John Quinley is the Director of the Step Ahead Training Centre. Originally from Virginia in the US, he and his wife Kim have been working in Thailand for about 15 years, spending 6 of those working down in the South. John had the vision for the centre after coming down to Khaolak with his family the first week after the Tsunami to help. He is also the Director of Step Ahead Microenterprise in Bangkok (www.stepaheadmed.org). 

Helen Morris (Mozza) is the stand in coordinator at the moment whilst Jo T is back in England. She was teaching Sport in Loughborough, in England, before coming out to Thailand to teach English with Step Ahead.

Joanne Tomblin (Jo T) coordinated the project from the start. Alongside GM, Pi Nok!, she led a number of volunteer teams in renovating the Step Ahead building, which was badly damaged by the Tsunami. With the help of Kim, John's wife, she made excellent choices in paint colour, pictures, curtains, big grand tables and chairs and, in an attempt to tone up the Step Ahead staff, very heavy cutlery!!! She then did a brilliant job in starting up the different courses at the training centre, making links with the community, teaching English at the centre and sport at one of the local schools. Before she came out to work in Thailand Jo was a PE teacher in Leicester in England - and had the immense privilege of sharing a house with Mozza!

Joanne Butcher (Jo B) joined the Step Ahead team with severely mosquito eaten feet after living in one of the temporary housing camps for two months! During this time she was working with an organisation called Phantasanja working in the mother and baby centre. Since joining Step Ahead she has been leading the Beginners English course and heading up the hotel teaching.

Ketsara Rammasoon (Gade) Gade worked as the administrator for Step Ahead and did a brilliant job in administration and translation. Her leaving last October to go and work on the staff team for the Chaing Rai DTS course was fortunately preceded by the arrival of Isariya Arngee (Benz) who then joined the team to take on this role. Since arriving at Step Ahead, Benz has not only done an excellent job with the administration, but has also put to use her English skills by running the Absolute Beginners English courses.

Pi Id started working at Step Ahead in September and has done a brilliant job in keeping the centre looking so nice. Before the Tsunami she worked at the Sofatel Hotel, which was sadly one of the many hotels destroyed.

Pi Nok (GM) has worked with Step Ahead from the beginning. He was very involved in the renovation of the centre (being the brains behind Jo T's voice!) and now keeps the place running day to day. He has also demonstrated a recently discovered talent for making fruit shakes! Pi Nok is from a place called Nam Kem, which was the area most badly affected by the Tsunami in Thailand.

Pi Lakana was involved in the project from the opening of the centre in May. Intially she led a weeks course on stepping ahead into the future for all of the students who had registered for the various courses. After that she led a number of Beginners Computer classes. Many of the students attending the Beginners classes had never tried to use a computer before and was brilliant to see them grow in confidence through Pi Lak's patient instruction and encouragement. She has now moved back to her home town in Esaan to be close to her family and we congratulate her and her husband on the recent birth of their first child, a baby girl! 

Pi Rung is the most recent member of the team joining us to work in the cafe. She initially came into contact with Step Ahead through joining the Basic English course, and then applied for a job at the cafe when we advertised last month. We are delighted that she has been able to come and work with us, and she has very quickly learnt how to make excellent coffees, shakes and smoothies and is working alongside Pi Nong to learn more about baking.

We have been very privileged to also have Pi Nong working with us in the cafe. Pi Nong is an excellent baker and, as well as working for Step Ahead, also works at Le Meridien Hotel in Khao Lak. She has been training the other staff at Step Ahead in baking cakes, biscuits, pies and creme caramel and has also been training the staff at the local We Love Thailand bakery, who will be providing our cafe with bread and croissants. We are very grateful too for the work of Pi Kwan in working with Step Ahead to help co-ordinate the opening of the cafe.

For a 5 week period starting in the middle of October 05, Matthias joined us every Thursday and Friday to take the German course here at Step Ahead. He is an OMF missionary working in Bangkok, where he lives with his family, and we are very grateful to him for his time in coming down to Khao Lak and taking this course.

Many others!!! The running of Step Ahead would not have been possible without the many other volunteers who have given up their time to serve with us. Initially 100's of volunteers assisted in the renovation work and then, since opening in May, many more have come to help with the teaching. Many thanks to all of these people: Ali, Phil, Ian, Paul, Karess, Andrea, Aaron, Josh, Maralynne, Karissa - to name but a few, for teaching with such fun and enthusiasm, making all of our students feel so welcome and being great people to be around!