Kelly Hughes, FounderExecutive Director & Board President
Kelly Hughes is wife to Andrew and mama to 4 kids, two of whom were adopted through foster care. As foster parents to eight children at different times, she and her husband were often overwhelmed at the challenges during transition times. With a burden and desire to help others in this scenario, she created the Foster Love Project to help provide placement bags. These placement bags provide dignity through transition with a real bag (instead of a trash bag), new pajamas, socks, a blanket, stuffed animal, book, soap and toothbrush / toothpaste. After the first two drives brought in over 3,000 filled bags, she knew that our city could do more to help with resources. Kelly's next vision was opening a full-time free donation center for kids in foster care and foster families. With the help of so many volunteers and community resources, this became a reality in the summer of 2017.
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Summer DeanVice Chair
Summer is a mission-driven Christian, wife and mother, focused on impacting those she can. She has a close family member, a young lady entering adulthood, that is adopted. She is passionate about helping her and other young people navigate the obstacles they may face as they grow and mature. Summer has dedicated 10 years to mentoring teenagers and young adults and loves to help them discover their unique gifts and talents while supporting them as they maneuver unexpected challenges that may arise. Professionally, Summer has 15 years of fundraising experience and is currently a consultant for Advancement Advisors, a fundraising firm based in Pittsburgh, PA. She is married to her college sweetheart, Sean and they have 2 children Mason and Mila.
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Randy BlincowBoard Treasurer
Randy Blincow is a husband and father of four adult children. He is passionate about caring for the fatherless and, along with his wife Deanna, adopted their two youngest children from Russia. Randy works at the Eaton Corporation as the Vice President of Finance Special Projects. He served in several volunteer ministry roles, on the Finance Committee, and on Elder’s Council for many years at North Way before joining the staff in 2012.
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Emily ThorntonEmily is the Co-founder and President of Thornton Family Initiative and Co-director of two family-owned child care centers in Pennsylvania that serve at-risk youth and foster children. She is also the business & client relations manager for Angela Tucker and The Adopted Life, an adoptee-centric platform offering nuanced, ethical and accessible content for the adoption community. The Adopted Life recently published a very vulnerable piece about Emily’s experience of becoming a biological mother as an adoptee.
Emily envisions a world where all foster children of color are raised within families of color and are provided connections and openness to understand where and who they came from. Emily’s personal story reflects the challenges many transracial adoptees and foster youth face when attempting to connect with their origins. As a Korean adoptee raised by white parents in a small rural Nebraska town, she embarked upon an unsuccessful mission to find her Korean birth parents. The inconclusive outcome of her search was published in a blog for Holt International, one of the country’s largest and oldest international adoption agencies and was re-published on AdoptiveFamilies.com. Emily and her family were featured in a short documentary as a model for openness in adoption last year. In her spare time she enjoys photography and spending time with Thornton Family Initiative Co-founder and husband, Bruce Thornton, and their five children in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Together they are active in their church where they lead Petra International Ministries youth program. Emily holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. |
Ja-Neen JonesJa-Neen Jones is the Director of Adoption & Foster Care Services at TRAC Services for Families were she has been employed for 14 years. While this position holds multiple responsibilities she is known as the “resource person” for Western Pennsylvania regarding foster/adoption focus issues.
Ja-Neen leadership style has been instrumental in motivating and empowering others to lead. She has a vast network on professionals throughout the country. However, prides herself with coordinating the Waiting Child segments featured on the KDKA/CBS Pittsburgh. She attends dozens of events throughout the year that allow her to speak on behalf of the thousands of children throughout the state that are waiting for a family. Ja-Neen is also an adjunct professor at Allegheny County Community College (CCAC), this allows her to connect and assist students through their educational journey. She is the mother of two young adult children Jaylen and Jaz-zee, they enjoy traveling and creating new memories together. Ja-Neen is an active member of Macedonia Church of Pittsburgh and serves as the leader of the Companionship Ministry. Ja-Neen believes that she can do all things through Christ who strengthens her and knows the best is yet to come. |
Jordan ShoenbergerJordan Shoenberger and his wife have served as foster parents since 2012, fostering many children between birth and teenagers. They have adopted two children through foster care at the ages of 15 and 1 and also have a birth daughter. Jordan and his wife also lead a foster and adoptive parent support group through the Children's Institute/ Project STAR and have served as trainers and speakers through Three Rivers Adoption Council, SWAN, Project STAR, Auberle, and DHS.
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Bruce ThorntonBruce “Eric” Thornton is the Co-founder and CEO of Thornton Family Initiative as well as the Co-director of Sonshine Quality Childcare and Don’t Worry Childcare, two Pennsylvania family-owned child care centers outside of Pittsburgh. He has a degree in Child & Family Studies. He is also credentialed with the Pennsylvania Keys Director certificate.
Bruce is committed to educating the black community about the crucial need for more black foster parents. As a black adoptive and foster parent himself, he has chosen to lead by example while also mentoring other children of color without father figures. Bruce is the leader of the youth program at his church, Petra International Ministries. Bruce is a Pittsburgh native and he and his wife, Emily, have five children - two biological, one adopted from foster care and two who narrowly escaped the child welfare system. |
Jeffrey AlexJeffrey Alex and his wife, Tracy, are parents to four wonderful children, two of whom were placed in their foster-to-adopt home. Through their involvement with Big Brothers Big Sisters and knowing the need for loving homes for children in Pennsylvania’s child welfare system, Jeff and Tracy became foster parents shortly after getting married. They know first-hand the emotional roller coaster that foster parents experience and the Foster Love Project is a great resource to help alleviate some of that stress for parents and anxiety for children who are often placed with no more than a grocery bag of belongings. Jeff has his law degree from the University of Pittsburgh and master’s degree in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University. He works as an attorney with UPMC Health Plan’s Legal Department and is honored to serve Foster Love Project as its mission and footprint continues to expand in support of the foster children and families it serves.
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