Joy Lanier, who is passionate about investing her creativity and energy into serving kids and their families, established Kinship Connection as a 501(c)(3) organization in December of 2019. Three years of being a foster parent opened her eyes to the challenges foster children deal with in homes without their family or family connections. She is currently completing a Bachelor’s Degree in Behavioral Science.

Marcie O’Donnell holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Wheaton College Conservatory with a piano performance concentration and voice minor, and a Master’s Degree from Illinois Northern University in choral conducting. She spent the first 5 months of her life in foster care, was raised in an adoptive home, and has strong passion and commitment to Kinship Connection’s mission of helping individuals raise their relative’s children. A dedicated volunteer, Marcie writes grants for Foster Kinship in Las Vegas, NV, as well as for Kinship Connection.

Cailin is a graduate student at the University of Washington, and will graduate with her masters in Social Work in June, 2020. She has a passion for kinship care and supporting kinship families. She lived with foster siblings for a handful of her high school years, and is currently doing her MSW practicum at the Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF). She has experience working in residential treatment centers with youth who have experienced trauma, and she plans to work as a social worker for DCYF when she graduates.

Kinship care puts a name to something Amelia has known her whole life. Relative care is something prevalent in the Pacific Islander community and among many marginalized communities and communities of color. Amelia was cared for by many different family members. She has taken care of siblings intermittently over the last few years. Her youngest sibling is now in her care, the sweetest addition to the family, with her two other children. Amelia sees the need for community for kinship caregivers, for support and advocacy, and hopes to be a voice for kinship caregivers and families with Kinship Connection.

Dani Lalonde has her B.A. in Psychology and has worked in the child welfare field for 10 years. Working in case management at two foster care agencies, she has seen the important role that relative and kinship caregivers have on their community. She is passionate about supporting these caregivers as a board member of Kinship Connection.

Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Gonzaga University. With a deep passion for social justice, Stephanie left Gonzaga knowing that she wanted to be a part of something that help people but more importantly gave them the opportunity to cultivate generational change. This led her to begin her career in parent-child visitation services. Stephanie quickly developed a love for family reunification and a deeper understanding of family connection.
Stephanie continues to follow her passion as the Re-entry and Reunification Support Services Program Manager for the YWCA Seattle l King l Snohomish where she oversees a program that offers supportive housing, services, and advocacy for previously incarcerated parents to facilitate family reunification and stability.

Theressa is a wife of 23 years and mother of four. Through friendship with families involved in foster care, she has seen how important a support system is to the well-being of all of those involved. Unfortunately, kinship care providers don’t have the same resources for support available to them. She is excited to be a part of Kinship Connection, an organization committed to filling this need.

Wendy S. Woolsey completed her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in music therapy at the University of the Pacific Conservatory of Music and is a board certified music therapist. Wendy’s clinical work has focused on neurological disorders and post adoption services. She is an instructor of music therapy and the music therapy clinical coordinator at Seattle Pacific University and serves as the Vice President of the American Music Therapy Association.