Mission: To bring together services and activities to educate, develop skills and improve family outcomes.
Vision: To contribute to building a strong and healthy community by supporting families to be resilient, healthy, and successful.
Values:
· Utilizes an approach that is multi-generational, strengths-based, and family-centered.
· Reflects and is responsive to community needs and interests.
· Provides support at no or low cost for participants.
· Build communities of peer support for families to develop social connections that reduce isolation and stress.
· Utilizing research-based, trauma-informed, prevention assessments, strategies, and tools.
The dream and vision for Parents Inspired came from a strong passion of 4 people who have a desire to help families and children. We see a gap in what families are looking for and need, someone to walk alongside them on their journey, to assist them in accessing community supports, filling out paperwork correctly, knowing the terminology of services and resources to ask for, and building a trusting relationship with others for long term informal support. As a family resource center, Parents Inspired will serve as a community hub for family support promoting child, family, and community strengths; building parenting skills; and providing access to community supports. Research has shown that children are more likely to thrive when they live in safe, stable, nurturing environments and in families that have the support and opportunities they need to thrive. Parents Inspired seeks to offer programs, services, and supports to families which promote child well-being and reduce risk factors for Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE's}. Parents Inspired will become a 501c3 non-profit business, in hopes of bringing true and lasting connections to families and building a strong sense of community.
Parents Inspired: Helping Hands through Life’s Challenges, is a community-based family support system centered on children and parents (anyone with primary caregiving responsibility). Parents Inspired services are available universally to the entire population within the targeted geographic area, and place emphasis on reaching all families, regardless of the level of risk. Parents Inspired emphasis is on primary prevention, which addresses the root causes of adversity and underlying factors to avert ACE's (Adverse Childhood Experiences) prior to occurrence and builds protective factors that buffer against adversity and promote positive growth of children.
Services provided but not limited to:
· Family Activities
· Support Groups for caregivers
· 1:1 support and resource referral assistance
· Educational Opportunities, trainings, workshops, etc.
Parents Inspired is a state of Minnesota Incorporated business, EIN #93-4083655
And will be seeking complete 501c3 status within the first year of operation.
Our Team: Full Resumes upon request
Executive Director: Joe Maffit, MPA
Director of Operations and Founder: Sandra Hruby, M.Ed, Certified Family Peer Specialist
Financial Manager: To be Determined at the time of need
Family Navigator: Janelle Schmoll (part-time), Certified Family Peer Specialist
Family Navigator: Carlotta Eischens (part-time), Certified Family Peer Specialist
Family Navigator: To Be Determined (full-time)
Parent Partner Spanish speaking: To Be Determined
Board Member: Desiree Wright-Maffit, LPCC, Chair
Board Member: Dennis Hruby, BS, Treasurer
Board Member: Angie Mohs, Secretary
Board Member: To Be Determined
Board Member: To Be Determined
Parents Inspired staff have over 100+ years of experience as parents, guardians, foster parents, and grandparents, of children of all ages and developmental abilities.
Joe Maffit, MPA, Executive Director, Desiree, LPCC,(board chair) is the stepparent to 2 wonderful children, his daughter is diabetic and diagnosed with autism. Joe is passionate about parents knowing the right questions to ask to get the best care for their children. He earned his MPA from the University of South Dakota in 2011 and has since worked in the nonprofit and government fields in several capacities. His core philosophy centers on providing parents with the tools they need to cope with the challenges of an ever-more complex society.
Sandy Hruby, M.ED, Director of Operations, and Dennis, BS,(board treasurer), and Founders, are the parents of 3 adult adopted children, 2 internationally and one our of foster care. Their daughter diagnosed with partial fetal alcohol syndrome, ADHD, sensory disorder, and reactive attachment at the age of 7 years old and has a beautiful success story of her own. One son was diagnosed with partial fetal alcohol syndrome and an intellectual disorder at the age of 6 years old and also has an amazing success story. Sandy and Dennis are now raising a 3-year-old grandson who has been diagnosed with Other Neurodevelopment Disorder and adjustment disorder and is suspected to be on the fetal alcohol disorders spectrum. Sandy has facilitated her own support group of parents with children with disabilities for nearly 15 years. Sandy and her husband Dennis were licensed foster/respite parents for over 15 years.
Janelle Schmoll, Family Navigator, was born into the foster care system: birth to 6mo - adopted into a home with an alcoholic father and father guilty of sexual assault and abuse. Worked in the CMH system through BOLD School, county, and state level my adult life in different roles, including Guardian Ad Litem. Janelle’s grandson is diagnosed with ASD/OSD & ADD did Grandma Daycare birth-5yrs (school). Janelle cared for my adopted grandpa in our home while he was ill with stomach cancer until his death. Janelle was a host family for foreign exchange students from Brazil and Germany. Janelle had severe COVID-19 - in October 2021 and still suffers from Long Covid and anxiety. Janelle’s mother-in-law - suffered from severe mental illness and depression. Her adopted mother suffers with anxiety and depression. She is currently caregiving for her mother with progressive Alzheimer's and congestive heart failure Janelle’s adoption was a closed adoption with no medical history.
Carlotta Eischens, Family Navigator, was born to alcoholic parents who self-medicated to live through mental illness and trauma in their young lives. Growing up Carlotta’s family was homeless several times. Lived in poverty. Carlotta is a survivor of Childhood Trauma with an ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) score of 8 out of 10. A survivor of childhood sexual abuse and teenage rape. Carlotta has been a foster parent of 15 foster children over several years and an adoptive parent out of foster care. She is a parent to a child with SED (several emotional disorders). Grandchild with Autism. Carlotta cared for her father in their home until he died of alcohol-induced dementia.
Angie Mohs, (board secretary), story told by her. In the depths of my journey, hidden from the lines of my resume, lies a narrative that has shaped my resilience and compassion. Growing up amidst my parents' profound health struggles, I became intimately familiar with adversity at a young age. Their battles with mental health and addiction framed a childhood where stability was a rare luxury, and responsibilities far exceeded the boundaries of my youth. Within the walls of our home, the haunting of my parents' severe mental and medical health issues loomed large. My older siblings, due to the considerable age gap between us, bore the responsibility of supporting our family, as both parents often required ongoing medical care. This left me frequently alone for extended periods, necessitating self-reliance or the care of my older siblings. Our concerns were often centered around necessities like food, bill payments, and enabling my mother’s addictions. My journey took a disheartening turn during second grade when I failed academically. Iunderwent IQ testing that resulted in a discouraging prognosis from the neurologist. Their grim forecast suggested that I would never achieve independence or hold a job in the real world. This
verdict shaped my parents' expectations, and they, too, anticipated very little from me, preparing for the worst. Education was never a focal point; college was never discussed, and there was no encouragement to excel academically or mentally. My primary purpose in life became caring for my mother, who battled mental health issues and opioid addiction and other addictions, while my father distanced himself, consumed by shame and seldom involved in our lives. Regrettably, I harbored a low self-regard, allowing others to exploit me both mentally and sexually, convinced that I was nothing more than a mistake. However, a transformative realization dawned on me over the years—I refused to remain a victim of my past. This shift in mindset propelled me to an unexpectedly beautiful phase in my life. Contrary to everyone's expectations, I became a dedicated long-term missionary, eventually embracing the roles of a mother and wife. With my mother’s passing in my late twenties, I felt compelled to challenge myself further. Despite parenting three children with special needs, I pursued higher education, graduating with honors and an AA degree in 2022. This accomplishment fueled my desire to support others, leading me to embark on a new path this year as a social work major. I’m set to graduate next year, and eager to extend help to those around me. Through my experiences, I’ve learned that while it’s natural to feel like a victim, it’s crucial not to let others dictate who you are or who you can become. That’s why I’m dedicated to supporting this non-profit organization, fueled by the belief that no one should be constrained by their past, and everyone deserves the opportunity to carve their path forward, knowing there’s always someone ready to walk alongside them in their local community.
Executive Director, and Director of Operations will work primarily in the office and making community connections. They will work together to write grants, oversee the day- to -day work and program guidance. Along with board members, Executive Director and Program Supervisor will oversee the finances of the business, until such a time that an overall account will be needed and then hired. Our Parent Partners will provide 1:1 family support and facilitate support groups. To support a family 1:1 a family may walk into our office for assistance or be referred by another agency, and our Parent Partners will meet them in their home to support their needs and connect them to other community resources as needed. Support groups will be offered to meet the needs of small groups once or twice a month with similar needs and interests, such as parenting a child diagnosed with autism, grandparents raising grandchildren, single moms, teen and young moms, teen, and young dads, etc. Evidence-Based screening tools and Parenting Programs will be used include Protective Factors Survey and Protective Factors Survey 2nd Edition (PFS), Family Advocacy and Support Tool (FAST), and MiiWrap.
Our entire team, including executive board members, will plan and participate in fundraising events throughout the year. Educational opportunities and family activities will be planned by the team based on community needs and interests. Educational trainings may include ACE’s (Adverse Childhood Experiences), TBRI (Trust Based Relational Intervention), setting parental controls on electronic devices, behavior guidance strategies for children of different ages, planning well-balanced meals on a budget, etc. Family activities may include an evening or Saturday at the Paint Factory, taking in a local baseball game, family picnics with outdoor games, holiday bingo night, cookie decorating, etc.