| |
|
|
| Home > About Us > Who We Are |
| The Kirwin International Relief Foundation is a humanitarian organization dedicated to helping others help themselves in a respectful and environmentally sustainable manner. |
 |
| WHO WE ARE |
P. Mark Kirwin, Esq.
Founder
 Mark Kirwin works as a certified mediator and litigation partner at the law firm of Haffner, Haffner & Kirwin, LLP in Ventura, California. In addition to KIRF, Mark volunteers as the President of Will Rogers Elementary School Site Council and is an advisor for KIRF Bodhgaya, an Indian Charitable Trust organization specializing in education and healthcare for Dalits in Bihar, India. Mark received his Bachelor of Arts in History from
University of Colorado, Boulder. He received his Juris Doctorate
from California Western School of Law.
When not working or volunteering he can be found spending quality time with his children, writing and working out. His interests include writing, Tae Kwondo, ocean swimming, trail running and surfing. Before becoming a parent Mark competed in triathlons and had finished in two Ironman Triathlons. Mark was born in Hamilton, Bermuda on May 21, 1963. His family moved to Colorado Springs, Colorado in the late Seventies. Mark has lived in California since he began law school in 1988.
Mark described what motivated him to start KIRF. Mark said, "I was inspired by the tragedy of the 2004 tsunami because we were so lucky to have survived and there were so many people that needed help."
Angela Rockett Kirwin
Co-Founder
 Angela Kirwin works as a consultant for web design, web production and marketing and is currently preparing for graduate school at Ventura College. In addition to KIRF, Angela volunteers for the Ventura Hillsides Conservancy, Will Rogers School Site Council and is a parent leader for KIRF Roots & Shoots youth service learning group. Angela has a Bachelors of Science, Business Administration, Marketing degree from SDSU and a Web Master Certificate from UCSB Extension. She has worked for companies that include Patagonia, the Jane Goodall Institute and Diamondback Bicycles. Angela used to be a competitive triathlete and has completed two Ironman triathlons before becoming a parent.
Angela's current interests include running, conservation, sustainable development, reading, learning about new cultures, cooking and spending quality time with her children. Angela was born in Pasadena, California on September 18, 1965 and has lived in California all her life.
Angela was inspired to help others through KIRF by experiencing the 2004 tsunami disaster first-hand, meeting Dr. Jane Goodall and by her mother-in-law Diane Kirwin who founded KIRF Bodhgaya. KIRF Bodhgaya is an educational, sustainable development and healthcare non-profit dedicated to raising the living standards of Dalit (Untouchable) caste families in Bihar, India. Angela said, "I believe each person is important. I believe that it is possible for one person to make a difference in the world." |
| BACK TO TOP |
|
| OUR STORY |
KIRF was founded on January 1, 2005 by Mark and Angela Kirwin in response to their need to help victims of the Andaman Sea tsunami which struck during their family vacation in southern Thailand on December 26, 2004.
Mark and Angela Kirwin, along with their two children, survived the December 2004 Thailand tsunami through an ironic last minute change in lodging plans. The very next day after they switched resorts, tsunami waves hit the beaches south of Ranong, destroying all of the bungalows where they were going to stay and killing 170 on that beach. They’d also planned to catch a morning island tour boat to Ko Phayam but uncharacteristically slept in and missed the boat, which was later lost at sea. Witnessing the horrifying aftermath, the Kirwins were moved to do all they could to help. They volunteered at a Thai hospital, purchased supplies and prepared relief packages with the local police and military. The event had life-changing consequences, and soon after, KIRF (Kirwin International Relief Foundation) was born.
The secular non-profit foundation established a mission to help those affected by disasters, especially underserved communities, emphasizing aid that leads to self-sustainability.
When the Kirwins returned from the storm-torn coastal southern Thailand, they wanted to do more. They founded KIRF, held a fundraiser in Ventura, and Mark Kirwin twice returned to Thailand. He used the donations raised in the US to help build a sustainable fish farm; provide books, art supplies and clothes to school children. KIRF was able to provide generators, boats, food, clothes and water catching facilities to Moken islanders (nationless sea gypsies profiled by National Geographic magazine in the issue dated April 2005).
Excerpt from VC Life & Style Magazine, Winter 2006. |
| BACK TO TOP |
| A 501(C)(3) REGISTERED NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION |
| KIRF is a registered nonprofit organization with the state of California. Click here to see a copy of our Certificate of Registration of Unicorporated Nonprofit Association in the State of California (PDF). KIRF is a tax-exempt public charity 501(c)(3) organization as a member of the International Humanities Center (IHC). Click here to see our IHC membership letter. Donations are tax deductable to the full extent permissable by law. |
| BACK TO TOP |
| MEDIA CONTACT |
Please contact Mark Kirwin:
Email: info@kirfaid.org.
Phone: (805) 641-9334.
Mark Kirwin, Esq.
Kirwin International Relief Foundation
c/o Haffner, Haffner & Kirwin
632 E. Thompson Blvd.
Ventura, CA 93001
|
| BACK TO TOP |
Home | Privacy Policy | Member of IHC | Contact Us
© 2005–2008 Kirwin International Relief Foundation. All Rights Reserved.
|
| |
|
| |
| |
We have a choice to use the gift of our lives to make the world a better place.
– Dr. Jane Goodall |
|
|
KIRF IS EFFICIENT
- 100% volunteer
- Grass roots: we deliver relief ourselves
- We partner with locals
- Volunteers pay their own travel to afflicted areas
- KIRF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit affiliated with IHC
- We help people help themselves
- Humanitarian aid and disaster relief
- Local beliefs are respected
- Sustainability and environmentalism are core values
- For kindness and compassion
- Because we have been blessed with a second chance
|
|
|
| |
|
|
