About Dance with Mweyne

Inspired by a volunteer trip to an orphanage in Kenya for children and adults with physical and mental disabilities in 2018, Betina Gozo created The Dance with Mweyne Foundation. She built the non-profit organization to provide for and bring sustainability to this often underserved demographic.  

Our mission is to focus on the overall development of special needs children in underserved communities by supporting individual families through providing safe and holistic home care solutions.

This may look like equipping families with financial support necessary for:

• Medical supplies
• School tuition
• School supplies 
• Medicine
• Doctor’s visits
• PT/OT sessions
• Transportation fare to get to and from these places; 

Our Inspiration: Meet Mweyne

Mweyne is our beautiful friend from the Ongata Rongai Special Home for Children and Adults in Kenya.  Though she does not have the ability to walk, she is a HUGE fan of dancing!  Give her a little help, and she will dance and smile the night away.  

MEET THE TEAM!

Betina Gozo
Founder 

In her late teens and early twenties, Betina spent a lot of time with her two friends, Stevie and Annie Hopkins, both diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy, as a live- in caregiver.  Both being in wheelchairs their whole lives, Betina assisted them with everyday activities, such as bathing, going to the toilet, and feeding, among a variety of other things. She also volunteered at nursing homes throughout her childhood, so giving time and care has always been part of her journey and has broadened her perspective as well as her capacity for compassion. Betina’s dream is to raise awareness amongst her fitness community and connect them with rewarding volunteer experiences.  

James Omambia
Kenya Coordinator

James is a local Kenyan with a Degree in Social Work & Community Development and is our first full time employee! James is a trusted friend and professional that we’ve already partnered with for various projects over the last few years, and has inspired us with his passion and commitment to the development and sustainability of his local communities. James makes daily trips into the community to identify and vet local families, schools, and healthcare professionals, and coordinate the necessary care for each child. He also will be making regular visits to the home care settings to evaluate progress and identify new or different needs, and be able to provide us the information we need to update our supporters on the well being and development of the children.  

Jenna Cordaro
Administrative Director

Jenna developed her passion for special needs children 12 years ago when her full-of-life nephew, Jimmy, was born. Early in his life, he was diagnosed with 2 extremely rare disorders but his positivity and radiance remained, which was inspiring to Jenna and her family. Jenna knew then that she wanted to dedicate her life to helping people with disabilities. Shortly after receiving her degree in Kinesiology, Jenna met Dance With Mweyne Founder, Betina Gozo, and felt an immediate pull to get involved with the foundation. She took her first trip to Kenya in 2019 and felt that together, they could change the lives of kids with disabilities and their families in a real, impactful way. She is now the Administrative Director of Dance With Mweyne.

Scarlet Parke
Marketing Manager 

Scarlet was born and raised in Seattle, WA and spent the majority of her youth working for her mothers catering business. Her passion for events, design, and serving others blossomed into a full blown event coordinator career for the better half of her 20’s before she decided to start her own business called Parke Ave, an online networking community for musicians. In 2019, Scarlet met Betina, and is proud to bring her passion for service to the DWM team. ​

Audrey Halaas-Voorhees
Community Engagement Manager

Audrey grew up in Los Angeles, California and went on to attend the University of Southern California, graduating in 2017 with a BFA in Acting. During college she worked as a legal assistant at a Civil Rights law firm in addition to her volunteer work for social justice issues. She felt called to work with Dance With Mweyne because of her step-brother Josh who loves anything cowboy related and makes the world a far brighter place with his presence. In addition to working for DWM she is the General Manager of a private fitness studio while also pursuing an acting career. As the Community Engagement Manager, Audrey strives to provide connections between the work that the foundation accomplishes, the individuals it serves, and the global community. Through education and social connection she makes it her goal to bring disability aid and awareness to greater attention.
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