Amy Schumacher started in AfterCare in 2005 as a care manager, transitioning to the role of program coordinator in 2007. She loves working with a team that is so focused on the importance of knowing and utilizing your own strengths, and values the chance to interact with so many wonderful AfterCare members.
Bianca Bautista has been working with AfterCare since 2006. Bianca incorporates her teaching experience and enjoyment of learning into her role as an education coordinator. She began her career teaching middle school in Dallas, Texas, before returning to her hometown of Chicago. Bianca holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a mater’s degree in education from the University of Notre Dame.
Becky Szpalik is a care manager in AfterCare. She enjoys working with all her members. She easily welcomes all with her radiant smile and naturally challenges the AfterCare team to be more positive and hopeful. She hails from Cleveland, Ohio.
Felix Negron began his Mercy Home career as a Youth Care Worker and today serves as a care manager in AfterCare. In addition to connecting with AfterCare members and supporting them through passion planning, Felix has used his love of sports to develop a niche—he organizes most of our events and activities related to sports. Felix graduated with his bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame.
Heather Bland began her career as a therapist at Mercy Home’s Girls Campus in 2002. She came to AfterCare in 2005 and continues to love her work, now as the program manager. She is proud to have played a part in crafting AfterCare’s inclusive, strengths-based culture with its emphasis on connective relationships and community support. Born in Appalachian Virginia, Heather graduated from the College of William and Mary and received her master’s degree in marriage and family therapy from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Outside of work, Heather performs with With One Voice, a community choir dedicated to social justice and awareness. Read more about Heather’s areas of expertise.
Jenaya Anderson is currently a care manager AfterCare. She has worked for Mercy Home for the past five years and is committed to its mission of providing holistic support to youth and families. Her primary responsibility is to provide advanced advocacy, assessment and care management support to former residents who are preparing for independent living and their families. Jenaya loves working in the community and really lives out the AfterCare value of seeing the community as an oasis of resources. As a recent graduate of the University of Chicago, she has learned the value of social justice for all. She is very passionate about her role as a social worker and likes to think of her social work efforts as “compassion in action.”
Nora Bondi hails from Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania , but has lived in Chicago since college, and considers herself a Chicagoan. Nora received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and completed her master’s degree in social work at the University of Illinois Chicago in the Jane Addams College of Social Work. Nora got her start at Mercy Home on the Girls Campus as a youth care worker. She worked in the School Resources and Vocational Departments on the Girls Campus before moving over to AfterCare in the spring of 2007. She now enjoys being the AfterCare Care manager supervisor.
