About
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The mission of The Crane Centre is to provide Uganda's under-served youth with job skills, training and career development opportunities in order to foster independence, leadership and a vision for their future.
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At our school, The Crane Skilling and Vocational Institute in Mbarara, Uganda, we offer a variety of opportunities for exploration and growth in the Hospitality industry, each providing a government awarded certificate for successful completion. ​
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Welcome to The Crane Centre
​The Beginning
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Sandra Crane, founder of The Crane Centre, spent several years traveling to Uganda with a mission group. During a visit in 2005, she felt moved to make a deeper, lasting impact. Inspired by the needs she saw and the potential she believed in, Sandra purchased land in Mbarara—Uganda’s fourth-largest town—with a vision: to establish a campus where young Ugandans could gain practical skills in the hospitality industry, unlocking pathways to meaningful employment and a brighter future.​
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Today
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Thanks to the generous support of our many donors, that original plot of land has transformed into the Crane Skilling and Vocational Institute—a thriving school offering nationally accredited programs in culinary arts and hotel management. The campus now features a reception hall, classrooms, a computer lab, modern restrooms, a large commercial kitchen designed for hands-on training, a dining and conference hall, landscaped grounds, a secure gated entrance, and a guardhouse. Dormitories house our boarding students, cared for by our dedicated school matron who also prepares their meals.
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Our accredited training programs equip students with the skills and confidence to succeed in Uganda’s growing hospitality industry. Graduates are now being hired by local hotels in roles ranging from food preparation to hotel services—and many are quickly advancing into leadership positions. Some alumni have already risen to head chef roles, while others are managing key departments in hotel operations.
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Today, The Crane Centre is proudly recognized for producing highly qualified, job-ready professionals—empowering a new generation of Ugandans to rise beyond subsistence living and into fulfilling, sustainable careers.
Our Vision
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The vision for the future of the Crane Centre is to become self supporting and continue to provide expanded career training for Uganda's youth as a licensed and highly respected training center.
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Leadership
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The Crane Centre is led by a US Board of Directors, a Ugandan Board of Directors and an excellent and highly skilled faculty and staff on campus.
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Sandra Crane
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Sandra completed her associate degree at the local community college and then worked in several occupations. She has owned businesses and worked various office environments. Many years in mission work was the foundation so that in 2001 she traveled to Uganda and soon after felt called to establish what has become the Crane Centre. The school has been growing and has educated many young Ugandan women and men in the hospitality industry. During almost 70 years as a member of herchurch she has served in many roles of leadership including Clerk of the Session and teaching Sunday school. Sandra currently serves on the Mission Committee.
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Stacy Quinn
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Stacy has been a member of the Crane Centre board since 2017 and has participated in two mission trips to the Centre. She holds a Bachelors degree in Business Administration from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Wayne State University. She has an extensive background in marketing, sales and sales management, operating a successful travel agency. She is a busy mother of two and an active volunteer, holding multiple board and committee positions, including the Crane Centre.
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Marjorie Dolbeer
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Marj is an experienced educator with a Bachelor’s degree in Education from Northern Illinois University and a Master’s Degree in Curriculum Development from National Louis University. She has 38 years of teaching and administration in public schools and at the university level. She is an elder and has served as deacon at her church and currently serves on their Mission Council. Mission work includes almost 20 years of working with both the Crane Centre and Partners in Mission as a board member. Her extensive travels include 20 trips to Uganda, work on the Navajo Reservation as well as local organizations.
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Steve Orr
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Steve is a retired Michigan attorney who is active in the life of his church and has served as a member of the Committee for Preparation of Ministry in the Detroit Presbytery. He is currently an active Stephen Minister and has participated in many short term mission trips including a working mission trip to Uganda in the early construction of the Crane Centre.
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Sue Peterman
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Sue is a nurse and educator. She has 13 years critical care experience, several years teaching nurses how to use the electronic health record and 5 years in developing and maintaining the electronic health record. Sue has been both a deacon and an elder of her church, serving on the mission committee. Sue has been to Uganda 3 times including the Crane Centre ground breaking ceremony.
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​Lorene Flewellen
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Lorene has a background in business, including Human Resources, leadership development, as well as mergers and acquisitions. She received a BS in Sociology and a MS in Public Administration from the University of Oregon and has held various senior leadership positions in both Fortune 500 as well as smaller organizations. Before she retired, Lorene worked as an HR consultant, serving small, non-profit, faith-based organizations.
She later started her own travel business, focusing on promoting travel to Africa. Lorene has traveled extensively, volunteering and serving ministries along the way. She has traveled to Tanzania to teach business skills to women entrepreneurs, and has gone on mission trips to India, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Uganda. She currently volunteers at a birth support ministry focused on refugee women and at a school for refugee girls whose education has been interrupted due to conflict. She has experience serving on non-profit boards.
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Dennis Berry
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Dennis Berry was born in Detroit. He graduated from Edsel Ford High school in 1957 and attended the University of Michigan receiving his Bachelors’ degree in Math in 1961 and an MBA in 1963. He has worked for Michigan Consolidated Gas Co (now a part of DTE Energy), and retired from Chrysler Corporation in December of 2001. His primary assignments have been in Computer Systems. He has been a member of Orchard Lake Community Church since 1973. He has been a ruling elder and Clerk of Session and led Rebuilding Together. He visited Uganda in 2006 with Sandra and has been supportive of the Crane Centre ever since.
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