Archives: Firesouls
John Corea
John Corea, now a semi-retired public policy analyst, bought a house in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of Washington DC in 2002. He quickly became intrigued by—and then obsessed with—a plot of land behind his house that was collectively owned by the community. Nestled between two city streets, Crispus Attucks Park is a “unique space: a hidden…
Kelcey Johnson
Kelcey graduated from Memphis Theological Seminary in 2013 with an M.A. in Religion, including a Graduate Certificate in Addiction Counseling. He was on staff with the downtown Memphis Hospitality Hub for a number of years before taking over as Executive Director in 2018. As Executive Director, Kelcey oversees the operations at the HUB and is passionate…
Michael Cross-Barnet
Mike has spent most of his life in cities, but has always felt very connected to nature and wild places too. He has dedicated himself to working or volunteering with community-based nonprofits for the past decade. Mike loves Baltimore and his neighborhood of Reservoir Hill, and wants to see them thrive. Since moving to the…
Chip Rowan
Chip Rowan is a special education teacher at Gadsden City High School in Gadsden, Alabama, and works closely with the public library. Mr. Rowan teaches students with significant cognitive disabilities who are on Alabama’s Alternate Pathway to graduation. Mr. Rowan founded Beautiful Rainbow Cafe in 2016 as a work-based learning transition training program for the…
Rachel Cole
Nature has a unique ability to transcend into multiple areas of life. As the Teen Department Manager at Gadsden Public Library, Rachel Cole has combined her love for education and nature’s interchangeability to create a safe and welcoming environment for Gadsden community teens. Born and raised in Gadsden, Alabama, Cole has been the Firesoul for…
Diana Davis
Diana Davis is Langton Green’s Director of Community Supports. She is actively engaged with the wider community and the individuals at Langton Green. She welcomes volunteers to come visit and get involved! Diana joined Langton Green as a Direct Support Professional in 2004. She was quickly promoted from her role as caretaker to program assistant,…
Katie Long
Katie Long is the Executive Director of the Friends of Patterson Park (FPP), located in Baltimore, Maryland. With FPP, Katie oversees all operations and supports and coordinates free year-round soccer program, tennis clinics, zumba and fitness programs, healthy living seminars and projects, summer concert series and many other park events. Katie is a fluent Spanish-speaker and…
Jennifer Crawford
For Jenny Crawford, it started with a conversation with a woman—a mother of two children, ages four and a newborn—the same ages as Jenny’s two boys. They discussed their similar life struggles, mothership, work, and balance, yet were divided by one critical factor – opportunity. This woman was grappling with homelessness and related challenges, where…
Nichole Battle
With a background in urban planning, policy, landscape architecture, and business—Nichole Battle is using her superpowers for good as the CEO of GEDCO, an organization that provides affordable, supportive housing and emergency services to low-income seniors. As one of the many roles she plays at GEDCO, Nichole serves as Firesoul at the ThanksGiving Place—the Sacred…
Pastor Gary Dittman
Nature often has uncanny healing and restorative powers. As a pastor, Gary Dittman combines his spiritual work with nature’s innate therapeutic abilities to create a peaceful, transcendent environment for all in his community. A Firesoul of nine years, part of Gary’s role is to maintain the Sacred Commons at the Amazing Grace Lutheran Church in…
