KidsGiving

President / VP Partnerships - president@kidsgiving.com

Amanda began her philanthropic career 20 years ago in graduate school by volunteering to read to infants and toddlers, while teaching their parents the importance of doing so. As a speech and language pathologist, she has a passion for language and a deep understanding of the importance of being read and spoken to from the very beginning. Amanda has worked and volunteered in several schools and counties within Virginia.  This has given her a unique insight into the diverse needs of students and families right here in our community.   

When the pandemic hit, Amanda stopped working to be home with her three sons.  She and her family created a campaign that raised over $10K to provide 1500 ‘My Job Bags’ to local students in need. These bags provided students with necessary and fun items to continue their ‘jobs’ of learning, playing, and creating while at home.     

Amanda is thrilled to be the president of KidsGiving  and excited to work with such a passionate and hard-working group of women.  In the past few years, she has enjoyed learning about so many wonderful local non-profits working tirelessly to make a difference in Arlington, VA.  Her goal is to teach children at a young age that they can make a difference, and by improving the lives of others, their lives are equally enriched.

VP Outreach - outreach@kidsgiving.org

Christa has been working with local nonprofits for over 20 years; being a part of the KidsGiving family for the last 4 of those years is something she is truly grateful for. Fulfilling a civic duty by giving back and having a positive impact on our community is a personal goal of hers and growing the love of philanthropy in our future community leaders has helped further that goal. She first found her love of volunteering while tutoring students in DC charter schools in lower-income urban communities for 2 years. One of the highlights of that experience was meeting the families after each school year ended and getting heartfelt thank you cards from the students (which she still has!). Since then, she has volunteered for many other nonprofit organizations and has been lucky to have her family join her to help.  Whether it is spending Saturday mornings bagging food with the incredible AFAC team, collecting clothing from friends and family to donate to Clothesline, or delivering APS school lunches to families during the Covid virtual schooling - Giving back to the community is very important to her and her family and is something she has cherished over the years.   

Christa combines her experiences in leading and supporting the community with her love of educating children to enable them to take pride in their community by instilling the love of philanthropy. She previously served as PTA President at Taylor ES and currently serves on the CCPTA Board as Partnerships Chair, is an acting member of the Arlington County Student Health Advisory Board (SHAB), and as Vice-President, Programs at Dorothy Hamm Middle School. One highlight of the covid years was leading a team to fundraise $27K to provide over 1,600 bags of fresh produce to Arlington families. Over 300 volunteers from the community had the opportunity to give back by working together and reconnecting during one of the greatest times of need.  In her free time, she loves her job as a substitute teacher in Arlington Public Schools. 

VP Communications - communications@kidsgiving.org

Dena is thrilled to work with such an amazing group of women who are passionate about teaching the importance of philanthropy to kids. As a mom of three and through serving in a variety of PTA leadership and executive board roles over the past 10 years, including PTA President for the last four years, Dena has seen how much teaching kindness, empathy and giving back can make a difference in children's lives as well as the impact it makes on supporting our local community.  

Dena has co-chaired the Arlington Gifts That Give Hope alternative gift giving fair for two years, a community wide event that raises funds for local organizations during the holiday season. She also helped to establish the Arlington County Council of PTAs (CCPTA) Partnerships Committee to support Arlington families, and through the recent COVID pandemic, set up county-wide book donation drives and set up cabinets at elementary and middle schools to ensure students had access to books during remote learning. Today, Dena helps to lead community service efforts, including the KidsGiving program, at Arlington Science Focus School, and is excited to see KidsGiving grow as we continue to support our Arlington community.