After growing up in Henry County and graduating from Blue River High School, I thought I wanted to move away from New Castle. But when I married my husband, also a Henry County native, we decided we wanted to live and raise our family here.
I am proud to have been raised in this community that taught me strong work ethics, kindness, and resiliency. Through my career in the non-profit sector, it became evident to me that Henry County is filled with neighbors who care about the neighbors they know, and those they don’t. People who give to help others with food, housing and healthcare during their most vulnerable moments, and those who give so our little community can offer opportunities in education, recreation, and arts and culture.
Shortly after graduating from Indiana Wesleyan University, I was hired as the Executive Director for Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Henry County (now called Believe and Achieve Mentoring). There, I began to learn about the work of the Community Foundation as a grantee and through attending annual meetings. I was intrigued by the impact made through the Choose Henry Fund when the Foundation pooled donations, no matter the size, with others to benefit various causes in the community.
In 2004, I accepted a position as Administrative Assistant for the Foundation. I was soon promoted to Program Director to oversee the community grants and scholarship programs. Then, I accepted the position of Director of Development where I worked with donors in fund development and marketing.
I enjoy working for the Foundation because it is truly a great group of like-minded people who want to make our home the best it can be. Accomplishing those goals through endowment, which will be available to our community forever, is rewarding work. People here value the past and envision a brighter future. The people and their passions for helping the community are what make Henry County so great!
Fun Fact: In 2003, my husband had work in Nashville, TN. Our little family of three was photographed by a fairly renowned photographer (Oprah’s magazine, ‘O’, called while we were in the studio!). We received a call a couple weeks later asking permission to use our picture in a national Christmas advertising campaign. We agreed, and our picture was used in bookstores across the US.