At The Haven Network:
- We believe each baby is handcrafted by the Triune God and is a valued member of the human family.
- We believe each baby, pre-born or newly born, is worthy of tender, palliative care until natural death.
- We believe every family member, regardless of race or creed, deserves to be treated with honor and dignity.
- We recognize that parents have the primary role in caring for their baby and deserve support and encouragement, enabling them to be the best parents possible in their time of grief.
- We are honored, as staff and volunteers, to be the servants of Christ and will strive to model His example of compassionate care.
Staff & Board of Directors
Stephanie Grimm, BA, SBD Doula, SBD Chaplain and Midwife of Thanatology
Director of Family Services
Stephanie began volunteering with The Haven in 2014 as a family services volunteer before becoming the Director of Family Services in 2015. Prior to joining The Haven Network, Stephanie served in a variety of leadership roles including that of Early Childhood teacher, Early Childhood Center Director, and President of the Rockford MOMS Club. Stephanie holds degrees in History and Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and is also a certified birth and bereavement doula and SBD Chaplain. Outside of work, Stephanie spends her time with her husband and two young children and all the fun and hilarity that entails. Her middle son, Dylan, watches over his family from Heaven and is the catalyst behind Stephanie’s involvement with The Haven Network.
Kathy Pittman, AAS
Director of Photography
Kathy Pittman has been with The Haven Network since 2007. She started as a volunteer and later developed the photography program. She has an AAS in Marketing and Business Management. In addition to her role at The Haven Network, Kathy also owns her own photography business, Katherine Pittman Photography. She is actively involved at her church, First Free Rockford. Kathy and her husband Tim have two children.
Brandi started volunteering with The Haven in 2014 as a family services volunteer. At the time of starting to volunteer, she experienced three prior losses; which is what drove her to seek out an organization such as The Haven. Shortly after starting to volunteer for The Haven, she experienced her fourth loss. In 2015 she was honored to receive the Winnebago County Medical Society Alliance Humanitarian Award and The Illinois State Medical Society Alliance Humanitarian Award for the work that she did at The Haven Network. Towards the end of 2015, she took some time off to have her rainbow baby, Liliana, who is definitely the calm after the storm. Before coming to The Haven, Brandi received a BA in Interior Design and a BA in Sociology/English. In March of 2016 she became a certified birth and bereavement doula. Brandi is the weekend Family Services Advocate, a stay-at-home mom and loves spending time with her husband and daughter.
Board of Directors
Jon Krause, Board Chairman
Board Member Since: 2006
Current Occupation: Real Estate Broker, President of Gambino Realtors
What inspired you to serve on the Board of Directors: Jean Heise
Jon Krause is president and co-owner of Gambino Realtors. A Rockford resident since 1985, he remains very active in our community, serving as council president for the Blackhawk Area Council of Boy Scouts and president of his congregation, St. John Lutheran Church in Pecatonica. He and his wife, Judy, have two children.
Adriene Grzenia, Board Secretary
Board Member Since: 2014
Current Occupation: Assistant to the Executive Director of the Northwest Cultural Council
What inspired you to serve on the Board of Directors: Adriene and her husband lost a newborn son in 1996 and have had four miscarriages. Her heart is with those who have also incurred such sadness. Adriene would have loved to have had access to an organization such as The Haven Network at the time of her losses and serves on the Board to ensure families facing the death of their baby have access to The Haven Network and the services it provides.
Aaron D. Wolf, Board Treasurer
Current Occupation: Managing Editor, The Rockford Institute
Barb Beckett, Board member
Board Member Since: 2013
Current Occupation: Director of Family Life Ministries and CRE at Holy Family Parish
What inspired you to serve on the Board of Directors: Barb has been involved with The Haven Network when it was still just an idea being discussed and started volunteering her time, skills and knowledge to help develop The Haven Network. Her involvement with the Elizabeth Ministry, a ministry for women of child bearing age, was a good fit for her volunteering with The Haven. Barb started volunteering her time by supplying meals to families who needed them as well as volunteering to at the annual auction benefitting The Haven. Her husband continues to do the printing of the photographs the families receive of their beloved baby.
Barb has been married for 26 years to her husband Bob, the owner of Image-N-That. Together they have three children who will all soon finish college, though one of her sons aspires to attend graduate school! Her daughter teaches high school history in Elgin and her other son is an aspiring illustrator. Barb has worked for Holy Family Parish for 15 years as the Director of Family Life Ministries, recently adding the role of Coordinator of Religious Education. She loves seeing the little ones of the parish on fire for Jesus. Her favorite saying is, “A soul united to Jesus is a living smile”.
Delinda Grindle, Board member
Board Member Since: 2018
Since 2006, Delinda Grindle has been a member of the kp counseling team, providing grief support services to area churches and schools. She has worked in therapeutic settings with children, adolescents, adults, families, and couples in both individual and group counseling. Delinda provides years of experience in leadership and organizational development and works off-site offering grief counseling in churches, schools and other organizations. In 2008, Delinda developed and implemented the “Character for Success” program in the Harlem School District as part of their Student Assistance Program (SAP). Delinda received her certification in Grief and Death Studies in 1996 and pursued her master’s degree in social work in 2012. During her time in graduate school, Delinda partnered with Fitzgerald’s Funeral Home and Crematory, assisting in the development of their Soulprints Aftercare program. Her philosophy in counseling is “companioning individuals in their healing journeys.” She believes that journey involves reflecting on the physical, emotional, cognitive, social, and spiritual areas of one’s life. Delinda partnered with The Haven Network in 2016 to offer counseling services to Haven families. When she’s not working, Delinda enjoys spending time with family, hiking, exercising, and reflecting on her awareness of God’s presence in her life.
H. Kent Heise, AEP, CLU, ChFC, Board member
Board Member Since: 2004 (co-founder)
Current Occupation: Regal Investment Advisors
For four decades Kent has developed extensive experience assisting individuals, families, owners of closely held businesses, and charitable entities, enhance and plan their financial future. He earned the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) designations awarded by the American College in Bryn Mawr Pennsylvania. He also earned the Accredited Estate Planner (AEP) designation awarded by the National Association of Estate Planners & Councils.
Kent is an active member of St. John Lutheran Church, a current and founding board member of The Haven Network, and an active volunteer for other organizations. He and his wife Jean, have two adult children and six grandchildren.
Pastor Dr. Rus Howard, Board member
Board Member Since: 2017
Occupation: Manager of Community Support for Prairie State Legal Services
Lowell Ingram, Board member
Current Occupation: Treasurer, Rockford Acromatic Products
Tracy Jones, Board member
Board Member Since: 2017
Occupation: Attorney, Black and Jones
I am native of Rochelle, Illinois. I have a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Northern Illinois University and a Juris Doctorate from The John Marshall Law School. I have worked in the Rockford area as an attorney since 2006. I am the managing partner at Black & Jones, Attorneys at Law.
I am a member of the American Bar Association, Illinois State Bar Association, a board member of Workers’ Compensation Lawyers Association, and a member of Winnebago County Bar Association where I have twice held the position of chair and vice-chair of the Workers’ Compensation Section. I am a co-author of Chapter 5 in the Illinois Institute of Continuing Legal Education manual.
I am married with two children. In my free time, I enjoy reading, spending time with my family outdoors, participating in charity events, and hanging out in our old hotrods at car shows or taking our ’67 Airstream to vintage camper rallies. Who I am and what I do in this life is by the will and grace of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of His servant. Luke 1:46-47.
Mary Ahearn Larson, Board member
Current Occupation: McDonalds, USA
Jimmy Smith, Board member
Jennifer Woolery, Board member
Current Occupation: DMD, Woolery Dental PC
Dorothy Kreissler (in Memoriam)
Our Volunteers
“Everybody can be great…because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love”
-Martin Luther King
Family Service Volunteers
The individuals below have committed to serve as our on call Family Service Volunteers to care for families directly in the hospital following the birth of their beloved baby. To become a Family Service Volunteer they have successfully completed a training program that properly prepares them to provide high quality and compassionate care for the babies and families they meet in the hospitals.
The Haven Network is honored to have them serve on our behalf as Family Service Volunteers:
Sandra Knabe
Bobbi Smith
Professional Photographer Volunteers
The individuals below have committed their time and talents as professional photographers to photograph baby and family in the hospital providing heirloom quality photographs for the family. Working side by side with the Family Service Volunteer they capture the details and beauty of the baby individually and with his or her parents and siblings, documenting priceless treasured memories for the families.
We are honored to have these photographers volunteer their time and talents:
Erica Hafferty, Photographer
Erica has been a volunteer photographer since 2017. She is owner of E&H Photography.
Kelly Hubert, Photographer
Kelly has been a volunteer photographer since 2017. She is the owner of Direction Photography and President of the livlife Foundation.
Donation Coordinator
Samantha Strohfus
We are so happy to have Samantha Strohfus join us here at The Haven by volunteering her time to be our Donation Coordinator! As our Donation Coordinator she will be managing the inventory, donation record keeping, organizing all the baby clothes and supplies that are donated, and more.
Volunteer Opportunities
“Life is an opportunity to contribute love in your own way”
–Bernie Siegel
Volunteers are the heart of the programs and services we provide to families in our community. We are grateful to each person who takes time out of their day to serve at The Haven Network. Because our program relies on volunteers we are always looking for people to help out and here are a few ways one can:
A group of volunteer knitters and crocheters attended a workshop held at The Haven.
*Family Services Volunteers (training required)
*Photographers (training required)
*Office assistance
*Crafters: knitting, crocheting, paper crafters, jewelry makers, sewers
Please contact The Haven Network to find out how you can help.
Founders
Jean M. Heise, President Emeritus
Jean M. Heise founded The Haven Network in 2004 with Byron C. Calhoun, MD, a pioneer in the perinatal hospice movement, and served as The Haven’s president for six years. Jean served on the board of National Lutherans for Life and for many years as Education Director of Lutherans for Life of Illinois.
Prior to her work at The Haven Network, she was on staff at the Howard Center for Family, Religion and Society, an internationally known think tank that studies family and cultural issues. Her role at The Howard Center involved special research projects and assistance with the World Congress of Families, the largest international pro-family conferences, in Prague of the Czech Republic , Geneva , Switzerland, Mexico City and Warsaw, Poland. In June 2000, Jean lobbied on behalf of pro-family and pro-life causes at the Women’s Conference, Beijing + 5, at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City . In May 2004, she traveled to Australia , representing The Howard Center, speaking on family and life issues in Perth and Melbourne. Jean and her husband live in Rockford , Illinois. The Heises have two married children and six grandchildren.
Dr. Byron C. Calhoun, MD, FACOG, FACS, MBA
Dr .Byron C. Calhoun, MD, FACOG, FACS, MBA is a 1979 Distinguished Graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and graduated from the University of Iowa Medical School with an MD in 1983. Dr Calhoun completed his residency in OB/GYN at the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1987 and finished a Fellowship in Maternal-Fetal Medicine at the Oregon Health Sciences University in 1989. Dr Calhoun is a diplomat of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and is board certified in general Obstetrics and Gynecology as well as the sub-specialty of Maternal-Fetal Medicine. Dr Calhoun serves as Professor and Vice-Chair in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the West Virginia University-Charleston and is involved in resident and medical student education. He licensed in several states and continues to actively practice maternal-fetal medicine, perform diagnostic obstetrical ultrasound, and participate in prenatal diagnosis counseling.
Dr. Calhoun’s contributions to the obstetrical literature include: the The Perinatal Hospice, which attempts to provide a cogent pro-life hospice alternative to partial-birth abortion for fatal fetal anomalies, and, publication of the cost consequences of abortion and its relationship to pre-term birth. Dr Calhoun and his wife, Kathryn, have 5 children.
Founding Committee
Dr. Byron Calhoun, MD, FACOG, FACS, MBA
Kathy Calhoun
Allan C. Carlson, PhD, The Howard Center for Family, Religion and Society
Jean M. Heise
H. Kent Heise
Rev. Karen Gerhard-Conner, M Div, Westminster Presbyterian Church
Father William R. Wentink, OSF St. Anthony Hospital
Distinguished Advisors
Claudia Aschbrenner
Michael T. Cyrs, Attorney at Law
Sue Fiduccia, Winnebago County Coroner
Delinda Grindle, Grief Counselor
Melinda Hagerman
Brian J. Knabe, MD
Patricia Pitkus-Bainbridge
Kathy Way, RN, BSN