LAURA HENRICKSON: CO-FOUNDER:
I am a mom to M & M, who I adore embarrassing at school drop-off by kissing and hugging them. They return the favor by dragging me out of grocery stores for talking too much! I’ve been married to a man I admire and love (and never thought I’d find) for 14 years. You might find me happily singing in the shower or traveling wherever the opportunity arises, but wherever I am, I love to be laughing loudly and with family and friends. I sometimes wonder if I should have been an auctioneer or ran away with the circus. I appreciate a detailed recipe and find peace in keeping things organized. My energetic and outgoing heart was built and my values were fostered in a small Midwest town. Everyone matters and no one ever should feel alone. I am a mom with a mom in heaven, a dreamer, a lover, and the founder of BenefitCrashers.
LEAH MORRIS: CO-FOUNDER:
Proud Minnesota Mama of three little girls and a loving INTP personality type hubby. I listen to audio books when I run, refrained myself from daily mochas stops at Caribou to only on special occasions, and an optimist at heart with infectious positive energy brought into any environment – often times resulting into pouring tons of heart & hustle into my passions. This energy often leads to inaudible voice & text messages as I talk super fast and skip spell check when I am excited. I am working daily to be mindful to ensure I am leveraging my gifts to make a difference. We are all in this thing called life together; we all get one chance - lift each other up, let your light shine & love hard.
JODI MAYRAND: CRASHER HOST
My name is Jodi Mayrand and I am a wife and proud mom of 2 hilarious and crazy boys. Benefit Crashers to me has been many things. I have loved seeing my friend's dream come true as she is so passionate about being there for others. It has been such a fulfilling thing to bring my boys to these crashes so they can experience the awesome feeling of people showing their true gratitude for what we are doing and they see what a difference you can make in someone's life just by being there. One more thing, THE PEOPLE!! I love meeting all the wonderful people who are all passionate about the same thing. It really is a great time crashing benefits!!!
HEATHER THALLER: CRASHER HOST
Hi! I am Heather Thaller and I am a mom of two boys, a wife and someone that looks to be inspired! I joined BenefitCrashers in the Fall of 2018, thanks to my hockey mom friend and creator Laura. I absolutely love everything about it. Being able to bring comfort to others, while spending time with my family and friends is very important to me, along with being able to give back. We get way more out of it than we feel we are giving. The crashes I have been on have been life changing. I am excited to be your host and learn more about you! Let’s crash together!
KATIE MASOG: CRASHER HOST
My name is Katie Masog and I am a mom of three sweet children, married to my funny husband Tom and an accountant at a shortline railroad in Glencoe, MN. We live in Waconia where we are surrounded by wonderful friends. I heard about Benefit Crashers from a co-worker who shared the story that Fox-9 News did about Benefit Crashers. If you haven't seen it, you can see it here ---> https://www.fox9.com/news/benefit-crashers-bring-strength-optimism-to-minnesota-communities
I decided I wanted to attend a crash and waited until one was closer to home for me. I reached out to my hockey friends who have now become family to me. As you can imagine everyone was pretty busy, but three other hockey mom's were able to work it into their schedule and joined me. We didn't know what to expect. We got there and waited for the rest of the crasher's to arrive. We felt a little out of place and waited patiently to receive directions about what we were supposed to do. Leah and Laura welcomed the four of us as if they had known us our entire life. Their excitement and love was contagious. And surprising the benefit recipient (Diane) was the neatest, most humbling experience I had ever experienced. The four of us hockey mom's showed Diane our support, listened to her, laughed with her, prayed with her and cried. She was such an inspiration to us. We were so moved that the four of us vowed to do this again and again. Showing our support and love to complete strangers is the best gift we can give others and ourselves. It's life changing!
In addition to volunteering with BenefitCrashers, I also volunteer at my children's school, my son's hockey team and Memorial Blood Center. I love spending time with my family and friends, giving hugs, traveling, baking, shopping, decorating and walking.
I am very excited to be your host and to crash with you by showing hope to crash other's hardships!
WISCONSIN HOSTS
Kristina Zick: Mom/Dog Mom/Teacher/Runner/Hiker/Traveler/Lover Of The Outdoors & Solitude. Small town Wisconsin girl with a big heart, yet very introverted. Enter Laura, my very extroverted friend with the amazing idea to touch the lives of those going through personal hardships through Benefit Crashers. “Kris, will you help Marianne with the Wisconsin Chapter?” Who can say “No” to Laura? Nobody. Although, I’ve had my share of slight personal hardships, I have so much gratitude for my life and for my friends and family, who have carried me through the dark days. Miraculously, always knowing just when I need them and expecting nothing from me in return. That’s love, people. I want to share the love that has been so freely given to me. In the absence of joy, let’s bring love and hope wherever we may wander.
Marianne Brinker: I am a mama to 4 kiddos, 2 boys and 2 girls and wifey to my high school crush, Brent. His love, self sacrifice and patience for our shenanigans is otherworldly. Together we live in our hometown at what we can only describe as Camp Run-a-Muck. I am the kids janitor, activities coordinator, bus driver, camp chef, nurse and full time adventurer. We love all things outdoors, family and friends. We live “the more the merrier” and free range parenting keeps us sane. In a quiet life, I would have been a personal chef, professional organizer or interior decorator but I settle for a bowl of guac, a drink on the porch with a friend and a yard full of kids. We believe that only people matter in this life. True joy never comes from doing anything just for yourself, you’ve got to share your blessings. Love spread is love doubled!