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 The Kool Kidz Foundation is comprised of dedicated members of the Atlanta metropolitan community who feel strongly about providing superior programs and facilities for children and young adults, especially those children and young adults that face challenges in the physical, social, cognitive and emotional domains. Board members come from many different business backgrounds and lend a variety of experience to Foundation operations. Please read below for bios of the current Board of Directors and the Executive Director. Calanit Hayes - Executive Director Calanit is the newest addition to the Kool Kidz Foundation. Originally from Israel, she has lived in the United States since she was about seven years old. After living in Maryland, Cleveland, Indiana, Colorado and Virginia, she has finally made a home for herself in Atlanta, GA. For the past six years, Calanit worked as an attorney in Atlanta, but had been waiting for an opportunity such as this one to come along. For many years, Calanit has wanted to work with children and on matters affecting them and their families. Sadly, two years ago, Calanit's 9 month old daughter passed away and she says that this event and the struggle that led up to her daughter's final days was a "wake up call." Although she continued working at the law firm, Calanit knew that her personal life had changed dramatically and that professionally, she needed a change as well. Fortunately, the timing was right for Kool Kidz Foundation as well, and Calanit was hired as the new Executive Director. Calanit has only been working with the Kool Kidz Foundation for a few months, but already knows that she made the right decision in joining this dynamic organization and she looks forward to being a part of the Kool Kidz Foundation as it continues to grow. Outside of the Foundation, Calanit and her husband, Chris, are actively involved in the lives of their two other children, Talia and Evan. Calanit also volunteers with Parents Partnered for Preemies, March of Dimes and with efforts to help families in the NICU at Northside hospital. She and her family live in Smyrna, GA. Erin Wentz - President Erin has been a member and president of the board of directors of the Kool Kidz Foundation since its inception in 2002. She has been co-director of Camp Kool Kidz for the past four years; and, most recently,a member of the Gala host committee and the Triathlon planning committee. She heads up the Adaptive Swim Team and enjoys planning events that promote the message of all children, regardless of challenges, playing and learning together. Erin lives with her husband and four children in Marietta, where she works as a pediatric physical therapist for Kool Kidz, Inc. Her husband, Jeff, is a previous Kool Kidz Foundation board member and the co-chairman of the Kool Kidz Classic, 10-goal Polo tournament, for three years. He is now volunteering his time as one of the Vice Presidents of the local high school football boosters club. The Wentz family is in the process of adopting a 13 year old son from Russia and hope to have him home to Marietta by the end of 2007. Jeanne Green - Vice President Jeanne has been a member of the board of directors of the Kool Kidz Foundation since its inception in 2002. Jeanne has been the co-director of Camp Kool Kidz for the past four years and has been the ticketing chairperson for the Kool Kidz Classic, 10-goal Polo tournament, since 2003. Jeanne and her husband, Bobby, live in Marietta with their two sons. Bobby is a previous board member of the Kool Kidz Foundation from 2002 to 2005. Jeanne is also very active with her children's school, St. Catherine of Siena Catholic School. Jeanne works as a pediatric physical therapist for Kool Kidz, Inc. and enjoys playing tennis in her spare time. Allison Comer - Treasurer Allison is a new member of the Kool Kidz Foundation Board of Directors but has been with the Foundation as the chairperson of the Kool Kidz Closet for two and one half years. She is a stay at home mom with a flair for interior design and faux finishings which she pursues in any spare time she might have. Allison and her husband, Tom, have a 16 year old son with adrenoluekodystrophy that some might be familiar with from the movie "Lorenzo's Oil." The Comers live in the Roswell community. Allison is also involved as a volunteer for Canine Assistants and her son is a previous recipient of a service dog, Clipper. The family also attends events and activities provided by FOCUS and the Miracle League. Lisa Lucier - Secretary Lisa is a newly appointed member of the Kool Kidz Foundation Board of Directors. She is actively involved with several organizational boards including Northside Hospital Auxiliary, Parents Partnered for Preemies and the Family Advisory Council within Northside Hospital. She serves as a parent mentor for Parent to Parent of Georgia. She is active with The March of Dimes and has participated in WalkAmerica the last 4 years; earning the status of #3 walker in Georgia for 2 consecutive years. Her special projects within the Kool Kidz Foundation include co-chairing the Silent Auction committee for the Polo event and helping to create a new look for the newsletter. Lisa lives in Marietta with her husband, Kevin and daughter, Katherine and Westies, Casey and Abby. Kevin is a partner with Gifford, Hillegass & Ingwersen, a large local CPA firm. Renee Catanzaro Renee is a newly appointed member of the Kool Kidz Foundation Board of Directors. She lives in the city of Milton and has been involved in the “Disability Summit” for the fledgling city and now serves the community as a volunteer for the Milton City Pacers as a member of the Disability Awareness Committee. Renee and her husband Vincent have four children. Their oldest son has severe, spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy as well as cortical blindness and he along with his three sisters enjoy participating in many of the Kool Kidz programs. Prior to taking a break from the corporate arena to raise her family, Renee worked in mortgage lending as both a residential and commercial lender. The family has two horses and Renee has recently started taking instruction in Dressage. Her special projects and interests within the Kool Kidz Foundation include the Kool Kidz Can Imagine Gala and Triathlon, co-chairing the silent auction at the Kool Kidz Classic Polo event, long range planning and community awareness beginning with a new look for the newsletter. Stacy Coburn Stacy has served as a board member of the Kool Kidz Foundation since 2005. She heads the Marketing component of the Foundation with an emphasis on community awareness. Stacy is the Sales and Marketing Director of Grapevine Group, an Atlanta based executive search firm. She fills her down time with her family, travel, and philanthropic appointments both locally and nationally. In addition to serving on the Kool Kidz Foundation board, she is an appointed member of the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation’s national marketing committee. She resides in Roswell with her husband and two children. Stacy’s youngest child, Carson, is affected with Mitochondrial Disease and benefits greatly from the programs the Kool Kidz Foundation provides the community. Jennifer Henry Jen is a new board member of the Kool Kidz Foundation. She has been involved as a volunteer for Polo for two years and most recently as the chairperson of the Kool Kidz Triathlon and a member of the Gala host committee. She is on the silent auction committee for the Kool Kidz Classic, 10-goal, Polo tournament, for 2007. In addition to being one of the coaches for the adaptive swim team, Jen is a competitive triathlete as well as a triathlon coach. She and her husband, Curtis, live in Woodstock, Georgia. Jen works as a pediatric physical therapist for Kool Kidz, Inc., as an orthopedic and sports medicine physical therapist for Body Pros physical therapy, and, as a personalized coach for triathletes, runners and cyclists for The Sports Factory. Lisa Spinetto Lisa has been a board member of the Kool Kidz Foundation since its inception in 2002. Lisa has served on the Board in different capacities including volunteering at the Kool Kidz Closet, Camp Kool Kidz and the Polo tournament. Lisa actively teaches in her church's children ministry, serves on the GAST and Project Sparkle parent boards and stays involved in her children's school fundraisers and activities. Lisa is a stay at home mom who enjoys teaching kickboxing and boot camp classes at her local gym. Lisa and her husband Dan, live in Canton, GA with their three children. Dan is an Operations Manager for a large general contractor in Marietta, GA. Dan also volunteers his time with Executives for Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. |
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