From our tireless staff and volunteers to our incredible donors, Board of Directors and ambassadors, our team lives by a shared set of values that keep us connected. Together, we empower people to grow health and step out of poverty by cultivating Life Gardens — for life.
Meet Our Team
"Alone we can do so little, together we can do so much."Board of Directors
Dale Bolton
Founder
Dale has enjoyed working on Life Garden projects for the last 40 years in 30 different countries. Growing up on a small farm in Ontario, Dale admired and learned from his father who remained active all of his life and maintained his own small vegetable garden well into his eighties.
2004 was a pivotal year for both Dale and his wife Linda Bolton. Understanding for the first time the reality of 40 million unsupported children in Africa, caused both of them to want to make a difference at a community level. They started their for-profit company, Natural Calm Canada, to raise funds to help and created the non-profit Thrive for Good, to empower communities impacted by the orphan crisis. Training programs were established to support sustainable food and health security programs in East Africa.
Dale continues to research the best practices for training programs in organic gardening, creating high nutrient meals, plant-based medicine, and small-scale income generation. The Bolton’s use all this great health-related information personally and they look forward to spending many disease-free years with their children and 10 grandchildren.
Linda Bolton
Director
Linda Bolton’s career included working as a Director of Nursing, CEO in Long Term Care, and a Nursing Consultant for 20 years. Linda and her husband, Dale Bolton, were co-pastors and church planters for Vineyard Christian Fellowship between 1993- 2008. Since starting her company, Natural Calm Canada in 2004, Linda has become a magnesium researcher and expert in her field. Linda completed Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s Nutritarian Course in 2016. She has been voted one of Canada’s Top 100 Female Entrepreneurs and one of Canada’s Top 100 Health Influencers for several years running. Linda is the co-founder of Thrive For Good and has taught at the school several times since its foundation in 2010.
Somy Winardi
Secretary
Paul Weigel
Chairman
Executive Team
Ambrose Motian
Chief Executive Officer Kenya
Ambrose started his growing health journey in 2006 when he attended a two-year organic farming program at the Manor House Agricultural Center. During this time he connected with Dale Bolton, the founder of Thrive for Good. Ambrose, a new team member, started Life Garden projects in his community. After some more training in 2014, Ambrose became the school director of Thrive training center in Kitale, Kenya. In 2019 Ambrose was promoted to the CEO and continues to lead change throughout Africa.
Raphael Munene
Director Communications, Business Development & Culture
Raphael is a scholar, aid worker and rotarian. His work has focused on program management and community development. In managing the communications and human resources of Thrive, his areas of responsibilities span IT, culture and business development. He works to ensure the organisation is informed of developments that can affect its ability to advance its mission. In his free time, Raphael loves travelling and chasing after adventure.
Kerri Roberts
Communications & Donor Engagement Manager
James Woller
International Executive Director
Leadership
Joyce Juma
Training Coordinator
Joyce Juma is one of Thrive’s fearless leaders who has started all of our prison projects. Joyce faced many hardships in life at a young age. Joyce was physically abused, an orphan, poor, hungry, and faced many life-threatening diseases. By God’s grace, Joyce was able to eventually attend school, where she developed an interest in agriculture. Her natural green thumb was noticed by a neighbour who had previously attended one of the Thrive’s seminars. Soon after, Joyce was introduced to Thrive and had the opportunity to take the one-month seminar.
Over time Joyce started 3 community Life Garden projects. One was a community church project that had 64 beds. Another project involved her home garden project that grew to have 32 beds. The third project was at her old high school which had 34 beds. Seeing how hardworking she was, Thrive wanted to provide her with more opportunities. During this time a women’s prison became very interested in organic farming and wanted to learn what Thrive was teaching. Joyce was the perfect candidate. Although it was a little bit out of her comfort zone, Joyce went to this prison and taught our 5-day workshop to 150 inmates and 17 guards. Since then Joyce has been doing an amazing job working with the prisons.
Joyce truly is a world changer and she is a role model for many of our new female students. In 2020, Joyce was promoted to Thrive’s Training Coordinator and has transformed many lives by sharing her knowledge.
Ezekiel Abure
Monitoring & Evaluations Coordinator
South Sudanese by nationality, Ezekiel grew up with an interest in agriculture as it was part of what his family did to survive. Ezekiel experienced many complications and sickness growing up, specifically malaria 3 times a month. As he continued to push through his studies and support himself, he was introduced to Thrive for Good and started training with the organization. Since war broke out in his home country in 2016, Ezekiel continues to reside in Kitale, Kenya. From being an Organic Agricultural Trainer to Intern Coordinator and finally in 2020 to Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator. After learning about nutrition and natural medicine, Ezekiel no longer experiences malaria or other health complications.
Esther Siret
Accountant
Stephen Masatu
Agri-Farm Business Manager
Japheth Langat
International Country Coordinator
Jacob Lotodo
Partners Coordinator
