About

OmahaHAVEN launched in March of 2020, just before the COVID-19 Pandemic. Fortuitous, right? It began with five women gathering to discuss the future of home-schooling for their children. One thing led to another and the need for an educational network in the Omaha area, providing opportunities for meaningful connections to home-schooling members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, became evident. And here we are!

 

While we cater specifically to those of our faith, we welcome ALL families who share virtuous standards of living. If you'd like to learn more about our standards, please click to read "For the Strength of Youth" and "The Family: A Proclamation to the World".

Currently, participation in Omaha HAVEN is free. Our board members volunteer their time and resources for the purpose of connecting participants to one another. Activities organized by individuals, as well as some annual activities may require a cover charge.

Our purpose:

 

To assist families in transitioning between public and home-school settings and provide opportunities for home-school families and their friends to connect in meaningful ways.

 

Our Website includes:

• Instructions for beginning the process of home-schooling in the state of Nebraska
• Curriculum resources
• Resources to guide you towards understanding and working in harmony with your child at home.
• Local resources to enrich and/or supplement the school day.
• Contact Information through a private directory of network participants. Network participants are either members of our faith or friends who share our values. Network participants are known or contacted by current or former Board Members. This directory is considered private to the network and may be used to find groups or form your own groups with others who live nearby and/or have similar family make-up.

 Omaha HAVEN provides:

• A monthly newsletter highlighting local resources and activities,
• A network directory of individuals and local groups,
  
• Access to our private Facebook page for questions, activities, etc.

Our Board:

 

President: Shantelle Dunster 

Vice President - Katie Burton

Secretary: Andrea Bollig

Treasurer: Courtney Kennedy

Board Members at large: 

Administrator of Micro-school - Angie Blad

Assistant Treasurer - Rachael Chappell

Activities - Jaclyn Ramirez

Newsletter Editor - Rachael Vilburn

Website Editor - Shannon Checketts

 

Shantelle Dunster

Katie Burton - Katie loves reading, singing, dancing around her home, playing board games with her family, solving puzzles, laughing at puns, researching current events, volunteering her time to a variety of causes, and learning in general. She has experience in public education, home-schooling, classroom management, professional writing, and more. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Music and an emphasis in teaching Math & Science.

Andrea Bollig

Courtney Kennedy

Angie Blad - Education has always been an interest and passion for Angie. She enjoys reading, writing, and learning-especially about teaching and learning. However, her favorite thing to do is to gather people and organize events for teaching and learning purposes. She has spent the last 11 years home educating her children and organizing various educational cooperatives with the help of her Elementary Education degree and Montessori training. When not teaching or learning, Angie enjoys playing the piano, dancing, gardening, or doing service projects with her family.

Rachael Chappell

Jaclyn Ramirez

Rachael Vilburn - New to homeschooling as of 2020 (Thank you COVID-19) She is now a permanent home-schooling Mama. Stressed about making the transition? She feels your pain! She went from the excitement of having extra free time in her day to realizing that her kids education was more important. She loves to  run, bike, camp, and hike (or anything else that will take her outside).

Shannon Checketts

 

 

 

Contact Us:

If you have questions about our organization, please contact us via email at OmahaHAVEN@gmail.com 

If you would like to join Omaha HAVEN please click HERE.

 

Again, all participants of the HAVEN network agree to follow the standards of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. To learn more about these standards, please review For Strength of Youth and "The Family: A Proclamation to the World".