Leadership

KyMel, Inc wouldn’t be here without the support of it’s volunteer leaders.  The following planning committee and board members volunteer their time to make our camps successful.  (Camp SIBsational leadership coming soon!)

Camp Hope

Chianna Hemken, LMSW Camp Director

Chianna lives in Larned, KS, with her husband and their four children, Arianna, Breanna, Troy, and Danielle. She is a survivor of childhood leukemia and began attending Camp Hope in 1989 as a camper; she has only missed five years of camp since that time. She graduated from the University of Kansas in 2015 with her Master’s of Social Work, and is the Director of Social Services at Larned State Hospital.  In her spare time, she enjoys traveling and spending time at the lake with her family.

Patrick Schroeder, Assistant Camp Director

Patrick is from Ellsworth, KS and has volunteered at camp since 2016 as a house parent.  He is married to Darci and they have two children, Joni and Tanner.  He is the principal at Ellsworth Elementary and Kanopolis Middle School.  He enjoys being involved in his children’s activities, running, and biking.  He is a huge fan of the Kansas City Royals and Duke Blue Devils.  He currently serves as President of the Kansas Association of Elementary School Principals (KAESP) and serves on the Emporia State Alumni Association Board.

Andy Bukaty, DO, Medical Director  

Dr. Andy lives in the Kansas City area, as he has for much of his life.  He has been a part of the Camp Hope family since 2008.  He married his high school sweetheart in 2000 and they have one daughter, born in 2006, and one son, born in 2009, who rule their worlds.  He is a family physician and is fortunate to help lead an organization called Docs Who Care that helps staff rural communities.  The flexibility it affords him allows him to work in rural ERs, teach residents in training, devote time to Camp Hope Heartland, and spend a great deal of his time being a dad and husband.  He also enjoys film analysis/history, cooking, American history, playing the drums, and cheering for the professional KC teams, Jayhawks and Saint Louis U. Billikens, who represent his alma mater.  Finally, he enjoys taking advantage of Dr. Bryan’s fear of spiders, especially at Camp Hope.

Alice Boutz, LMSW

Alice graduated from Wichita State University with her Master’s in Social Work in 2014. Alice has a bachelor’s degree in Rehabilitation Services. She has experience working with individuals with developmental disabilities and has worked therapeutically with children who have experienced significant trauma. Alice currently works as an Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist. Alice

was born and raised in Kansas City and still has a strong love for KC. Alice loves to explore new places and spend time connecting with family and friends. She has a passion for advocating and empowering. She lives in the Wichita area with her husband Eric, who got her involved in Camp Hope. Eric is a former camper and current volunteer at Camp Hope. Alice has been a volunteer at Camp Hope for five years and loves being a part of such a meaningful place for so many people.

Bryan Wohlwend, MD, Chairman

Dr. Bryan is a pediatrician in Kansas City, Missouri. He started volunteering at Camp Hope in 2000 when he was a medical student and has been every year since. He went to KU for medical school and completed his pediatric training at Children’s Mercy Hospital.  He loves to travel and enjoys cheering on the Chiefs, Royals, Sporting KC and Jayhawks.

Gail Moeder, Camp Hope Heartland liaison  

Gail lives in Great Bend, Kansas.  She has volunteered for Camp Hope since 1998 as a house parent and has been on the committee since 2003. She is pretty much the “local connection” to Great Bend/Barton County.  Gail is married to Alan and is an Aflac agent.

Gina McGowan, Houseparent Director

Gina is from Ellsworth, KS and has volunteered at camp since 2000.  She was an Early Childhood Special Ed teacher for 4 years, but now is lucky enough to be a stay-at-home mom and community volunteer.  She is married to Shawn and they have 2 boys, Parker (born in 2003) and Cooper (born in 2008).  She enjoys being involved with children’s activities,  helping direct and teach at  Kids of the Kingdom,  volunteering as a room mother, teaching Sunday School, and volunteering for her community VBS.  She serves on her local school board and is the Region 7 VP for the Kansas Association of School Boards in Topeka. Her family enjoys traveling and spending time together doing all sorts of fun activities!

Rick Rein, Houseparent Director

Amanda Bretches, Activities Director

Amanda has been volunteering since 2008.  She lives in Topeka and works as a Communications Coordinator at Premier One Data Systems.  She loves reading, watching movies and going to concerts. She has been skydiving twice and is planning another jump with her brother.  She enjoys planning all of the fun activities for the campers!

Judy Wagner, Yearbook/Photography/Board of Directors

Judy has been attending camp since 1991. She serves as the Vice President Mission Integration for St. Joseph Health, St. Mary.  She currently  lives in Victorville, CA; located ½ way between Las Vegas and Los Angeles along with her three cats.  Judy is an avid Kansas State University Wildcat fan and bleeds PURPLE!!

Barb Keltner, Media liaison/newsletter

Barb has been a volunteer since 1992 and lives in Med

icine Lodge where she is the school librarian for preschool students through seniors. She and her husband have two grown sons who are both teachers and three young granddaughters. Her passions are sharing her love of reading and being kind to our environment.

Preston Rogers, Outreach Director and former camper

Preston began attending camp in 1994 at the age of 7.  He lives in Olathe with his wife, Emily, and 2 dogs.  Preston has worked for Sunrise Oilfield Supply as a store manager since 2011.    He studied Geology at the University of Kansas and graduated with his B. S. Geology in 2010.

Lorraine Davis, RN, Head Nurse

Lorraine is a pediatric nurse at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita. She has volunteered at Camp for over 2 decades.

Carol Losew, Arts and Crafts

Eileen Cottingham, Kitchen Director

Eileen grew up in a wonderful family with 9 siblings, and starting cooking at a early age. She started in food service as a waitress at 15, and loved the relationships she built with customers and co workers alike. She has owned her own restaurant for the past 20 years, and has a passion for really good food.  She loves simple, homemade, real food. She is always trying new recipes or just making her own as she plays with food.

 Dianne Lux, Parent Advisory Member

Dianne lives in Olathe with her husband, Larry, and their three teenagers age 18, 16, and 13.  She currently works part-time as a resource para educator. She has an undergraduate and master’s degrees from Wichita State University in Health Care Administration.  She enjoys family vacations, outdoor activities from running, hiking, golf and antique shopping.  Her oldest son, Nathan, was diagnosed with two brain tumors in August 2009 at age 11.  He went to Camp Hope the following summer while undergoing treatment and he returned happily for five years.  He graduated from high school in 2016 and looks forward to being a Camp Hope volunteer.  Camp Hope gave so much joy and happiest to Nathan in a time of so many unknowns.  Nathan has fond memories and many friends as a result of Camp Hope.   Dianne would do anything to support Camp Hope and its mission to continue to provid

e this camp experience to these special kids.

Mike Alward, Facilities Director

Mike has been with Camp Hope over four years. He started as a kitchen volunteer but now leads our facilities team at camp. Mike is retired with over 44 years of public service with the U.S.Postal service and U. S. Navy. He has two sons with 6 grandkids and loves following all of his grandkids in all their many school,church,and sporting events. He enjoys outdoor activities from the mountains of Colorado to the white Sands of Florida. His feels passionately that we do it FOR THE KIDS!

Camper Ambassadors

Megan Aune

Chelsea Glavin

Emeritus Committee Members

Emeritus Committee Members are people whom the committee and board of directors wanted to honor for their dedication and service to Camp Hope.

Leta Nelson

Leta has been a volunteer at Camp Hope since the very first camp back in 1983. She hasn’t missed a single year. Leta has lived in McPherson her entire life and has been married to LaRue for 45 years. They have two sons, Jeremy and Andy, their wives Carol and Amanda, and four grandchildren Caitllyn, Emalee, Alaina and Rowen. She started out as as volunteer in crafts but has been a houseparent since 1986. She is currently a Para at Roosevelt Elementary School and is planning to retire in 2019.

KyMel, Inc Board of Directors

Renee Dykes, Secretary

of Directors. Her volunteer history includes, serving on the committee, and as Chairman, of the Barton County Relay for Life, and a Board member of Kans for Kids Fighting Cancer Foundation. She is currently volunteering for Almost Home (a nonprofit that provides assisted living and Hospice Care locally), and Prince of Peace Catholic Church. She is married to her husband, Luke, and she two adult daughters.   Danielle is married and has two daughters.  She is a Physical Therapist at Kansas University Hospital.  Sarah recently married and has one adult step-daughter and two step- sons.  She is a Cosmetologist.

Gary Morsch, MD, MPH, Board of Directors (ad hoc)

Gary is the founder and president of Heart to Heart International, a global humanitarian organization based in the Kansas City area. Dr. Morsch believes that each of us longs to make a positive difference in our world, and that every person is uniquely gifted to do so.  As a frequent speaker, his passion and enthusiasm continually challenges people to commit their lives in service to others.  His own life-long commitment to volunteerism has taken him literally around the world.  As a physician, Dr. Morsch continues to practice family and emergency medicine through Docs Who Care, a medical staffing company he founded in 1995, serving critical access hospitals throughout the Midwest.  Dr. Morsch has authored several books with his most recent titled; You’ll Never Be The Same – Transform Your Life By Serving Others.  Dr. Morsch is married with four children and nine grandch

ildren. He and his wife Vickie enjoy living on a farm south of the Kansas City area.   To learn more about Dr. Morsch, visit his website at www.garymorsch.com.

Janelle Hilger, LCSW Camp SIBsational Chairperson

Janelle lives in Kansas City with her husband, Dan and is a Child and Family Therapist. She has been volunteering for Camp Hope since 2008. Janelle earned a Bachelor’s of Science from Kansas State University and attended graduate school at the University of Kansas where she obtained her Master’s of Social Welfare in 2012. She completed a clinical, Play Therapy certification program after graduate school and values the role of play in exploring life’s events. She loves to travel, educating and advocating about early intervention, mental health practices and unwinding at Kauffman and Arrowhead Stadium. She’s a proud Kansas Citian, K-STATE Alumni [Once a Wildcat, Always a Wildcat] Camp Hope Heartland member, and Auntie to two, dashing Nephews and three, darling Nieces!