"As you have done unto one of these, you have done unto me."
Brenna Engle Foundation Board Members ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DONNA ENGLE, PRESIDENT, TREASURER
Donna Engle-President & Treasurer-Donna is a Registered Nurse and received her B.S. degree in Nursing from DownstateMedicalCenter in 1981, Since that time, she has worked 4 years in pediatric nursing, followed by 21 years for a certified homecare agency. In 2006, she began working in the admissions department for Hospice, Inc. Donna is Brenna's mother and also has one other daughter, Taryn Vona (age 21). Donna became a Christian in November 2003, became an official member of NewBeginningsChurch in Poughkeepsie, NY in June 2004, and was baptized in September 2005. Donna enjoys reading, horseback riding, walking , and church activities. Her vision includes frequent missions trips and purchasing a place in Ukraine for a permanent 'Brenna's Home' which can be used for extended visits and for hosting missions teams.
RICH ENGLE,SECRETARY
Richard L.Engle - Secretary - Richard is an Environmental Health and Safety Manager with 25 years combined experience with Harvard University, IBM, and Mirant Corporation. He holds degrees from Messiah College and the Harvard School of Public Health. As Brenna's father, he also has three other daughters, Alyssa Romine, Kyla Gatton, and Kelsey Engle, and a step-daughter, Taryn Vona. Richard has deep-seated roots in the Brethren in Christ Church, and currently worships with his wife, Donna, at the New Beginnings Christian & Missionary Alliance Church in Poughkeepsie, NY. Previous missions experience includes two years teaching 5th and 6th grades with Navajo children at the Brethren in Christ Mission near Bloomfield, New Mexico. His hobbies includes music, gardening, and cooking. Looking to the future, Richard envisions more personal involvement in the ministry opportunities with children and young adults in Ukraine, and looks forward to being able to spend a significant amount of time there.
JOHN BRAATZ
John Braatz- John is Brenna's uncle (Donna's sister). His law firm, Proskauer Rose LLP, set up the BRENNA ENGLE FOUNDATION free of charge.John received his J.D. with honors from Pace University School of Law in 1995, and received a B.A. with honors from Berklee College of Music in 1986.During law school, he served as a Managing Editor for the Pace Law Review. Following law school, John was a Senior Court Attorney for two years at the New York State Court of Appeals, New York State's highest court. He now practices litigation and securities law at Proskauer Rose in New York City.
JANET GERHARDT
Janet Gerhardt is a pastor’s wife, and has lived in Poughkeepsie, New York, for 13 years. Janet’s husband is pastor of New Beginnings Christian and Missionary Alliance Church. They have three sons, ages 16, 20 and 21. Janet previously worked at CareNet Pregnancy Center as an administrative assistant and is now working at the Arlington High School Health Office to help put her children through college. Her interests include music, working with children, scrapbooking and walking. Janet is involved in many ministries in the church and enjoys working with all ages. She looks forward to visiting Brenna’s Home one day.
CARRIE RYNDERS
Carrie Rynders-Owner of Stagecoach Trails Guest Ranch, Yucca, Arizona. Carrie is 49 years old and grew up in Wisconsin. She married her high school sweetheart Dan in 1976 and they lived in Wisconsin with their 3 children for many years. She was a travel agent for approximately 12 years and then retired to take care of their oldest daughter Amy who was in a wheelchair and required extra at-home care after finishing school. In 1999 Carrie's family moved to Arizona to fulfill a lifelong dream of her's to build Stagecoach Trails Guest Ranch, the first completely handicapped accessible dude ranch in America. Of course Amy was their inspiration for the barrier free aspect. Carrie's favorite children’s book,The Mystery in Arizona (where a teenage sleuth named Trixie Belden visits a dude ranch in Arizona and solves a mystery there) provided the inspiration for her dream to build a ranch just like Trixie Belden stayed at.
It has been very exciting for Carrie to fulfill such a wonderful dream with her family. They opened their doors in December 2000 and have hosted approximately 8,500 guests now, both disabled and able bodies from around the world. Their biggest draw is the European market. They have a large percentage of returning guests, especially from the U.K. They have been featured in several magazines and on a variety of European T.V shows as well as some local Phoenix programs.
Dan and Carrie just celebrated their 31th wedding anniversary. Their son Jeremy and his wife Jodi (who are expecting their first child in January), their daughter Amy, their daughter Vicki and her husband Tony, their niece Mary (our massage therapist) and Carrie's brother Randy (their cook) are a huge part of the success of their ranch. They are very proud of their family-owned and operated guest ranch and they work hard to provide everyone who stays there with a truly memorable western experience. They are very thankful that God has provide them this wonderful opportunity to create Stagecoach Trails Guest Ranch and because of it, has also now provided them the opportunity to become involved with Brenna’s Home, a place that is very close to their heart because of Brenna, Rich and Donna.
