Liz serves as the Chapter Director of SFFC-MB and oversees all program management, fund development, and outreach in the Santa Cruz and Monterey County areas. She comes from a background in family crisis intervention and launched the local SFFC chapter here in 2019 as a result of career and life experiences witnessing the deep need for prevention focused support for parents and children at risk of entering the child welfare system. Liz believes strongly in the possibility of changing a family’s trajectory through the power of individuals in the community stepping up to help their neighbors facing difficult times
Our Team
Our amazing volunteers bring the Safe Families movement to life in the community, guided by a devoted staff pouring their hearts into supporting isolated families, training and vetting volunteers, and partnering with local agencies to help keep families together!
Liz DePuydt
Chapter Director
Gabriella Bradley
Family Support Coordinator
Gabriella oversees the intake of new families into SFFC-MB as well as the on-going mobilization of our volunteers. With a Master’s in Human Development and Family Studies, she is passionate about supporting parents, children, and volunteers by equipping them with the tools they need.
Isaiah Guzman
Community Engagement Coordinator
Isaiah has worked for the past 12 years with families and children of all ages in education, youth ministry, sports coaching, and orphanage house parenting. Having personal lived experience facing homelessness for a period when his family came to the U.S. from Mexico, he is committed to Safe Families’ mission of keeping families together while facing hard times. Isaiah loves to engage the community in expanding the good work of Safe Families for Children.
Julia Nichols
Chapter Intern
Julia is currently a senior at California State University, Monterey Bay studying Collaborative Health and Human Services. As a second year intern with SFFC-MB, she works with our volunteer certification program, training and certifying new volunteers, amongst many other program support roles.
Ashlyn Borum
Administrative Assistant
Ashlyn is a student at California State University, Monterey Bay majoring in Collaborative Health and Human Services and specializing in social work. As an intern with SFFC-MB, she assists with various administrative tasks from donor support to event planning and data entry.
Our Leadership Council
Board members from the community build connections with our partners, plan outreach events, and provide input on the growth and sustainability of Safe Families for Children Monterey Bay.
Eric and Sylvia Brown
Eric is a Retired Correctional Officer in Santa Cruz County and Combat Veteran in the US Air Force and Sylvia is a Supervising Child Support Specialist in Santa Cruz County. They are long time residents of Santa Cruz and have three adult children. They have served as a SFFC Host Family and in several other volunteer roles to support families in the community.
Adrian Moreno
Adrian is the Pastor of Connections and Young Families at Twin Lakes Church. He began his work with Safe Families when his family was considering fostering and learned about the number of local children in the area who experience the trauma of being taken away from their families. He, his wife, and two girls are committed to coming alongside families that are in trouble by rallying church communities to step in and provide support.
Kira Hettinger
Kira is a local estate planning, privacy, and business attorney in Santa Cruz. She brings with her previous experience as a guardian ad litem and student attorney prosecuting domestic violence cases. Kira is dedicated to serving those in her community and is passionate about furthering SFFC-MB’s mission of supporting and strengthening families facing crisis to help prevent child abuse and neglect.
Judith Canner
Judith is a Professor of Statistics at California State University, Monterey Bay. She has volunteered previously with the Guardian Scholars Program on her campus and through her church to provide respite care, resources, and training for independent living to Monterey County foster youth and families. Judith is dedicated to using her role as an educator, statistician, and volunteer to serve families in the Monterey Bay Area.
Bev Strand
Bev retired from Cisco after a 35 year career in technology. She has held many executive and board level roles in for-profit and not-for-profit in both California and Wisconsin. She is committed to social equity for all kids and families and became affiliated with SFFC after learning of the mission.
Yolanda Beaudoin
Yolanda has served as a children’s ministry director and a camp director for over two decades, all while raising four children as a single parent. With a strong foundation in nonprofit management and theology, Yolanda is deeply committed to helping children deal with trauma, assisting families to find support, and giving kids opportunities to thrive. Yolanda currently serves as the Children’s Director at Twin Lakes Church in Aptos, CA.
Kaitlin Childs
Kaitlin is a social worker who has worked with Santa Cruz Department of Family and Children’s Services, as well as in other states and abroad. While working as a social worker she saw the overwhelming need for preventative support and wanted to help families before they needed county services. Kaitlin is thrilled to be on the SFFC Board, using her social work experience and skills to support families in our community.
Our Volunteers
We are fueled by an incredible army of dedicated volunteers, and happily welcome you to join our team! Volunteers serve a variety of roles from hosting children for a temporary period of time to providing services such as transportation, parent mentoring, respite care, and supplying tangible items such as diapers, car seats, and meals.
