THE BEGINNING

Our story begins in 2010, in a tiny rural town called Nuevo. Jeremy Van Liew and a handful of passionate others planned a trip for the following year to head to Kipkaren, Kenya with the goals of providing funding to the city’s only medical center and providing support to the Children’s Home.

The group heading to Kipkaren made their plans known and worked tirelessly to fundraise. Throughout the year they planned numerous benefit concerts, designed and sold shirts, and collected donations. By early 2011, they raised more than their goal. They called their project The Aslan Network.

A NEW VISION

During their 2011 trip, Jeremy took an interest in the local women’s group-workshop. The women made clothing, sold the garments to the people in the village, and used the profits to support the children’s home. This was community-based social marketing in action, and it inspired Jeremy with a new vision. He noticed the unique designs and fabrics and knew that people in the US would notice them too.

The Aslan Network’s initial success in promoting and fundraising for a common goal got Jeremy thinking about the bigger picture. He couldn’t bare the thought that people died because they lack access to the same resources that are so plentiful in our country. He dreamt of expanding The Aslan Network into a functioning non profit organization that gave people across the world the chance to pursue a life of happiness and fulfillment. He wanted to make opportunities more accessible. He wanted to bring people closer to hope.

IN LOVING MEMORY

Jeremy Van Liew towered over everyone who knew him. It’s easy to do when you stand at 6’9”. Even more impressive than his height was his heart. He cared about the things other people didn’t think of. Jeremy was the kind of person you’d meet and feel like you’ve been best friends your entire life. He filled people with encouragement and embodied creativity. With Jeremy, everything was something to notice; every person was someone to enjoy life with.

August 1, 2012 started as a day like any other. Jeremy took a shower as his younger brother James browsed Netflix down the hall. After seeing Jeremy sneak back into his room, James went to ask if he wanted to join him for a movie. Then, everything changed.

A 911-phone call was made while James’ brain became overloaded with information to process. A raging panic had set in. Instructions on how to perform CPR were passed along and performed, but the effort was fruitless. Just moments before James came down the hall, Jeremy died of an aortic aneurysm.

For James and the Van Liew family, life was unrecognizable. With time and the extended arms of the friends and family, James turned his pain and grief into ambition. Jeremy died with a dream and James knew he had to continue building on his brother’s legacy. Jeremy’s spirit lives on in the lives he touched, and continues to be a guiding force for The Aslan Network’s mission.