Our Founder

Meet Kim Smythe

If you have met Kimberly, or Kim, as her close friends and family call her, you know that she is self-driven, compassionate, spiritually connected, and community-centric.

Kim was born in Madrid, Spain, but spent most of her youth being moved from place to place. Her father served in the military, and the family relocated six times in 11 years, finally landing in Hawaii, where she spent the remainder of her youth.

After relocating to the Pacific Northwest in 1998, Kim and her husband, Tim,  began to raise a family together and started a business that turned into a thriving enterprise. Kim felt driven to reconnect with her past, herself, and heal from the trauma she experienced as a teenager.

In following her own path to self-realization, Kim was drawn to writing down her story. The award-winning book, “Letting Go Again” was born out of this time of growth. It’s the story of her journey as a birth mother and gives depth and insight into what it was like for Kim to give up her first child for adoption. You can learn more about the book, here.

It was during the publishing process of her book, that Kim realized she had another calling; to create a space or physical place for individuals in the community to gather and share their stories, find connections, and feel safe.

“I feel for people who were like me that felt like there was no place or community for you. I want to be authentic with others. I want to allow and create space for people to be who they are.”

It wasn’t long after this epiphany that she and her husband sold the company they had owed in Bend, Oregon for nearly 20 years, and launched into a new phase. Kim’s dream has become a reality, in the Hanai Foundation.

A place for the Central Oregon Community was created to inspire individual strength, independence, courage, kindness, and innovation – with the goal of helping each other.

Kim and her husband, Tim, were married in 1982 and love living in the Great Northwest. When Kim is not creating connections and community, you will find her roaming the back roads and trails with her husband Tim.