Founder - Deacon Hugh Downey
How he got started
Deacon Hugh Downey started his work in Africa in 1963. What started as a simple commitment to empower local villagers with the skills they needed to dig a well and build a school, turned into a lifetime of doing His Work in remote villages where few other NGOs are able to go.
Hugh has helped to build two hospitals, two nonprofits for the good of Africa and two amazing children with his lovely wife Marty. "If you want to truly understand the people you intend to serve – go live with them. Our decades of experience with the African people and the African Church have led us to understand how best to help them."
Co-Founder - Marty Downey RN
How she got started
It's a love story. Long before Deacon Hugh became a deacon, he and fell in love with Marty. They got married November of 1965 and moved to Karen, Eritrea for what was supposed to be the next 3 years. Decades later, Marty and Hugh were still living in Africa and taking care of orphan children, medical outreach and leading one of the world's smallest relief agencies. She found that the medical profession was very helpful for working in developing countries and leading medical programs where there were no skilled doctors. Marty is a role model and paved the way for many orphaned children to be loved and cared for in their communities.
Her decades of experience with the African people and the African Church have confirmed that children are always a gift from God.
Vice President - Jennifer Wenningkamp
How she got started
Jennifer Wenningkamp began doing God's work in Africa in 2003. She and her husband, Joao, together served as missionaries in Mozambique for 10+ years. They have been married for 22 years and have 3 sons. They now live in Colorado where Jennifer is able to empower many Africans to care for orphans, provide medical care, lead relief assistance, and minister to the good people of the church. Her decades of experience have proven that it is possible to do practical acts of kindness for those who are sick, hungry, suffering or dying and change their world.
Board of Director Treasurer - Dan Murphy
How he got started
Dan Murphy serves His Work with his passion for making a difference in the world and his financial leadership skills. He loves to help people, especially normal people who might feel afraid of numbers. Every charity needs a numbers guy like Dan who helps us build up clarity, integrity, and a vision for longevity and stewardship.
His decades of working at a financial firm and serving the church through Knights of Columbus activities demonstrate a lifetime of kindness and acts of compassion that resonated with Deacon Hugh and Marty's lifetime commitment to missionary work. Hugh and Dan hit it off when Deacon Hugh first came to serve at St. Joan of Arc.
Hugh is one of Dan's heroes, so he was thrilled when Hugh invited him to become a director. Dan loves to help meet the needs of his local community, the Denver metro area, and the world. By serving on His Work's board Dan is helping people in the world in a practical and scholarly way.
Teaching and being a life-long learner is important to Dan. That's why helping He is passionate about reading and teaching others how to read through the Bible and apply it to our everyday lives. "Read the four gospels. If you don’t read anything else, read them. We are Christ-like - we cannot be like Christ if we don't know what Christ is like." His passion for teaching others to be "like Christ" is one of the reasons Dan supports His Work's grants to remote priests who are living and being like Christ in their communities.
Board Directors - Karen and Sean Miller
How they got started
Karen and Sean Miller are thrilled to be serving on the board of the His Work Foundation. Sean's connection with Hugh Downey goes back to his childhood. His grandfather was the first chairman of the board of the Downey's first charity, which Hugh and Marty began in the 1960s. His father, Bob Miller, later served as chairman as well. Karen also served on the board.
As a child, Sean remembers going to Hugh’s father’s house to help pack supplies to send to Africa. Later, when Karen and Sean were newly married, they traveled to Africa with Hugh and Marty for a couple of weeks. Those experiences left a lasting impression on both of them.
Years later, when Hugh and Marty began His Work Foundation, Sean and Karen were eager to help. They began by funding training for catechists to provide Catholic religious services in remote and underserved parts of Africa. They have continued to support the work of the Catholic church in Eastern Africa through His Work. The model is strong: priests make requests, their bishops bless those requests, and grants are made from the foundation’s office in Denver.
Sean and Karen have been honored to serve alongside Hugh and Marty, Monsignor Ken Leone, and so many others, and look forward to continuing to serve the poor in Africa for many years to come.