
Karen Stewart
Communications
Karen’s work has primarily been with non-profit organizations in Huron County that are dedicated to arts, culture, education, and tourism. Her diverse areas of work include: organizational development, fund development, creating and implementing multi-channeled marketing strategies, campaign planning and implementation, event management, bookkeeping and other administrative services. She has successfully developed relationships with corporate sponsors and implemented audience-expansion strategies. Her grant-writing, editing, copywriting and desktop publishing skills have been utilized in many projects. In her spare time, Karen enjoys ancestry research and travelling.
Mac Voisin
Fundraiser Chairman
Mac Voisin grew up in Kitchener-Waterloo where he attended the University of Waterloo for mechanical engineering. He began his career as a registered real estate broker but shortly after, began building homes with his brother. By 1980, he and his business partner Mark Nowak started M&M Meat Shops in Kitchener. The franchise quickly gained success, and to date has more than 450 stores across Canada. M&M Meat Shops has received many awards, including the Canadian Franchise Association’s first annual Award of Excellence in Franchise Relations, and a Waterloo Region Hall of Fame distinction.
After 25 years of running M&M Meat Shops, Mac decided to take a step back, and he sold the business in 2014. He is now an active member in his community, serving on multiple committees and the board of directors for various non-profit organizations such as Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of Canada, St. Mary’s Hospital, and The Food Bank of Waterloo Region. With his entrepreneurial skills, he is currently expanding the White Squirrel Golf Club and Restaurant in Huron County.
Marcela Bahar
Steering Committee Member
Originally from Czech Republic, Marcella Bahar is an award-winning Clay and Glass Artist who has been featured in many well-known galleries. She has co-curated multiple exhibitions at the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, both nationally and internationally, and was showcased at the Art Gallery of Ontario, in Toronto. She has also been featured on HGTV.
After 20 successful years in the business, she decided to switch her focus to helping build the White Squirrel Golf Club and Restaurant on the shores of Lake Huron. With Marcela acting as the Lead Designer and Branding Advisor, the golf course quickly grew to new levels of success. Her most recent project was designing a net-zero energy building that houses both a golf pro shop and a state-of-the-art bar.
Al Orth
Steering Committee Member
Al Orth, a talented human resources professional, served at Queen’s University as the associate Vice-President of human resources and Special Advisor to the Vice-President of Finance and Administration from 2011-2016. Prior to his time at the university, he founded Concordia Consulting in 2000, where he remains the president. This company focuses on conflict resolution, organizational effectiveness, and employee engagement. Before this, he also held both senior human resources and labour relations roles with companies like Electrohome Ltd., J.M. Schneider Inc., Southam News Inc., and Torstar. Al has helped many people and organizations navigate through difficult business situations. Al’s professional efforts to optimize human resources and streamline operations are currently applied to the White Squirrel Golf Club and Restaurant in Zurich.
In his community, Al has also served on the board of directors for many great causes such as the Kitchener-Waterloo and Area United Way, Waterloo Region Community Legal Services, Kitchener-Waterloo Counselling Services, and the Lutherwood Child and Family Foundation.
Lynn Orth
Steering Committee Member
Lynn Orth has been a lifelong volunteer serving in various roles with the Kitchener-Waterloo Minor Lacrosse Association, the Ontario Lacrosse Association, and Lacrosse Canada since the early ’90s. She also coached the Wilfred Laurier women’s lacrosse team for 24 years and led the team to eight championship victories throughout her career. During her time as head coach, she received multiple awards and distinctions for the success she helped the team achieve, including Coach of the Year from her peers after leading the team to an 11-1 record in pre-tournament play. Following this achievement, she was inducted into the Waterloo Region Hall of Fame in 2015. At the time, she had compiled an impressive 117-34 win-loss record over her 16 years as coach. Outside of Wilfred Laurier, she was also the General Manager of the Canadian National Women’s Team from 2001-2005. Since 2005, she has remained as a Vice President of the provincial governing body of lacrosse – the Ontario Lacrosse Association.
Lynn now spends her time mentoring university-level coaches. As part of the ownership team at the White Squirrel Golf Club and Restaurant she is a trusted advisor on administrative and regulatory matters.
The Magnificent 12
Coordinating our efforts
This group of professionals all grew up in Oguis, and still have family who live there. They connected after the first typhoon to figure out ways to support the community and help them recover after losing so much. They have assisted in the logistical coordination of each project, and continue to ensure that everything is on time, as planned.
Herminia Teves Jamer
London, Ontario, Canada
Philippines Liaison
Lila Teves
Antipolo City, Philippines
Retired nurse who worked in a hospital in Oman for 30 years
Linda Tapa
Las Pias City, The Philippines
School Teacher
Sheryl Tomon-Head
Bacoor City, The Philippines
Logistics with H&M
Judith Teves
Taguig City, The Philippines
Banking Employee with Citibank
Josephine Tatel
Toronto, Canada
Property Manager
Lhea Valenzuela
Bangkok, Thailand
School Teacher
Elsa Fishler
Wisconsin, USA
Retired Accountant
Aldrin Soriao
San Mateo Rizal, The Philippines
Project Engineer
Lito Teves
Taguig City, The Philippines
Seaman
Clair Adler
Queensland, Australia
Nurse
Josebeth Mendoza
Oguis, Catanduanes, The Philippines
School Teacher
On The Ground
In the Philippines
Joselito Teves
Oguis, Catanduanes, The Philippines
Project Auditor
Rachelle Masagca
Oguis, Catanduanes, The Philippines
Project Administrator
Aldrin Soriao
San Mateo Rizal, The Philippines
Project Engineer
Richard Teves
Oguis, Catanduanes, The Philippines
Construction Contractor
Domingo Benal
Oguis, Catanduanes, The Philippines
Municipal Engineer
