Our Families

We are currently recruiting volunteers to be Host Families, Family Coaches, Family Friends, and Resource Friends. We take a team approach to volunteering so that no volunteer feels alone or overwhelmed. The vetting process includes an application, three references, and three background checks (FBI and KS State fingerprinting, child abuse clearance).

Our Churches

Local churches play a significant role in recruiting volunteers from their church family. They are integral to supporting those families as they serve and reach out to families in need. Churches of all sizes and various denominational or non-denominational backgrounds are active partners with Safe Families for Children.

If you are interested in your church becoming partners with the Safe Families movement, please contact us (kansas@safefamilies.net)

Our Team

Our amazing volunteers are the ones who take the Safe Families for Children movement into the community. But they can’t do it alone. They are supported by a staff of professionals passionately investing their lives in engaging churches, building the base of volunteers, transitioning children, family coach supervision, vetting and training volunteers, and so much more.

Tammy Thomas – Kansas State Director

Tammy Thomas serves as Kansas – Regional Director. She has served Kansas within the Department for Children and Families as Regional Director and Statewide Long Term Care Liaison. Tammy professional career in Nuclear Medicine Technology has been spent at The University of Kansas Medical Center, Texas Heart Group, and Presbyterian Hospital of Plano. She and her husband of 33 years have been blessed with three, now adult children. Tammy and her family believe Jesus Christ is Lord and Savior. All things are possible and nothing is too large or too small for our Lord.

Nora P. Frontaura – Centralized Administrative Assistant

Nora P. Frontaura is the Centralized Administrative Assistant in Kansas. She graduated from the University of Puerto Rico and has traveled throughout the United States and Central America as the wife of an Air Force officer. After raising four children and helping with four grandchildren, she decided to branch out and continue to expand her horizons. She is committed to supporting and helping families stay together.

Erin Wimpey – Centralized Intake Supervisor and Family Services Director

Erin is the Centralized Intake Supervisor and Family Services Director for Safe Families for Children Kansas. She began her journey with Safe Families Kansas in 2024, following 29 years of experience in various child welfare positions in Nebraska and Kansas.

Erin earned her bachelor’s degree in social work in 1995 from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and has been a licensed social worker in the state of Kansas since January 2002.

She has a passion for helping others know their value, overcome trials, and grow into who God created them to be. Erin and her husband value time with their family and faith community. They have a gift for hospitality and have hosted numerous individuals and small groups in their home over the years.

Erin is dedicated to helping Safe Families serve children and families with compassion, kindness, humility, forgiveness, and love, as described in Colossians 3:12–14.

Russ Hightower – Kansas City Metro Area Director

Russ works as the Centralized Family Coach and a Church and Community Engagement partner. Russ received his degree in Natural Resources Management from Kansas State University. Russ and his wife have been foster and adoptive parents for over 12 years, coupled with all the peaks and valleys along the way. Russ has worked as a Special Needs Para-Educator, a Behavioral Interventionist, a Children’s Ministry Volunteer, and now as a Church and Community Engagement Coordinator with Safe Families for Children. He is passionate about the movement of Safe Families.

Jacob Lierz- Centralized Church Engagement Director

Jacob Lierz serves as the Safe Families Church and Community Engagement Coordinator, driven by a deep personal connection to his work—having experienced foster care as a child. This firsthand perspective fuels his passion to see the Church reclaim its biblical role in caring for the orphan, the widow, and families in crisis.

Jacob is committed to building dynamic partnerships and empowering churches to step into meaningful, restorative relationships with vulnerable children and families. With a vision to see God do new things in new ways and new places, he works to spark a movement where churches become trusted beacons of hope, hospitality, and healing in their communities.

Alexis Drinovsky – Centralized Intake Specialist

Alexis has been with Safe Families for Children since February 2025 as the Centralized Intake Specialist for the state of Kansas. She serves as the initial point of contact for parents and families seeking services—aiming to be a safe space for every individual she has the pleasure of serving.

Alexis was adopted out of the foster care system as a child and is committed to using her story and experiences to support other families and children. Her passion for people has led her to pursue a bachelor’s degree in psychology, with the goal of helping others overcome their traumas.

She enjoys spending time with her husband and their son, Saylor. Together, they love trying food trucks, visiting farmers markets, and watching shows on rainy days.

Alicia Butler – Wichita Chapter Director

Alicia is the Wichita area director and has lived in south-central Kansas for the past 29 years. She loves being part of the Wichita regional community and in her opinion, there are few things as beautiful as a Kansas sunset or the Flint Hills in the summer. Alicia believes relationships with others are central to human flourishing. She is excited to be part of an organization that intentionally comes alongside others in compassion, generosity, and hospitality, building relationships that help provide families with support and resources.

Jenna Stout – SE Kansas Area Director

Jenna joined Safe Families for Children in Southeast Kansas in May 2023 as a Family Coach Supervisor and became Area Director in 2024. A lifelong Southeast Kansas resident, she earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Missouri Southern State University and has served in family practice, labor and delivery, and home health.

She and her husband, Andrew—a youth minister of 13 years—have raised five children and embraced foster care and adoption as a calling. Their journey has shaped her deep compassion for families in crisis and fueled her passion for the mission of Safe Families.

Jenna loves supporting parents, equipping volunteers, and creating spaces where families feel seen and loved. Outside of work, Jenna and her family enjoy board games, camping, basketball, traveling, and spending time with extended family. Her life and leadership are guided by Jeremiah 29:11:

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord,
“plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.”

She believes every family deserves hope—and someone who believes in them until they can believe in themselves.

Marque English – SE Kansas Family Coach

As a Family Coach with Safe Families for Children – Kansas since March 2025, Marque works to support families in crisis and help bring communities together to walk hand in hand toward support and restoration.

Marque earned his Master’s degree from Pittsburg State University and has a strong foundation in family and community care. His passion is to help keep families united and build supportive bridges within local communities—ensuring no family has to face challenges alone.

Marque enjoys working out, slow espresso mornings, traveling, spending time with friends and family, and embracing new adventures. His Scripture to live by: “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time.” – 1 Peter 5:6.

Melissa Buhlre – NC Kansas Chapter Director

Melissa is the NC Kansas Chapter Director in Kansas. She and her husband (Berkley) of 36 years live in the Salina area. They have three adult children and eight very adored grandchildren. They fill their spare time with their grandchildren’s activities and family. They love to host events and never run out of reasons to celebrate someone! Melissa and Berkley enjoy serving in various capacities at their church, and worship time is their favorite way to spend time together. Melissa has worked in the family services field with vulnerable families and children for about 30 years. She is honored to be part of a ministry that serves as the hands and feet of Jesus in the community and looks forward to seeing what the Lord will do with the NC Region. Exacting change in process and thought is indeed radical, and what a wonderful opportunity to share the love that Jesus calls us to.