

My name is Jenni Austin. My husband, Nicholas and I have been married for 26 years. We have five children, ranging in age from 7 to 25.

Holly is married with two children, she and her family live in upstate NY Saratoga County.

Tina Beauparlant is a Program Assistant and Educational Advocacy Specialist with the Capital District office of Parent to Parent of NYS.

As Technology Support Specialist, Sandra Bigelow helps Parent to Parent of NYS best utilize modern technology to carry out its mission. Sandy began her career with Parent to Parent in December 2000 and served as a regional coordinator for ten years. Prior to working for Parent to Parent, Sandy created a newsletter for families raising prematurely born children which she published for five years. Sandy began learning about personal computers and using the internet while publishing the newsletter and quickly learned she had a natural ability for working with technology.

My name is Sarah Brown-Paul and my resume includes teacher, analyst, wife, and mother. I received my BSBA in Finance from Syracuse University and my MST in Education from LeMoyne College. I live in Tully, NY (just south of Syracuse) where my husband, Drew, and I grew up. We have a daughter, Maddie, and a son, Sam. They couldn’t be more opposite, but somehow they are perfect combinations of Drew and me.

I am a mother, grandmother, wife and sister and I have four adult children.

My name is Kerbanoo D'Rozario, my husband and I are the proud parents of a 23 year old son and an 18 year old daughter. I would like to share my experience of what brought me here today to be a part of Parent to Parent.

Jack Drury
Jack lives in Saranac Lake with his wife Phyliss and their two dogs, a Newfoundland and Yellow Lab.

Mary Beth resides in Brooklyn with her husband, Bill, son, Will and daughter, Allison.

I live on Staten Island with my husband, Vinny, and our 11-year-old twins, Jack and Brigid.

What does a real life look and sound like for a young family?


Mary Jo Hebert is the Upstate Program Assistant for Parent to Parent of New York State, where she educates families across the state about the features and benefits of Medicaid Service Coordination and their rights under the program.

Jacquelyn Israel is the mother of three adult children and grandmother to three grandchildren. She lives on Staten Island surrounded by her family. Her family is overcoming challenges with learning disabilities and they are learning from life. Understanding and recognizing that not everyone learns the same has given her family the ability to have more patience with each other. They give themselves a break when doing something that might be hard and have learned to laugh themselves.

Michele Juda is happy to be contributing to Parent to Parent of NYS in her role as the Upstate Coordinator for New York’s Family to Family Health Care Information and Education Center. The FHIC exists to empower families who are raising children with special health care needs with the resources, support and skills they will need to more effectively advocate for their children and make better health care decisions on their behalf.

Hello, my name is Sharon Marrella and I wanted to share a little about myself.

I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY and still live there.

Our daughter, Sarah was born in 1985 with Cri-du-chat Syndrome also known as 5p-.

What characterizes me that I would like to make sure other people know about me and remember me by?
I was born and raised in Germany and have been living in the United States since 1989. I value learning and reading and keeping informed about anything that affects me and everyone around me.

My husband, John, and I have been married for twelve years. We are the proud parents of the best 6 year old twins in the world, Joseph and Samantha.

My name is Valerie Reid and I am a Regional coordinator at the Long Island office of Parent to Parent. I am the mother to Parker who is 7 years old. Parker is visually impaired and was born with a rare metabolic genetic disorder called galactosemia.

Kathleen Reynolds is the new Regional Coordinator of Parent to Parent of NYS Hudson Valley Office at the Westchester Institute for Human Development (WIHD). Kathleen works part-time as the Regional Coordinator for the Hudson Valley office which covers Westchester, Rockland, Orange and Sullivan Counties.

My name is Valerie Stammelman and I have two children ages 17 and 15.

James resides in Johnstown, New York in the county of Fulton with his wife, Veronica, and two children, Cassandra and Madison. He has been actively advocating for people with disabilities since 1998 when Madison was born and diagnosed with Down syndrome.

Lara is delighted to be working for Parent to Parent of NYS after years of being involved in P2P training programs and benefitting from the knowledge of the team. Her role is Family to Family Coordinator for outreach and assistance related to the Healthcare Information Center.
Lara and her husband, a retired Navy officer, have spent time in Virginia, Washington State and recently moved back to New York State where they originated. Lara’s family is now happy to call the Capital Region home. She has two children, one a step-daughter who just graduated from college, and a son who is in elementary school.