Our Team

Meet the team.

Kinsley Parrott | Founder & President

Meet Kinsley, a graduate student at the University of Iowa pursuing her Master’s in Child Life. Through her own life experiences and participating in numerous mission trips, Kinsley felt a need for more activities, games, and educational materials for children in vulnerable situations. After sharing what was on her heart with close friends, family, and mentors in May of 2021, Packs For A Purpose Inc. was founded. Kinsley is excited to address this need and to serve four main populations of children including: children in hospitals, foster care, adoption agencies, and homeless shelters or facing homelessness. A fun fact about Kinsley is she walked a marathon during the summer of 2020.

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Sydney Rants | Vice President

Meet Sydney, a graduate student at Drake University pursuing her Doctorate in Occupational Therapy. After losing her younger cousin to childhood cancer, Sydney is always looking for ways to assist vulnerable children. She is excited to see the impact that Packs For A Purpose Inc. has on the children. A fun fact about Sydney is she loves traveling and has been to 28 states and 9 countries.

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Karie Parrott | Treasurer

Meet Karie, the co-owner and office manager of Odessa Wood Products LLC. As a parent of a child who went through childhood cancer and knowing how hard it is, Karie is looking forward to helping children who are experiencing illness and difficulties and bringing comfort and joy to them. A fun fact about Karie is she loves interior design and decorating.

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Adam Parrott | Board Member

Meet Adam, the co-owner of Odessa Wood Products LLC, a pallet manufacturing company. Adam is proud to be apart of a great cause and to support Kinsley in all of her endeavors. A fun fact about Adam is he has been a soccer coach for the past 17 years.

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Jen Diers | Board Member

Meet Jen, associate professor and chair of the education department at Central College. Jen assisted Kinsley in her dreams while she was at Central College. Jen believes the need is great and Kinsley’s passion for supporting vulnerable children is contagious! A fun fact about Jen is she has 8 children, 3 are biological and 5 are adopted from Sierra Leone in West Africa.

Katie Freund | Board Member

Meet Katie, a graduate student at The University of Iowa pursuing her Masters in Child Life. During her time at Iowa she has worked and volunteered in various positions at Stead Family Children’s Hospital. Katie is so excited to work alongside such a wonderful team to bring joy and support to children in vulnerable situations! A fun fact about Katie is her top played artist of all time is Taylor Swift.

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Karleigh Schilling | Board Member

Meet Karleigh, a graduate student at Baylor University pursuing her Master’s in Economics. While she initially joined the board to help support Kinsley and her dreams of a nonprofit, the mission and goals of Packs For A Purpose Inc. captured her heart as well. She loves being able to provide a Pack for children who are experiencing difficult situations. A fun fact about Karleigh is she is a huge Harry Potter fan and once won a Harry Potter trivia competition at Hy-vee!

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Megan Van Brocklin | Board Member

Meet Megan, a 4th grade teacher. As an educator, Megan has always had a passion for helping children in need. She understands how the lack of access to certain items can impact a developing child’s physical, mental, and emotional health as well as put them at a disadvantage compared to other children their age. She believes that providing these Packs will help children in vulnerable situations grow and develop appropriately. A fun fact about Megan is she has read the whole Harry Potter series four times.

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Morgan Van Maanen | Board Member

Meet Morgan, a tax associate at BKD. Morgan joined the Packs For A Purpose Inc. board to support Kinsley and her dreams of starting a nonprofit. In addition, she has always had a heart for kids and loves giving back whenever she can. A fun fact about Morgan is she does not like chocolate.

Rhini Angel | Board Member

Meet Rhini, a graduate student at The University of Iowa pursuing her Masters in Child Life. Rhini has worked in many different school systems, as a special education teacher, before switching careers to become a Child Life Specialist. She is excited to be joining Packs For A Purpose Inc. and seeing the impact small acts of kindness have on children in stressful situations. A fun fact about Rhini is she has red hair and blue eyes, the rarest combo, making up less than 1% of the population.

  • Anna Marino | Board Member

    Meet Anna! Anna is a dental hygienist at Randolph Dental and a graduate of Carl Sandburg College. Anna is currently furthering her education and seeing where it takes her. Anna has enjoyed helping others, especially in her career, and wants to provide more smiles and joy to those around her. She is so excited to be on the PFP team and to help her dear friend expand her love and compassion for others. One fun fact about Anna is she loves to be high energy and laugh and smile with others!

  • Michelle Parrott | Board Member

    Meet Michelle, owner of Java Mama, a coffee truck in Danville, IA. She is also the office manager for J & M Lumber, a pallet recycling company based in Burlington, IA. Michelle is an aunt of Kinsley. She admires Kinsley’s heart and drive for Packs For A Purpose and is eager to help Kinsley towards the mission and goals of this nonprofit. Michelle and her husband, Jerry, have two children and she enjoys traveling and taking new adventures with them. A fun fact about Michelle is she loves running and is currently training for her 4th marathon.