Our Team
Every family could use both a guide and a friend, and we aim to be both.
Staff
Kelly Raudenbush, MA
Executive Director
Kelly Raudenbush, MA
Executive Director
Kelly Raudenbush founded The Sparrows with her husband Mark in 2011. She earned her Master's degree in counseling from Missio Seminary and her Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health clinical certificate from Georgetown University. She is a TBRI® Practitioner, Prepare/Enrich trainer, and certified facility dog handler to her canine colleague, Banks.
She and Mark, who serves as The Sparrows' Director of Operations, have been married since 1998 and have four children ranging in age from 24 to 17, the youngest of whom they adopted through China's special-needs adoption program as a toddler. Kelly is particularly passionate about (a) partnering with parents to help children know and navigate their histories in healing ways; (b) encouraging, equipping, and empowering parents as they navigate the effects of trauma and build connections with each other and their children; and (c) helping grownups in her own neighborhood and across the world best experience the power of relationship. You can contact Kelly directly at kelly@thesparrows.place.
Mark Raudenbush
Director of Operations
Mark Raudenbush
Director of Operations
Mark founded The Sparrows with his wife Kelly in 2011, having been changed by the adoption of their youngest child and desiring to serve families walking similar paths. While he focuses much of his attention on nonprofit operations and relational leadership, Mark has a particular interest in pursuing transforming relationships with adoptive and foster parents eager to do the right thing for their families. Mark has been trained to encourage and equip parents to understand and implement Trust-Based Relational Intervention® and earned a certificate in nonprofit management from La Salle University. You can contact Mark directly at mark@thesparrows.place.
Karissa Forino, MSW, LSW
Child + Family Therapist
Karissa Forino, MSW, LSW
Child + Family Therapist
Karissa came to The Sparrows with a decade of experience walking alongside parents and caregivers in settings adjacent to the adoption and foster care communities. Beginning her practice in Philadelphia, her clinical experience strengthening relationships between children and their caregivers has largely taken place in some of Philly's most under-resourced neighborhoods. This experience uniquely prepared Karissa to support families as they navigate the systemic and relational complexities of adoption and foster care. After earning her Master of Social Work from Campbellsville University, Karissa developed a clinical focus that integrates an understanding of the broader social and systemic forces affecting families with the foundational principles of attachment. Karissa and her husband Brandon moved to Phoenixville in 2022, where they are now raising their two children with a heart for community and a desire to serve their neighbors. You can contact Karissa directly at karissa@thesparrows.place.
Abby Anderson
Family Care Program Director
Abby Anderson
Family Care Program Director
Abby and her husband Bjorn attended our first Together Called marriage retreat back in 2012, just a few months into a long and arduous international adoption journey, and they have attended every year since. In 2019, they were accepted into our Family Care Program, where they received support until they were home with their daughter from India for a full year. As a long-time recipient of The Sparrows team's care, Abby knows personally how impactful the support we offer can be. She enjoys serving others by now providing that care herself, coming alongside families through the ups and downs of their adoption journeys. You can contact Abby directly at abby@thesparrows.place.
Kristen Pickard
Family Care Partner
Kristen Pickard
Family Care Partner
Kristen has had a heart for adoption and foster care for as long as she can remember, a heart that grew after a missions trip to Belarus in 1998 to visit children in institutional care. Since then, adoption and foster care have been part of her family's story. Kristen and her husband Brian have four children, two of whom were adopted domestically. They have also provided interim care for a number of children and have served vulnerable families through Safe Families for Children. Kristen and her family have been served directly by our Child + Family Services. Through these experiences, she was moved into a posture of significant learning and personal growth that has overflowed into now serving other adoptive and foster parents. You can contact Kristen directly at kristen@thesparrows.place.
Becky Vasso, MA
Family Care Partner
Becky Vasso, MA
Family Care Partner
From a young age, Becky anticipated that adoption would be part of her family's story. She and her husband pursued international adoption, but after years of waiting and shifting timelines, they ultimately chose to pivot to domestic adoption. They grew their family through two domestic adoptions and opened their home to support vulnerable children and families through Safe Families for Children. Through her graduate work in counseling and experience of both the joys and challenges of adoption herself, Becky knows the value of having someone in your corner who listens, understands the unique twists and turns of the journey, and walks alongside you through it. You can contact Becky directly at becky@thesparrows.place.
Michelle Lagola
Team Care Partner
Michelle Lagola
Team Care Partner
Michelle brings professional experience in nonprofit management and research to The Sparrows team. She and her husband Ryan are raising three young children in Phoenixville, where our home base is. She is excited to be supporting the overall organization administratively and our whole team as we do all the things we do day-to-day, month-to-month, and year-to-year. You can contact Michelle directly at michelle@thesparrows.place.
Banks, CGC
Facility Dog
Banks, CGC
Facility Dog
Banks came to us as a pup from Birmingham, Alabama. Under the expert tutelage of Louie, our first facility dog, and training and care of Kelly, he has grown into his role as our favorite canine colleague. With his canine good citizenship credential and specialized training, he brings energy, fun, and lots of English golden fur into the clinical space, helping his human colleagues innovatively help adopted and foster children and their grownups. You can find him by his handler Kelly's side, and on Instagram @projectpuppylove.
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