Our Team
Meet the team.
Kinsley Parrott | Founder & President
Meet Kinsley, a certified child life specialist at The University of Iowa Health Care Stead Family Children’s Hospital. 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 has ran 3 half marathons!
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.
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.
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 was a soccer coach for 17 years.
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 Certified Child Life Specialist at Rush Children’s Hospital. On the general pediatric floor she provides play, preparation, and coping support to help children and their families navigate hospitalization with comfort and understanding. Katie has seen first hand the impact this organization has had to the children she works with and is honored to serve on the board.
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!
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.
Morgan Van Maanen | Board Member
Meet Morgan, a CPA at Welgaard CPAs and Advisors. 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.
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Michelle Parrott | Board Member
Meet Michelle, 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 7th marathon.