Council of Trustees

Janice Eastburn, President

Janice moved to South Lake Tahoe and discovered Unity nine wonderful years ago. She believes that all beings have their own unique ways of serving Spirit and the world. In addition to serving as Board Secretary she serves as a Chaplain, and as the Coordinator of "Unity in the Community," a charitable fund to help those in need in South Lake Tahoe. In her professional life she is a social worker, working with children and families in a variety of capacities. She enjoys any activity that allows her to be in nature, but, especially hiking, cycling, and travelling. Janice lives with her loving domestic partner, Heide, and two cats.

"My life overflows with blessings. I am grateful for my family, my friends, my prosperity, my health, and for my spritual family, Unity at the Lake."

"THANK YOU GOD!"

Kathi Olsen, Vice President

Kathi O moved to S. Lake Tahoe a few years ago from the Bay Area and found her spiritual family as a member of Unity of the Lake.  Over the years, her faith in Unity provided the divine connection to her ever-increasing service to God. She is dedicated to working together to strengthen one another in the spirit of love and spiritual communion. “I am grateful for the opportunity to serve on the UATL Board of Trustees and feel blessed to be of service.”

Professionally, Kathi works in the promotional products industry. She is avidly married to a happy fly fisherman (and college professor). In the summer, she enjoys the great outdoors, hiking, biking and boating. The winter days are filled with reading, stitchery, and meditation.

“May the light and love of God surround me! Thank you God!”

Peter Hussmann, Treasurer

I was born in British Columbia where the Coast Range meets the waters of the Douglas Channel. I have always had a deep affection for the mountains and the ocean so perhaps that is where it began. My family moved to California when I was four years old and began visiting Lake Tahoe on vacations, and it became a central part of our lives.

I come from a family that did not demonstrate any connection to God; I don’t think the name was ever used in our home. My parents had a deep seated mistrust of religion and so I was never exposed to the traditional ways of worship. We moved to Tahoe when I was fifteen and I began to explore the surrounding backcountry. I began to feel the presence of something powerful yet nurturing as well. I became infatuated with the mountains that were now my home.

I met my soul mate Nancy here at Tahoe, both of our sons Eric and Aaron were born here as well. We have left twice but couldn’t stay away. Now we are here to stay as we have come to realize that this is where we are supposed to be.

During Nancy’s brush with death in 1997 we each felt the loving presence and awesome power of God in our own individual experiences. We knew that our lives had changed and we wanted to find a place where we could share our newly realized spirituality. It took us ten years but we feel that we have found what we have been looking for; coming to Unity at the Lake feels like coming home.

The past year has been filled with a lot of challenges and opportunities, and I am so very grateful that I have had the love and support of my Unity family. I feel that my time to give back to our spiritual community has presented itself, and I feel blessed to be able to do so. Namaste.

Danielle Wagner, Secretary

Danielle grew up in the East Bay then studied Biological Sciences at UC Davis. After graduating and working in cardiovascular research, she made her way to the Pacific Northwest. She worked in Seattle as a record store manager, and then was hired by RCA Records (later to become BMG). Working for BMG for 23 years between Seattle, Portland and Sacramento, she left the company when industry conditions turned bad. She picked South Lake Tahoe as her next destination, having dreamed of living in a beautiful mountain recreation environment with a lake and a ski area. She has been here for 6 years. During that time, she has done various odd jobs and studied the stock market.

She came to Unity after seeking the kind of spiritual family she’d discovered in the New Thought movement in Portland. After the departure of Denese from Unity at the Lake, she spent several months working as the administrative assistant. She is looking forward to serving again in this new capacity, and continuing her spiritual growth with the Unity family.

She enjoys much of the recreation Lake Tahoe has to offer, including skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, backpacking, hiking, white water rafting, kayaking, mountain biking, as well as yoga, fitness, trading and spiritual book studies.

James Crawford, Trustee

Everyone of us has a story to tell! This is part of mine: I was born on October 24, 1941 to George and Sally Crawford in Pittsburgh, PA. It was not the best time to be born a Negro in America, but a great time to be an American. I was raised in the Baptist Church where my walk of faith began.

My father took great care to inform me of the odds I would face as a young Negro. My mother made sure that I knew all about the real history of the U.S.A. and that we as a people were a part of it, and that I had a stake in it!

I came to California in the late 60’s…my 2 children and 4 grandchildren were born in this state. I moved to South Lake Tahoe 5 years ago, and began looking for a church home. I happened to come to Unity one Sunday and Karen Martin welcomed me with a God-felt hug! I came of age in the Little Church That Could. Service is important to me and this is a chance to serve and share God’s Love and Light.

Paige Rice, Trustee

I moved to Lake Tahoe and found Unity at the Lake 9 years ago. I am so delighted to find a “home” at the lake and a welcoming kinship at Unity. Previously, I enjoyed living in Kenya on a wildlife conversancy, Lewa, where I discovered that life should be simple, meaningful and powerful. After that experience I decided to actively live my life. So I moved to Tahoe for fun & adventure and found breathtaking landscapes, expansive wilderness and a community that I treasure.

I was raised in a Methodist family and attended Lutheran schools in New York. I always thought something in my spiritual life was missing and never felt connected until I found Unity at the Lake. Unity to me is like coming home and it feeds my sole. Unity at the Lake helps me growth spiritually, intellectually and has opened my eyes to total acceptance of everyone, including myself.

My professional background is in the corporate arena in Sales and Marketing; however, I wanted to follow my dreams to work with animals. Therefore, I started Tahoe Best Friends a pet care and animal training service. I have a passion for animals and a love of Tahoe – life is good.

I am proud to be a prospective Council Member for Unity at the Lake. I am delighted and honored to join the impressive group of Council Trustees. Thank you for allowing me to share my story. Now it's your turn. Please join us and experience a new spiritual community at Unity at the Lake.

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