Our Vision and Mission:
REACH strives to bring about positive, lasting change in the lives of Waupun area youth.
REACH commits to improving the physical, social, emotional, and economic health and well-being of Waupun area youth through building relationships and providing opportunities.
REACH commits to improving the physical, social, emotional, and economic health and well-being of Waupun area youth through building relationships and providing opportunities.
Core Values:
- Building Community that gives everyone connection to community and encourages growth and improvement.
- Fostering Supportive Relationships that model empathy, compassion and acceptance.
- Offering Opportunity through education, mentoring and access to resources.
- Reducing Obstacles to increase resources and improve outcomes.
- Promoting Collaboration that builds strong partnerships among resources, organizations, businesses, schools, churches, and governments.
- Providing Awareness of the needs in our community.
- Encouraging Inclusiveness for all generations and socio-economic sectors.
Our History:
REACH was incorporated as a nonprofit on June 24th, 2015. REACH Waupun was founded by members of the community who saw the needs of area youth, and wanted to find a way to help meet those needs, and tear down barriers. The REACH One mentoring program was started to help combat obstacles through building relationships with caring adults. Following that, the REACH Relief program was created to help provide financial assistance for families, and now provides vital resources to students in need. REACH also partners with Mission Backpack to help finance the weekly bags of non-perishable food items that are provided to kids in need.
Meet the Team
Board of Directors
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StaffExecutive Director - Darian Schmitz Mentor Program Coordinator - Ellie Tenpas Marketing & Fundraising Coordinator - Ellie Tenpas |
Staff
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Darian Schmitz - Executive Director Darian grew up in Rosendale where she attended Laconia High School. She has her undergraduate degree at the University of Oshkosh and her master's degree from Lakeland University. She currently lives in Waupun with her husband, daughter, and their dog. "Prior to this Executive Director role, I have been the Vice President on the REACH board so I have had the opportunity to see this organization adapt and meet the needs of the youth in the Waupun community. I am confident that we will only continue to grow and positively impact more lives in the future. I am truly honored to be part of REACH Waupun and can’t wait to get to work!" Ellie Tenpas - Marketing & Event Coordinator, Mentor Program Coordinator
Ellie grew up in Waupun, and attended Marian University where she attained her undergraduate degree in Communication. Ellie started her journey with REACH in 2016 when she was hired as the first Executive Director. After serving for nearly 2 years, Ellie stepped away from REACH for a different opportunity, but joined the team again in 2019 as the Marketing & Event Coordinator and the Mentor Program Coordinator. "I'm so excited to be back working with an organization that is prioritizing the youth in my own community, and that I get to be a part of it! I am so excited to see the progress that has been made in the 5 years the organization has been around, and cannot wait to see how we continue to grow and serve Waupun!" Ellie lives in Waupun with her husband and 3 daughters - Kennedy, Harper, and Haisley. She loves doing anything with her family, reading, and doing every DIY home project she can. |
Board of directors
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Laura Hoekstra - Board President
Laura is currently the Program Director of Beautiful Response, a non-profit that partners with NGO’s in Uganda and Haiti dedicated to providing education, resources, and opportunities to orphans and vulnerable children in their communities. Laura was previously the Executive Director of REACH Waupun. Laura and her husband Alex reside in Waupun and have 2 amazing children, Mackenzie and Brock who attend CWC. “I am grateful to be able to continue to be a part of REACH Waupun in this capacity. It allows me to pursue my passion of providing life-changing resources and opportunities to the most vulnerable populations both in my work and in my volunteering. I look forward to being a part of REACH’s continued growth in serving the youth of Waupun.” BJ DeMaa - Board Vice President B.J. is a lifelong resident of the Waupun area and graduated from Waupun High School in 1996. "God has blessed me with a beautiful and amazing wife, Katie, along with 2 daughters, Kaylin and Brianna. I love spending time away with my family and watching my daughters participate in the passions they have. My hobbies include occasional golf and anything related to the Waupun Fire Department." Doreen Hartgerink - Board Member Doreen was born in Waupun, graduated from Middleton High School in 1985 and later moved back to Waupun where her husband Paul has been a lifelong resident. They have one son Zach, a daughter Samantha, son-in-law Josh and granddaughter Sutton. Doreen is the SVP of Human Resources for Horicon Bank where she has worked for the past 22 years. In her spare time she loves spending time with her family, going up north to their cottage, boating, golfing, and snowmobiling. Mark Buteyn - Board Secretary Mark has lived in Waupun his entire life and has worked at Central Wisconsin Christian as a classroom teacher and more recently as administrator. Mark and his wife, Dianne, have three grown children and seven grandchildren. I became involved in REACH almost four years ago through the mentoring program, and about the same time was invited to serve on the Board. I appreciate the focus of REACH on building relationships as a means for significant change in one's community. If we can do that one person at a time, we will see great results." Terri Respalje - Board Member Terri runs the Waupun Food Pantry and has for the last 20 years. She has 4 incredible children, whom she loves to spend time with and most of all, laugh. She is proud to be a member of the Oneida Nation. Terri has a passion for working with Native Americans on different Reservations in the US, loves to travel, and is constantly learning about Native American culture and history. A few hobbies of Terri's include reading, exploring new land, and walking her goofy dog. Kyle Hunter - Board Member Kyle is a Registered Nurse by background, but has stepped away from bedside care for the most part to work in administration. Kyle's husband works for the Department of Corrections. Together they have two daughters, both in college, studying nursing and communications respectively. Kyle says, "We like to be adventurous as a family and do outdoor activities. But, we also sometimes just like to play board games and watch a movie." Amber McClinn - Board Member Amber and her husband Shawn live in Waupun with their four children; Justin, Josh, Jaron, and Jadyn. As a family, they enjoy traveling, exploring new places, and just hanging out together. Much of their time is also spent at the various sporting events that the kids are involved in. Amber works for the Waupun Area School District as the MVP ASK/ Family Resource Coordinator, where she was part of an initial group that brainstormed ways to address needs and bridge gaps within our community, out of which REACH was born. Terri Crisp - Board Member Terri grew up in New Berlin, WI and has lived in Waupun for 3 years with her husband, Don, and their yellow lab, Ali. Terri and Don enjoy shopping, antiquing, all things Door County, spending time with family and friends, and in her spare time Terri assists with her family’s bait and tackle shop in Delafield, WI. Terri currently works at National Exchange Bank and Trust in Waupun as an AVP, Regional Operations Leader. She has worked in banking her entire career with the primary focus on Compliance, Internal Audit, Security and Bank Operations. “I am thrilled for the opportunity to work in the community to be a positive influence. I am looking forward to building some strong relationships with other community leaders to help raise awareness of various needs, and to be a strong partner in the programs that REACH offers." Hannah Casper - Board Member Hannah grew up in Mayville and currently resides in Fond du Lac with her husband and corgi. Hannah attended UW-Oshkosh, and upon graduation accepted the position of After School Program Manager at RRIS. Over the past 5 years managing the After School Program, she has developed many positive relationships with Waupun students and their families. This 2020-2021 school year, Hannah will begin her position as Waupun Area School District’s Family Advocate, as well as continuing to manage the After School Program at RRIS. “I am so excited to become a more integral part of REACH Waupun by serving on the board. The organization's mission to bring positive, lasting change to the lives of Waupun area youth is so important, I just have to be a part of it. I look forward to contributing my knowledge of the needs of Waupun youth to help improve students’ well-being.” |