Hope Connections was created to Support Adoptive and Foster Parents. Stacy Manning, the founder and CEO, was on a mission to help Adoptive and Foster Parents get their families to HAPPY & HEALTHY and ensure that no one was alone on this journey.
Stacy Manning passed away in 2019. Since then, our team at Hope Connections has continued on carrying out that mission of supporting Adoptive and Foster Parents, as well as teachers and those who work with students who've been impacted by trauma.
Meet the Hope Connections Team
Kathy Haddock
Kathy Haddock, a member of the Hope Connections team since 2018, is the single mom of 3 teenage boys that were adopted after many years in foster care. She specializes in teens and tweens with challenging behaviors and the parents that love them.
Kathy taught high school science in Missouri for 10+ years and currently works for a local agency that provides parenting support to area families of all kinds (biological/foster/adoptive/guardianship/kinship) who are struggling. She is a trained facilitator for Spaulding, STARS, and Caring for Children Who Have Experienced Trauma. She currently teaches local classes from the Nurturing Families Curriculum as well as preservice and inservice classes for Children’s Division in her home state of Missouri. Kathy is a Parent Coach for CONNECT, Chief Inspiration Officer for IMPACT, and General Manager of all things Book Club. You can also see her leading the Focus Group for School and your Adoptive/Foster Child.
Kathy’s parenting style is largely influenced by the idea that trauma profoundly affects brain development and that makes average parenting approaches less effective. She is a strong believer in Stacy Manning, TBRI, Brene’ Brown, and that we are better together.
Michele and Jeff Kirsh
Michele is a Parent Coach and community manager and client care specialist for Hope Connections. Michele and Jeff facilitate parent coaching sessions in CONNECT and lead the Intentional Parenting Couples Focus Group. Michele holds a Master’s Degree in Education/School Psychology. She worked in special education for over 20 years before her son was born. She currently conducts home studies and post placement visits through an adoption agency. She also volunteers her time with a local adoptive parent support group, where she helps to organize annual conferences for adoptive families.
Jeff holds a Master’s Degree in Education/School Psychology, and certifications in School Building and School District Administration and is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor. He has been working in Special Education and providing counseling for over 20 years .
Michele and Jeff are adoptive parents to their 10 year old son. While their son was growing up, they began to realize that they needed to parent him very differently than what their personal experience and professional training had taught them. They found Stacy Manning and Hope Connections when their son was young and feel very fortunate to have been able to work with her, both personally and professionally.
Sammie Jones
Sammie Jones has been a member of the Hope Connections adoptive parenting group, CONNECT, since November 2017.
She is a mom to 6 beautiful kiddos; 3 boys & 3 girls, 4 adopted, 1 foster, 1 legal guardianship and a foster parent for 15+ years. Sammie is a Special Education Teacher by trade.
She came across Stacy Manning and Hope Connections after years and years of searching and trying and crying and praying for a new way!!.
She knew her current parenting techniques were not working, and was feeling defeated and her house was out of control. When she met Stacy, it was like the hope she had lost returned and her and her family were going to be alright.
After about a year into the group, Sammie joined the Hope Connections Team, as a developer of tools for IMPACT (a community for Trauma-Sensitive Teachers), helping teachers become trauma informed and create classrooms where all children feel SAFE, LOVED, and CAPABLE. to help Teachers.
Sammie believes the work we are doing is so important and is blessed to be on this team to continue Stacy’s mission and partner with all of you!