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Board of Directors
Whitney S. Buesgens President and Camp Founder Whitney
S. Buesgens is both
President and founder
of Camp Love's Embrace, Inc. and serves as Chairman of the Board of
Directors. Currently a pre-med student at Augustana College
in
Sioux Falls, S.D., she is a member of Augustana's Pre-Med Club, Circle
"K" Kiwanis, and is involved in various intramural activities. She is
involved in "Augie Reads," an after school program for children with
diverse languages, cultures, and needs. In 2005, she was asked to serve
on the City of Sioux Falls/Augustana College Neighborhood Relations
Committee with Sioux Falls mayor, Dave Munson. Whitney has been named
to Sports Illustrated All-American Honor Roll, The National Honor Roll,
and was honored three consecutive years by Who's Who Among American
High School and College Students. Whitney is a twelve year hospice
volunteer and has participated in Sioux Valley Hospital/Hospice "Camp
Jess" program. She volunteers on a regular basis at Sioux
Valley
Hospital Pediatric/Pediatric Intensive Care Units. She is involved with
the American Red Cross and is the UNICEF Coordinator for the city of
Slayton, MN, and surrounding area. Under her leadership, funds enough
have been collected to vaccinate over 2,300 children against polio for
their entire lifetimes. She is a member of the Slayton United
Methodist Church and serves as both assistant organist and pianist
during Sunday morning worship.
Whitney has been featured nationally in "Familyworks" Magazine, "The Interpreter" Magazine, "Minnesota Women's Business" Magazine, and was interviewed by Ember Reichgott Junge for the syndicated "Voice America" live global internet radio and by Sherree Curry for "People" Magazine. Throughout the course of a year, Whitney is often the featured presenter at many venues speaking to the cycle of grief in children and promoting her camp experience for grieving children. Whitney has received numerous awards for her volunteerism including the renowned "Tradition of Caring Jefferson Award" from the National Institute of Public Service and the National Prudential Spirit of Community Award. In 2004, she was honored at the Minnesota Governor's Mansion by Minnesota's First Lady Mary Pawlenty when she named Whitney one of "Minnesota's Most Notable Women for 2004". In September of 2005, she was named one of the ten most caring young adults in our nation by the National Caring Institute. In January 2006, Whitney will be interviewed in New York City for the prestigious "Do Something - BRICK Award", termed by CNN "the Oscars of youth service awards." Jackie Lanoue Vice President Jackie
Lanoue grew up in the
Tracy, Minnesota, area
graduating from Tracy Area High School. She went on and received her
B.A. in social work from Southwest Minnesota State University at
Marshall, MN. She currently works as a licensed social worker for
Nobles County Family Services in Worthington, MN. Jackie and her
husband Scott reside in Slayton with their daughter.
Janet Voges Treasurer Janet
Voges, an Assistant
Vice President at
Minnwest Bank South, serves as Treasurer of Camp Loves Embrace. She has
worked in the banking industry for 30 years and enjoys working with
numbers and budgets. Being Treasurer is one way Janet can help children
that are dealing with a difficult time in their lives. Janet is a
Murray County native, mother of two adult children and liven in the
Slayton area with her husband Jim. Helping with scrapbooking,
games, and snacks during the camp weekend has been a great experience
for Janet and Jim.
Kristin Peltola, MS, LMFT, LPC Kristin
has been a licensed marriage and family therapist for the past ten
years, receiving her Bachelor's degree in Psychology from the
University of Minnesota and then her Master's degree in Counseling from
South Dakota State University in 1995. Kristin worked in an
outpatient community mental health center since 1995 primarily working
with children and families. Since 2004 she has worked as the
mental health professional in the Worthington, MN school district,
providing individual and group therapy to special education students,
along with consulting and developing programming for special education
students. Starting the 2007-2008 school year, Kristin will be
working in the Fulda, MN school district on a part time basis providing
mental health therapy and guidance counseling. Kristin lives
in
rural Currie, MN with her husband, son, and daughter.
John Rickgarn John Rickgarn grew up and graduated from Murray County Central in Slayton. He continued his education at Southwest Minnesota State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Public Administration. He currently works for Best Business Products in Marshall, MN as a Territory Manager. When not working, John enjoys reading, weight lifting, Tae Kwon Do, investing and spending time with his fiancée, Heather. They both live in Marshall, MN. Having lost both of his parents to cancer by age 16, he has wanted to help other young children deal with their loss. He has helped with Camp Love’s Embrace since 2003 and been on the board of directors since 2005. |
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