Wafanyakazi

I started working at the Family Room in 2023. I've always heard great things about the family room and I see why everyday. There is a relentless energy in this building when it comes to helping people, and I appreciate that. I get to work with a great group of people who come here everyday to make our community a better place. I think serving our community is really important and I am glad the Family Room put me in a position to do so.

In the spring 2018 I was hired to the preschool team and later expanded to home visits, family play, and parent education. However my history with the family room started much earlier; I came to the Family Room back in 2007 as a mom, newly moved to town with a year old baby. Coming from Seoul, Korea, I love that I can work in a place with people from all over the world.

I joined the Family Room in 2021 as a member of the Healthy Families From the Start team. I transitioned to the new role of Operations Coordinator in 2023. I am excited to be in a position to help The Family Room continue to run smoothly and do the important work of supporting families in our community.

The Family Room‘s impact on my parenting journey, sense of place and community inspired me to join the Preschool classroom. I l feel grateful to be part of a team that values building meaningful connections and providing holistic, family-centered programming and early education. I enjoy following a child's lead in play-based learning environments and serving as a co-learner. In my free time, I love biking and playing outside with my kids, and doing any activity where I can be creative and use my hands.

Since 2018, The Family Room has been my second home. I've dedicated my time to supporting families with nutritious meals through all the programs we have.
As a car seat technician since 2018, I've had the privilege of keeping countless children safe on Vermont's roads. Through education and providing free car seats, I've contributed to a safer community. I'm grateful for the opportunity to continue this important work at The Family Room.

I have been working at The Family Room since March 2023. I started working in playgroups and now I work with pregnant people, new moms, and newborn babies. I like this work because I wish I had this help when I had my children. I am a mother of two beautiful and brutally honest girls. I love cooking and being surrounded by beautiful coworkers

I joined the family room in March 2024. I work with Spanish speaking families; bridging gaps in access to healthcare, childcare, legal support- and, of course, inviting families to all of the wonderful programming at the Family Room. I consider myself extremely lucky to work in this community. When I'm not at work I like riding my bike and being a silly goose.

Sarah has been with the Family Room since its earliest days. She welcomes families and visitors, is a strong advocate, and an amazing garden organizer. She helps connect families to each other, and bridges people and organizations in our community.

I attended the Center for Technology, Essex (CTE) during my junior and senior years of high school, where I completed two internships—one at the Greater Burlington YMCA and another at the UVM Medical Center Child Care in their early childhood program. After my internships, I transitioned into a full-time position at the UVM Medical Center Child Care, where I worked for two years. The Family Room offers numerous programs that foster community growth and connection, and I’m excited to join the team. I look forward to working with preschoolers and their families, contributing to their development and supporting the mission of The Family Room.

Asha has been a part of the Family Room for years. We are happy to have Asha be a part of our team keeping spaces clean and ready for play and connections.

I joined the staff of the Family Room to increase my knowledge of family support and broaden my
understanding of our community’s diversity. Having been a father for only 8 years means I have as much
to learn about supporting families as I have to learn about raising children. The Family Room offers me
the opportunity to sharpen my fathering skills while meeting and sharing with the many members and
families in the community.

I became familiar with the Family Room when delivering free produce through the VT Foodbank and was charmed by the vibrant community. I work in the Building Strong Families Clinic focusing on providing culturally and medically relevant support to Spanish speaking patients and in our Healthy Families program with pregnant parents and their newborns. When I'm not holding babies, I'm whizzing by on my bike or saucing up my latest edible concoction.

Hajiya Nuriya has been with the Family Room for over a decade in a number of roles, starting with her experience as a parent attending Family Room Programs, to volunteering time with AmeriCorps and work in the Preschool classroom. She was hired in 2021 and brings wisdom, peaceful and friendly attitude, and community connections to the Family Room.

In 2014, I was hired as the Fatherhood Employment Specialist and have enjoyed being involved in all of our other programs. When we became an independent organization in July of 2017, I was hired as the Executive Director.
It has been a challenge and a great honor to lead this organization, be in such a great community and continue the legacy of Janet Munt. The Family Room is home to many and is truly a village where everyone is welcome and supported.

I work in the New American Health Clinic as a Family Strengthening Worker, and has been a preschool teacher since 2013. I use positive, strength based observations of children and families enhance our work and serve as a strong foundation for helping bridge community connections.

I have been with the Family Room since February 2019. I started helping with data collection, and am now doing Administrative tasks. I am so excited to be a small part of the wonderful work everyone does here at the Family Room. My hero is anyone fighting for the planet.

I have been working in healthcare for the past 9 years, and started at the Family Room in July of 2024. I will be working at the Community Health Centers with newborns and their families, from 0-6 months of age. I have lived in Vermont since I was 4 years old, and I have been in love ever since. The communities here are strong, and resilient. I am honored to be working for the public, and I look forward to serving the people.

I'm from the Congo and I used to come to The Family Room to get bread. One day I decided to volunteer at the father room and that's when I fell in love with the organization. Now that I am working here, I feel like I find myself in a place where I belong.

I started volunteering at the Family Room in 2018 when I first moved back to Vermont and joined the staff in 2020! I love how the Family Room supports all families exactly where they are at. Everyone is included and welcomed as soon as they walk through the door. As a trained Postpartum Doula, Childbirth and Lactation Educator I am excited to support families who are expecting or have new little babies. My focus is always on finding ways to cultivate a calm nervous system and feel connected and confident as parents to our little humans.

I started at the Family Room in the Fall of 2022. I feel so blessed to be in community with young children and their families at The Family Room. I am a preschool teacher by training and I teach preschool and work in playgroups at The Family Room. A big focus in my work with children is talking about racism, using school as a place to practice democracy and freedom, and doing conflict resolution and repair work.

I am honored to be part of this special community. I started working here in 2011 as lead preschool teacher.
As Program Director, I am involved in a little bit of everything. I love sharing nature, art, stories, humor, languages and humanity with the children and families I meet.

I am humbled and deeply grateful to have joined The Family Room in 2022 as our very first Director of Development. Every day, I find inspiration from our talented, passionate, and creative program staff. I feel like I have "come home"! I believe that my most important responsibility as a fundraiser is to foster deep, long-term relationships with funders and donors, and to support strategic partnerships that both support our work and enable donors to fulfill their philanthropic goals in ways that feel right to them.

Maryann works n the New American Health Clinic as a Family Strengthening worker. She has been a part of the Family Room Community for over a decade and brings a wide range of health and family wellness skills to our community.

I came to the Family Room 28 years ago. I believe in the work of the Family Room and Non -Profits, because of what it did for me and what it has done for so many others.
My hero is a fellow Family Room former employee, Nellie Ishee. Nellie always believed in me even when I didn’t.

I am very happy to join the Family Room as HR Coordinator. I am excited to work with the team that supports the community. I was born and raised in Korea and moved to Vermont in 2002. Before, I thought Vermont was too cold for me but now I can't imagine a winter without snow. In my free time I enjoy hiking, gardening, crocheting, quilting and spending time with my family.