NHH Team

~Julie Brown~

Director

Julie Brown is the heart of the Near His Heart ministry. Julie is married to Anthony Brown and they have four beautiful children. Their oldest son was diagnosed with autism when he was young and they have been on the special needs journey ever since. She has a heart for ministering to families that have been affected by special needs and loves to help and encourage them as much as possible. Having a child with special needs herself, she understands the day in and day out challenges of these families and desires so much for them to see God's great design in their struggles and joys of being a parent to a special needs child. Julie was on the core planning team for the first Near His Heart Dinner in 2012 and now serves as Director. After the first dinner was held, it was quite clear to her and her husband that this ministry was needed and something they, as a family, wanted to be a part of.

~Corrie Kent~

Co-Director

Corrie Kent attended the first Near His Heart banquet as a guest in 2012 and was asked joined the NHH team for the second annual banquet in 2013. Corrie is married to Erick Kent and they have two precious boys. Corrie was excited to join the NHH team because she too, has a personal experience dealing with a special needs child. Corrie and Erick's oldest son was diagnosed with Autism at the age of four and they have been interested in helping other's ever since. Her desire for this ministry is to make all families feel loved and accepted. Her own daily life challenges help her understand the needs of other special needs families.

~Dr.Kim Smith BCBA-D~

Childcare Director

Kim Smith is one of the main components of our Near His Heart team. Without Kim being so dedicated to taking care of the children, Near His Heart could never happen. Kim is a behavioral therapist at Smith Group Behavioral Consulting, LLC. Kim may not have a special needs child of her own, but her occupation lends her great knowledge in understanding special needs children and their families . She is dedicated to ministering to our NHH children and works very hard to see that they are perfectly matched with adult buddies who are qualified to care for these children. No one envies her place on our NHH team because it takes a lot of dedication and time, which Kim gives with her whole heart. She loves the kids and puts forth all her effort to make sure that all the children have a fantastic time while they are at Near His Heart.

~Tori Walker~
Assistant and Advertising Representative

Tori Walker is the newest member to the Near His Heart team. Tori and her husband Chris have four great kids and they really have a heart for people. Although Tori does not have any special needs kids of her own, she has been touched by kids that have special needs at her local church. Her upbeat personality is a great addition to the NHH team and her sweet spirit helps make everyone feel loved and special. Her desire is that everyone who has a child with special needs knows that there are people that love and care for them; which makes her a fantastic Advertising Representative.

~Kam Nelson~
Decorating Coordinator

Kam Nelson is such a great addition to the Near His Heart team. She has such a sweet, giving spirit and has a heart for helping others. She is fantastic with visualizing table set up and design. This may sound like a small task but when you are limited on space, using your space to the fullest is a must and Kam can tackle that task. She has a special touch when it comes to making our banquet room feel warm and inviting. She works a lot of hours preparing for the event and spends a lot of time setting everything up the week of. She works hard behind the scenes and doesn't get enough credit.

~Wynne Wages~
Media Coordinator

Wynne Wages is an absolute gem. Her eye for media design is out of this world. Near His Heart would not be what it is without her. She works hard to make sure that everything for NHH looks nice and professional. Her willingness to work on the Near His Heart team is treasured. Our advertisement would not be what it is today without the work of Wynne. All of the flyers, signs and name tags are designed by her and she works diligently to make sure that all media needs are taken care of.

~Melissa Rohling~
Lakeview Baptist Event Liaison

Last, but certainly not least, we have Melissa Rohling. Melissa will serve for the 3rd year in a row on the Near His Heart team. She leads and directs our servers and kitchen staff the night of the dinner as well as organizes it all before hand. Because of Melissa's extensive experience in event planning at Lakeview, she is another indispensable member of the NHH team. We know if we have a question, Melissa has an answer. We are so appreciative of Melissa's heart and time while she shares her gifts through the Near His Heart ministry. She is a blessing to many families.