Kathryn Gray, Program Coordinator
Kathryn spent her entire childhood growing up on a farm in Illinois surrounded by fields of corn, soy beans and naturally green grass. She spent four years at Augustana College in Rock Island, IL, earning a degree in biology with concentrations in Spanish and environmental studies. After two years as a CARENET AmeriCorps member at Hanson PreK-8 School, she took a year to work at an outdoor education center in northeast Georgia , where she specialized in aquatic ecology, teambuilding, and high ropes facilitation. Exchanging the Appalachian “Mountains” for the “real” ones, she moved back to Colorado in 2007 to serve as the director for the CARENET AmeriCorps team! If she could teach the world just one thing, it would be that “alot” is not one word… it’s two.
Matt Bitner
Hello world, this is Matt Bitner. He is from the one and only Preble County, Ohio where he worked at the Eaton Place. He came to the mountainous state of Colorado in August 2007 to serve with CARENET AmeriCorps. This year he has begun his second year of service. He studied finance at Indiana University and will study special education while pursuing his masters. In his spare time Bitner enjoys life to its fullest. He plays sports with balls such as softball, basketball, and volleyball. Matt enjoys being outdoors, has a sharp eye for fashion, and enjoys selling things on EBAY. He is a son, a brother, and a friend. Oh, and he wishes he was a little bit taller.
Lisa Dalby
I graduated from Ohio State University in March of 2007, with a B.A. in Speech and Hearing Science, and a minor in Sociology. While there I was a member of the Mount Leadership Society Scholars program . This is based on expanding leadership skills, and volunteering in the community on many projects. It could be why I love community service so much, and signed up for a second year of AmeriCorps. I am currently working at Kemp Elementary School daily, and tutor for adult education G.E.D. classes in the evenings. Upon completion of my CARENET year, I hope to attend graduate school for Speech Language Pathology. Now for the fun stuff...I love meeting new people - social butterfly is in my genes, I have recently found out that I can cook, haha, and I wish I had more time for leisurely reading! I feel like I just wrote my speech for some pageant...and of course I'm the winner:)
Elizabeth McDermott
Hi, I am Elizabeth McDermott and a new AmeriCorps member. I moved to Denver from Chicago, where I attended DePaul University and earned a BA with a concentration in Philosophy. Before I go back to school, and while I figure out what to do with myself, I had the intentions of finding a job in the realm of social services, work that I have enjoyed doing very much. AmeriCorps seems like the perfect opportunity to do so! In my spare time I enjoy reading philosophy and classic literature, adventuring out of doors when the sun is shining and playing indoors when it is not. I also enjoy watching fantasy movies, dancing, and making inapproriate jokes whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Anne Doty
My name is Anne Doty, and I come to Denver from Duluth, Minnesota. I attended the University of Minesota-Duluth where I studied Political Science and International Studies. I realized that I have no desire to work in politics or government, and I enjoy teaching. This brought me to AmeriCorps and CARENET. I've seen the success that volunteers and community organizations can have and wanted to be a part of it here in Commerce City.
Brooke Herrmann
I am from Port Washington, Wisconsin. I would consider myself skilled in prognostication since I know you are imitating my accent while saying Wisconsin in your head. I received a BA in social work from the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee. The day after I completed my classes I moved to Denver to begin my work with CARENET and am now in my second year with the program. In addition to my ability to forsee the future, I have many hidden talents including making pizzas and planting trees. I love running, camping, hiking, reading, live music, traveling, organizing, and surrounding myself with some of the greatest people on earth. In regards to the future, there is only one thing I can say for sure…I plan to change the world!
Jacob Hoffius
My name is Jacob Hoffius and I'm a new member on the explosively experienced, energized CARENET staff this year. I am originally from Charleston, SC and moved to Denver in August. I've been attending college the last 2 years at Appalachian State located in the mountains of North Carolina. My life is pretty much dominated by R&B jams, teenage mutant ninja turtles, and fudgsicles. This year I hope to grow as a person, gain experience in the classroom, and hopefully help a few kids realize their true potential in life. I feel life is like a kite....... if you stand still it falls down and if you move too fast.......it falls down. I leave you today with 2 quotes.."music is the medicine of the soul" and "call me the breeze I keep blowing down the road"- Skynyrd
Darren Latanick
Darren Latanick is a recent college graduate who graduated with a double major in History and Spanish. Originally from Ohio, Darren is excited to be in Colorado and part of the CARENET team. He is currently tutoring second through fifth graders in second language acquisition at Hanson PK-8. Darren is a Capricorn and thus naturally outgoing and wise beyond his years. In his free time Darren enjoys laying around, trying new foods, and foreign films.
Vincent Lucero
My name is Vincent Lucero. I was raised in Colorado all my life, mostly in the city of Denver. I am in AmeriCorps because I want to help the at-risk youth with their reading, but also be a role model for them. I am 22 years old and am still attending college for a degree in Civil Engineering Technology at the Metropolitan State College of Denver.
Alexa Plotkin
Alexa Plotkin hails from Suffern, New York, a magical place right outside New York City. She just recently graduated from the University of Maryland with a B.A. in English. In her spare time she likes to play the guitar, read novels (mostly contemporary American fiction), play rugby and have conversations with children.
Kaiman Triplett
I was born in Salem, VA, moved to Bradenton, FL when I was 5, and grew up in Parrish, FL for most of my life. After going to college for 3 years i decided I needed a break because i was bored out of my mind. After spending the summer of 2007 teaching kids about endangered species, for my internship, my boss enticed me to look into AmeriCorps instead of going back to college. I did. I joined, and now I'm working on completing my second year of 1,700 hours of service. I also love horses, unicorns, and trolls. In my spare time I enjoy laughing and dancing my socks off...at the same time.
