Kasali Obanoyen
Meet Kasali Obanoyen, Community Responder Team Lead!
During the World Cup and beyond, our team members demonstrate what care-based response looks like in action. Because behind every PAD assist is a person committed to helping another person move forward.
The Best Assist - Kasali Obanoyen
“Every community possesses talent, resilience, and untapped potential. Sometimes what people need most is not charity, but opportunity, encouragement, and a platform to succeed.”
If I could leave people with one message about PAD and the people we serve, it would be this:
Every community possesses talent, resilience, and untapped potential. Sometimes what people need most is not charity, but opportunity, encouragement, and a platform to succeed. PAD believes that lasting development happens when people are empowered to become active participants in shaping their own future. The individuals and communities we serve are not defined by their challenges but by their capacity to overcome them and thrive. I join others at PAD to listen, support, connect, and help create pathways for progress. When people are given the right opportunities, remarkable things happen—not just for individuals, but for entire communities.
Together, we can build stronger, more inclusive, and more prosperous communities where everyone has the chance to contribute, succeed, and be valued.
If PAD had an official team motto, what would it be?
“People First, Progress Always.” PAD believes that meaningful development begins with people. When individuals are empowered, communities prosper, and sustainable progress becomes possible. Our commitment is to serve, connect, and create opportunities that leave a lasting positive impact.
Every great team needs support. How does your work assist the community?
Our work assists the community by creating platforms for engagement, development, and opportunity. We support initiatives in sports, education, youth empowerment, advocacy, and community development.
Whether through housing and case management consultations, encouraging dialogue on important issues, supporting grassroots programs, seeking to reduce arrests and avoidable incarcerations or connecting people with resources and opportunities, our goal is to help individuals and institutions reach their full potential while strengthening community bonds.
What’s the best assist you’ve received in your own life?
The greatest assist I have received has been the guidance, encouragement, and opportunities provided by mentors, family members, teachers, and friends who believed in me at critical moments. Their support helped shape my perspective, build confidence, and open doors that may otherwise have remained closed. Success is rarely achieved alone; it is often the result of many people investing in your journey.
What does “meeting people where they are” mean to you?
To me, “meeting people where they are” means understanding their circumstances before offering solutions. It means listening without judgment, recognizing that everyone is at a different stage in life, and providing support that is practical, relevant, and respectful of their reality. It is about empathy, patience, and working with people from their current position toward a better future rather than expecting them to begin from where we are.
Helping to create a new vista for hope as challenging times recede!