Christina Brathwaite

Christina is the mother of 3 boys, a cat, dog, 2 fish and several plants and calls herself the Mother of Dragons.  Mild mannered scientist by day, but in the evenings and on weekends she works tirelessly for the marginalized community.

One day, Christina's son came home from school and told her he had to read the part of a slave, not once but twice.  While this was not the teacher's fault as she was just conducting her lesson, this was a moment to recognize privilege and choose a different route than allowing him to read that part.  He was bullied relentlessly that day.  Christina started out by requesting DEI training for the teachers, then quickly fell down the rabbit hole realizing there were a lot more children to serve.   She founded PFI along with Melissa Montero to try to create a better world for not only their children, but all children who may feel alone and left out. 

You can often find her reading or watching science fiction, or searching for fairies which also got her bullied as a child 

Melissa Montero

Melissa Montero is an author, entrepreneur, and an Executive Director of a non-profit organization. She is a Pennsylvania native and lives with her husband and three beautiful children in Pennsburg. 

Melissa published I Refuse to Choose in 2018. The inspiration for her children’s book was motivated by her own desire to see her three biracial children accept and love both their Hispanic and African American cultures.

Melissa decided to join Parents for inclusion because she has a strong desire to support people of all ages in finding a sense of love, pride, and confidence in their cultural and family identities.

She looks forward to making great change with the PFI team in the Upper Perk School District. 

Nicole Llewelyn

Nicole Llewellyn is a certified veterinary technician, full-time Mom to one, and lover of all things Mother Nature, old, and crafty. Her progression as an animal advocate eventually turned into a deep passion for mentoring and providing compassionate support for those in the veterinary industry. Having been bullied most of her life, even well into adulthood, for being "different," she naturally fell into advocacy and supportive roles as well as being the “safety net” or “hype-woman” for those around her. Additionally, being a survivor of trauma and having been in recovery for many years, these experiences had unknowingly graced her with a knowledge that has been able to help others during their healing processes. She is a huge believer that while we can’t alter our stories, we can use them to create change, and because of this, she will forever preach authenticity, inclusion, loving your uniqueness, and self-care. When she isn’t doing these things or wanting to create growth opportunities, she can be found with her tiny family, four cats, enjoying one of her many hobbies, or volunteering in the community.

Zena McCall

Zena McCall is a caregiver, local entrepreneur and mom to two.  She joined PFI shortly after offering her business as a venue for the Inaugural Juneteenth celebration.  Zena is active in her community with the local youth football team and regularly travels to support her daughter in college.  

Karie Ulrich

Karie is a stay-at-home parent to two daughters, and a wife. She grew up on a farm in Berks County, Pennsylvania where she fostered a love for animals and the outdoors. As a child, Karie struggled academically and socially which made it difficult for her to fit in and lead her to be a target to bullies. Despite some negative social experiences, Karie has always maintained a belief that people in general are good, and that everyone has value. Before becoming a mother, she pursued a career in Early Childhood Education so that she could be a supporter to all children, but especially children facing aversity, like she did.

In her free time, you can find Karie enjoying a nice walk, jamming out to Taylor Swift, or spending quality time with her family.

Jacque Porterfield

Jacqueline Porterfield is a full-time yoga teacher and grandmother to 5. She became a member of PFI because of the strong focus on anti- bullying and believes that our schools and communities should embrace diversity, strive for equity and demand inclusion. Two of her grandchildren are mixed race Asian and Caucasian and they have already experienced racial bias as very young children. Jacque is also a strong ally for LGBTQ+ kids and supports gender affirming choices of children and their families.

As a child she felt the trauma of bullying because her family moved frequently. She changed schools 8 times from kindergarten to Grade 9. Being the new kid subjected her to teasing, ridicule and rejection from her peers. Naturally shy, she learned to distrust people and suffered from loneliness. She eventually developed Body Dysmorphia resulting in an eating disorder. Children who are bullied bear the scars for life. We must work together to protect the most vulnerable kids.

Natasha 

Natasha (they/them) grew up here and returned to the area after working around the country. Nothing feels quite like Pennsylvania and they love living here with their partner and fur kids. They have always had a strong desire to pursue social justice and inclusion, which they attribute to the good examples set by their parents. They taught them to volunteer, get involved, and to speak up.

Natasha found a community and friendship in PFI when they asked to help out with Unity Day and the group wouldn't let them leave. Now they're helping to bring LGBTQIA+ resources and advocacy to the families we support. 

 A plant geek by day, and fantasy/sci fi nerd by night, they love to get way too into whatever passion project they're researching and working on. They also love to travel and have been to 6 out of 7 continents. 

Joy DeBach

Born and raised in a very small, very rural, and very homogenous Pennsylvania town, Joy had very little exposure to people who didn’t look, think or act like her growing up.  A lifelong career in the travel industry changed that outlook for her. 

 The opportunity to travel for both work and pleasure exposed Joy to the world’s rich tapestry of cultures, religions and worldviews.  It’s ingrained in her the belief that our differences make the world better, and the more you learn about others the bigger your world becomes.

 These beliefs drive Joy to donate her time and energy to Parents for Inclusion, where she hopes her involvement encourages others to interact with and learn from people from different backgrounds, fostering greater empathy and a more inclusive view of the global community starting right here in Upper Perk.