Who We Are
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Anne Rivard - Executive Director
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| Anne’s business administration background has supported her previous experiences holding leadership positions with multiple non-profit, community-based organizations. Her personal encounters with the challenges of grief and loss provided the incentive to help support others striving to cope after the death of a loved one. She has trained and served as a volunteer peer counselor with a kite network client. | ||
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Doug & Julie Stotlar - Founders
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| Julie and Doug Stotlar lost their 6-year-old daughter, Lauren, in March 2000. They honor her memory with the kite network. They know that grief is not an illness, and that all loss deserves support. Providing a compassionate presence on the journey heals both the peer counselor and the person fresh in grief. | ||
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Jeff & Lisa Pitts - Founders
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| On April 29, 2004, Lisa and Jeff's first-born son, Brandon, died suddenly from an upper respiratory virus at the age of two. Their lives were changed forever as their worst nightmare began on the long and difficult journey along the mourner's path. They struggled to learn how to breathe again, get out of bed each morning, and put one foot in front of the other. Since their profound tragedy, they clung tightly to one another and gained the most support and comfort from sharing with other bereaved parents. Lisa and Jeff aspire to honor the life and memory of Brandon by offering their compassion to restore hope and meaning in the lives of those suffering from loss. | ||
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Pat Jannausch
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| For more than three decades, Pat has been responsible for designing and delivering training in both academic and corporate settings. Now she brings her training passion and skill to the Kite Network as she too has experienced loss and understands the value of compassionate listening. By working with volunteer peer counselors to prepare them for this important role and serving as a counselor herself, Pat hopes to bring comfort and hope to those who are in need of support on their grief journey. | ||
Our Behavioral Health Professionals
Christy Miller, L.M.S.W., A.C.S.W. - Program Director
Christy Miller is a licensed clinical social worker who
has been involved in individual, group, and family psychotherapy
for the past 20 years. She also has experience teaching
psychotherapy and developing clinical pathways and programs.
Christy felt drawn to the Kite Network because it offered a unique
opportunity to incorporate both her professional and personal
experience with loss. At the Kite Network, she hopes to guide
others to be compassionate listeners and to understand the
importance of the grief journey.
Melissa Schultz, L.M.S.W.
Melissa Schultz has both personal and profession
experience with grief and grief support. She is a cancer survivor
and First Connection volunteer for the Leukemia and Lymphoma
Society, where she provides support to newly diagnosed Leukemia
patients. As a Grief Services Coordinator, Melissa provides both
anticipatory grief and bereavement support for family members of
Arbor Hospice patients and members of the community. Melissa became
involved with The Kite Network because she seeks to ensure that
individuals in all stages of grief have needs that are being met
and The Kite Network fills a unique niche in the southeast Michigan
community.
