The Story Behind the Skip.
One encounter with true poverty changed the lives
of millions forever.
From Producing to Poverty
Shelene Bryan was a successful Hollywood producer when she came face-to-face with poverty for the first time. Like many "good Americans", Shelene and her husband (Brice) signed up to sponsor two children (Omega and Alonis) from Africa for $50 a month. One day, Shelene felt the need to find out if Omega and Alonis really existed. She hopped on a plane and arrived in Uganda completely unannounced. A newly befriended Ugandan woman acted as her guide and hiked her deep into the African jungle. They soon found the village of Gaba where Omega and Alonis were rumored to live. The kind guide led Shelene into a small mud hut no bigger than the size of her walk-in closet at home. When Shelene entered, a young girl darted at her. To Shelene's surprise, it was her beautiful, sponsored child Omega. As she embraced Omega with tears flowing down her face, she realized that this little girl was real and she was being kept alive, fed, clothed, educated, and learning about Jesus all for $25 a month.
Total Village Makeover
Overjoyed in finding Omega, Shelene asked her, "Is there anything that I can get you? Is there anything that you want?". Omega got a huge smile on her face and responded, "A bed!". Shelene took Omega into the capital of her country, Kampala, and bought her a bed, sheets, a mosquito net, a blanket, and a pair of shoes for $20. In this moment, Shelene realized the power of American currency in poverty-stricken countries. She often says, "We are all Oprah over there!". With this new-found knowledge Shelene bought out all the vendors shops and went back into Omega's village and started passing out beds like a deck of cards. She rolled out linoleum flooring and gave live-saving supplies to everyone in the village- it was truly a HGTV design on a real dime- village makeover edition!
"Let's just SKIP IT!"
By effecting so much change with such a little sacrifice, Shelene was determined to share everything she experienced with her friends back in California. She threw an "Africa Party" and showed pictures and told stories of children who simply needed a MEAL to survive. She challenged her friends, "If a real child's life is at stake, wouldn't we all just skip it?! We all can skip something in our day-to-day life to feel a child in need." Shelene and Brice searched tirelessly to donate to a feeding program or organization that would help the impoverished kids they had fallen in love with. To their surprise, they couldn't find an organization that gave 100% of public donations because many organizations had to cover organizational and credit card costs.
This was the birthplace of Skip1. Shelene and Brice found private investors to cover the organizational cost in order to protect the giving of people worldwide who were willing to "Skip" something. Shelene and Brice are eager to give and serve people around them not to be "good people" or to feel better about themselves, but because they know they are called by Jesus Christ, their Lord and Savior, to live out true religion and take care of "widows and orphans" (James 1:27). They are motivated by the fact that whatever they do "for the least of these" they are actually doing for God (Matthew 25:40-45).
Our Team
Brooke is the daughter of Shelene and Brice Bryan. She has followed in her mother’s footsteps as a speaker and advocate for children on behalf of Compassion International. She has her own YouTube channel as well as having two master’s degrees in theological studies and biomedical sciences. Brooke was a D1 lacrosse player at Liberty University and was recently married to the love of her life, Landon Cose, in December of 2024.
Candace is an actress, producer, and New York Times bestselling author. She gained widespread fame for her role as D.J. Tanner on the beloved sitcom Full House (1987–1995) and reprised the character in the Netflix sequel Fuller House. In April 2022, she became Chief Content Officer at Great American Media, where she helps produce family-friendly and faith-based content. Candace married former NHL player Val Bure in 1996, and together they have three children (Natasha, Maks, and Lev). Candace boldly shares about her Christian faith and serves others relentlessly.
Barbara Cameron is the mother of actors Kirk Cameron and Candace Cameron Bure, and the author of the memoir A Full House of Growing Pains: A Hollywood Mother’s Journey, in which she reflects on raising her children in the spotlight, her faith, and her family’s struggles. She also ran a talent agency, “Barbara Cameron & Associates,” and has spent many years doing mission work in Africa alongside her daughter Candace.
Shanda is the younger sister of Shelene Bryan. Shanda has been serving the next generation in the Simi Valley School Systems for three decades. She is currently the Principal of Valley View Middle School in Simi Valley, California, where she leads with a strong emphasis on building relationships, fostering student engagement, and partnering closely with families, and spreading the love of Jesus.
Cheril is the CEO and President of “Brandtailers”, a Newport Beach–based marketing and advertising agency known for its strategic, transparent, and ego-free approach. She holds an MBA in Marketing from California State University, Long Beach and previously taught advertising as an adjunct faculty member at Chapman University. Cheril is a great friend who brings life and joy to anyone she meets.
Matt is a seasoned producer-director and storyteller based in Southern California. He founded MWP in 2015, a full-service content and live events production company which helps brands, agencies, and producers bring large-scale broadcasts, experiential events, and narrative content to life. Matt began his career working on major sets — he was a PA at Warner Bros and later a DGA stage manager — and has since directed multi-camera broadcasts, product launches, and keynote events for clients like DIRECTV, LinkedIn, and UGG. Matt is an incredible person who brings competency and creativity to any room that he enters.