Recently, Tom decided to leave his passion for “live” performances to travel on another path that he is passionate about. This passion is to work with children and youth that need a supportive family to let them aspire to their potential. He enjoys networking with others and hopes to find many families who will be supportive of, and participate in, foster care, adoption and the Annie C mission.
Tom is married, has a son that is 24, another son 45, raised through kinship care as well as a college-age daughter who is adopted from Guatemala. In his spare time, he loves organic gardening, photography, raising Great Danes and appreciating the beauty of the planet.
Selina is most passionate about advocating for and beside older youth. She also volunteers for her church community as the youth advisor.
Roger is an active board member for the Mattatuck Museum. He is passionate in his interest in drum and bugle corps. Many weekends you can find Roger and his wife sitting in the bleachers cheering on the musicians.
Roger loves to teach and offers financial literacy classes to youth through M&T Bank. His passion for social justice drives him to work for a better world for young people.
Jill is an avid knitter and a published knitwear designer for books, magazines, yarn and pattern companies in the hobby knitting industry. She also engages in many other crafts including weaving, crochet and jewelry making, and loves to go for walks and to read, especially science fiction books.
Originally from Massachusetts, she lives in Middlebury CT with her husband West and their misunderstood wheaten terrier. They have two adult daughters of whom they are very proud.
In his words: “I believe that as a foster parent, that I’ve been fortunate to have had the opportunity to care for the children who were placed in my care, and that as foster parents we inspire their dreams, provide them with a sense of security, safety, and self-confidence; we encourage within them a love for life, and help them to find within themselves and others the strength necessary to reach their aspirations.
Being a foster parent isn’t easy, and it’s often accompanied by many unexpected challenges. As a result of entering the system, there are often many social, emotional, academic, physical, and behavioral differences that children have developed to adapt to their lives both before and after entering the system. When children have been placed into the system, it’s essential that a strong network of supports be put in place both for the children and their families, and that all professionals work cooperatively together in order to assure that placement is successful. This can be a difficult undertaking, but one that offers much joy if done correctly, and which remains much less costly than losing a child into the criminal justice system along with the opportunities lost to help a child better their lives.”
After graduating from Danbury high school she attended college at Western Connecticut State University and went on to obtain her J.D. from Roger Williams School of Law. Rachael spent the last five years of her career as an Assistant Attorney General for the Connecticut Office of the Attorney General as one of several attorneys representing the Department of Children and Families.
Making her son and daughter her priority, she left state employment and has begun her own practice focused on child protection matters and various other areas of law. Rachael and her husband Jeff have two beautiful children. Her son, Hunter, is three and her daughter, Hudson, is a year old. They are her world and she shares the struggle of fitting everything else in with them in her blog, Carpaneto Chaos.
Rachael brings her love for networking and socializing to the Annie C. Courtney board as the point person for fundraising.
Trayvonn studied Political Science and Philosophy at the University of Connecticut, graduating in 2015. His passion for politics led him to the world of public service where he now works in a U.S. Senate Office and serves as a Commissioner for the City Planning Commission of Waterbury. Trayvonn was also a part of UConn’s premiere First Star Academy program for mentoring and supporting a group of 25 youth in the foster care system achieving Mentor of the Year for impact on the lives of the students. Today, he hopes to reach foster youth feeling uncertainty in their journey for identity and one day elevate from a former foster youth to a Foster parent. What you might not guess at first glance: Trayvonn is a local property manager, is an uncle to 8, and can solve a Rubik’s cube in 90 seconds.
Since returning to Connecticut, Ken has served as the Regional Administrator for both Region 5 and Region 1 at the Department of Children and Families and the Director of Family Services Strategy at the Department of Developmental Services.
Ken is currently the President and CEO at Benhaven, Inc whose mission is: Enabling people with autism and pervasive developmental disorders to participate in community life, exercise productive control over their own lives, have meaningful relationships and associations, be gainfully employed, and experience happiness and personal satisfaction.
Ken and his husband are avid animal lovers and spend most of their leisure time with their two Standard Poodles, Benjamin and Lena.
