The Team

TBD (Treasurer)

Melva Pavelka ( Secretary)

Julie Schuyler (Board Chair)

Judy Lambertus (Board Member)

Angela McQuinn (Board Member)

Beth Lyons (Board Member)

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Karla Bennetts is the Executive Director for Families CARE, and Certified Peer Support Specialist.  Karla Started with Families CARE in 2009 as a Parent Partner, but quickly transitioned into the program manager role.  In 2010 she joined the board of directors as a parent volunteer, before returning to Families CARE as the Executive Director in 2011.

Karla and her husband have seven children. They have also been foster parents to over forty children. Her passion for life and belief that all people have strengths, helps her in her work for positive outcomes with families and youth facing challenges.

Karla enjoys many hobbies including photography, baking, reading, and traveling. She also enjoys spending time with her family sharing meals, doing household projects & crafts, and playing games together. 

A memorable opportunity she had in recent years was to become a non-traditional student obtaining her Associates of Applied Science Degree in Human Services. Along with that she has earned certificates in Supervisory & Management and Chemical Dependency Technician.

Jamie Legates is the Assistant Executive Director at Families CARE and a Certified Peer Support Specialist.  Jamie started her role as a Family Peer Support Specialist in 2015 and transitioned into the Assistant E.D. role in 2019.  Jamie is also a Circle of Security Parenting Facilitator, Advanced Level WRAP Facilitator, and is a Trauma 101 trainer. 

Jamie and her partner Doyle have 2 children and a dog named Charlie.  Together they enjoy road trips and cheering the kids on in their various activities. Jamie enjoys quilting, crafting, reading, and game nights with her family.

The things Jamie loves most about peer support is the growth it has sparked in her and her own family, and the wonder of seeing empowered people do powerful things.  Jamie firmly believes in the power of,  and advocates for, the inclusion of each family’s voice in the systems of care they are working with.

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We will need information for Jenny

April Picard is a Family Peer Support Specialist and a Certified Peer Support Specialist.  April began her career as a Family Peer Support Specialist at Families CARE in 2018.  April provides services to families in all the programs provided at Families CARE and has a gift for finding resources for families in crisis.

April is the mother of three children and the grandmother of one.  April enjoys spending time with her children and sharing in their interests.  April and her family enjoy swimming, spending time at the local parks and attending community events. 

April enjoys supporting families who are working through recovery and providing needed resources to the families she is working with.  April feels she has grown personally though her work as a peer support specialist by building her own healthy support system and learning that it is okay to ask for help when you need it most.  April loves sharing her journey through recovery with other families as a way to instill hope for the future.

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Jenn Schutz is a Family Peer Support Specialist and a Certified Peer Support Specialist in the state of Nebraska.   Jenn began her career in Peer Support with Families CARE in 2019 but had experience leading a peer recovery group at her church prior to working at Families CARE.  Jenn provides services in all the programs offered at Families CARE and has a gift for working with parents who are working through substance use challenges and recovery.

Jenn and her husband are the parents of 2 girls, one adult son and his wife.  They live in a small rural town with their dog Abby, cat Ellie and bunny Sargent Pepper. The family enjoys spending time together outdoors camping and fishing or watching a movie together.  Jenn also enjoys crocheting, pour painting and serving on her church’s praise band.

Jenn has grown a lot in her role as a peer support specialist and enjoys learning alongside the families she serves.  Jenn is striving to be the best version of herself and has learned to practice self-care as she supports other parents to do the same. Jenn comments that she  is a better parent and wife because of this work.

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We will need some information. 

Trista Jiminez is a Family Peer Support Specialist and a Certified Peer Support Specialist in the state of Nebraska.  Trista began her peer support work with Families CARE in 2020 and provides services in all the programs Families CARE provides and is gifted in working with families that are involved with the Child and Family Service System of Care.

Trista is the mother of 3 boys and 3 girls and a chihuahua mix named Luna.  Together with her family they enjoy being outdoors fishing and trying new things.  Hobbies Trista enjoys in her spare time include art, motor cross and horseback riding.

The thing Trista enjoys most about providing peer support is being able to support families in a way that she needed as she was going through her own journey.  She enjoys being able to share her own story in a way to inspire families to know that there is hope and light at the end of the tunnel.  Trista feels that through her work at Families CARE she has grown her own sense of self-worth and parenting skills.

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Susan is a Family Peer Support specialist at Families CARE and is a Certified Peer Support Specialist in the state of Nebraska. Susan joined the team in early 2022 and provides services to families in all of the programs Families CARE offers.   Susan has a gift for making connections with the families that she works with, and supporting parents with younger children.

Susan and her husband have an adult child who brought a spouse and grandson into the family.  Susan has a house full of rescue and senior pets she cares for that include 4 dogs, 2 cats a bunny and guinea pig. Along with spending time with her kids and grandchild, Susan is active in supporting animals by providing transports for animals who are going to their forever homes.

Susan enjoys making lasting connections with the families she is serving.  She feels that in her work as a peer support specialist, she is learning to heal parts of herself that have been set aside, and that self-care and self-love are game changers in healing.

Susan is a Family Peer Support specialist at Families CARE and is a Certified Peer Support Specialist in the state of Nebraska. Susan joined the team in early 2022 and provides services to families in all of the programs Families CARE offers.   Susan has a gift for making connections with the families that she works with, and supporting parents with younger children.

Susan and her husband have an adult child who brought a spouse and grandson into the family.  Susan has a house full of rescue and senior pets she cares for that include 4 dogs, 2 cats a bunny and guinea pig. Along with spending time with her kids and grandchild, Susan is active in supporting animals by providing transports for animals who are going to their forever homes.

Susan enjoys making lasting connections with the families she is serving.  She feels that in her work as a peer support specialist, she is learning to heal parts of herself that have been set aside, and that self-care and self-love are game changers in healing.