DEAN AITHWAITE,

Founder/Executive chaplain

Born into a service orientated family, I enlisted into the British Armed Forces, completing service aged 23. Having met an American girl in my last year of service, I emigrated to the US where we got married and I became a Volunteer Firefighter, while working in Commercial and Residential Property Management.

In 2012 I heard my calling to Chaplaincy, and immediately began to prepare and gain credentialling for the mission field of Chaplaincy. I began service here in the mid-Willamette Valley in 2015, and seeing the need for a dedicated team of professional First Responder Chaplains serving First Responders First, assembled WVFRC in 2018.

My wife and I have been married for 24 years, and we have been blessed to train up three children.

Professional affiliations

  • Oregon State Police Health Wellness & Resiliency Team member

  • Albany Police Department Trust Team member

  • Linn County Sheriff’s Office Peer Support Team member

  • Corvallis Police Department Peer Support Team member

  • Benton County Sheriff's Office Peer Support Team member

  • Benton County Crisis Response Team member

  • Marion County Sheriff’s Office Peer Support Team member

  • International Conference of Police Chaplains Associate Member

  • International Critical Incident Stress Foundation - Instructor

  • Crisis Intervention Training - Instructor

HANNAH FRICKE

OFFICE MANAGER

I was born and raised in Albany, Oregon and graduated from George Fox University in 2016 with a bachelor’s degreen in International Studies and French. During college, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Dijon, France and gained experience working as a legislative assistant for an Oregon State Representative.

Following graduation, I worked as an appraisal secretary before joining the WVFRC team. In 2018, I volunteered as an English teacher in Amman, Jordan, while serving with a local nonprofit that supported Iraqi and Syrian refugees. That experience reinforced my passion for serving others and confirmed my desire to build a career with purpose.

Today, I am grateful to support the mission of WVFRC and the first responders and communities we serve.

Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my husband, Brenden, our son and our many critters. When I’m not in the office, you’ll often find me gardening, baking, tackling DIY projects or hosting friends for movie nights.

SHERRI SPERLING

TEAM CHAPLAIN

Chaplaincy is my current privilege and passion, a culmination of a circuitous journey. Married to my “best bud,” Neal, since my senior year of high school in 1971, we have traveled many roads. My focus during the early years was raising our family and nurturing approximately 30 foster children. Then during our family’s high school years, hosting foreign exchange students. During this stage we even owned our own grocery/deli/vet supply store near Scio.

My own childhood traumas necessitated counsel and a wondrous healing journey that inspired a passion for the healing process of others. During the 1990s, I led a healing/lay counseling ministry. Multiple short-term mission trips with our church introduced me to the need for spiritual and emotional care for those on the front-line of worldwide missions.

Neal and I have six children: three biological and three adopted. Our adopted children are biological siblings who escaped communist oppression in Laos via a refugee camp in Thailand.

Our youngest son went home to heaven after twenty years of heart issues, including a transplant. Our five children and their children all live within an hour of us. We now rejoice in our 14 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren (soon to be five!). Our holiday gatherings are AWESOME!

When not serving or working real estate as a principal broker, Neal and I love to travel. Cooking, baking, gathering for meals and games with our kids family and friends or camping and hiking are our major activities and pretty much fill our calendars!

MIKE LARSEN

operations / support team

Mike is a native Oregonian and graduate of Oregon State University. Mike is passionate about the mission and vision of WVFRC, and he has served in a number of capacities including Board Member and Technical Advisor. Mike and his family live in Albany, Oregon.