Family Access Network (FAN) is happy to announce, that two new team members have joined the FAN Foundation: Sydney MacDonald as Development Specialist, and Kelsey Seymour in the newly-created position of Community Outreach Coordinator. The outreach position was a natural progression for FAN as their service area has expanded to Prineville, Madras and Warm Springs with advocates placed throughout the entire Central Oregon region except Culver. “Making FAN present and visible in every community regardless of their proximity to regional services is part of FAN’s pursuit of equity,” says Julie Lyche, Executive Director of FAN since 2003.
MacDonald grew up in Vermont before moving to North Carolina to receive her BA in Professional Writing and Women and Gender Studies. From there continued her education in the UK, graduating with a Master’s in Media and Public Relations from Newcastle University. She moved to Bend at the end of 2021 with her partner, Kalvin, and their dog, Marlowe. She has worked for several non-profits focusing on animal conservation and human services including NeighborImpact. Sydney enjoys spending her free time reading fantasy novels and eating at every food truck Bend has to offer.
Seymour has over six years of experience in Central Oregon’s healthcare ecosystem, with an emphasis on community collaboration and grantmaking. After attending the Art Institute of Portland, she began a career in marketing only to discover her true passion was for non-profit work. Kelsey worked at the Central Oregon Health Council for five years and recently was the Business and Media Manager with a local consulting agency for primary care. In line with her passion for non-profit work, she spent four years volunteering with Friends of the Children Central Oregon as a board member, graphic designer, and contributed her skills to numerous projects to support their mission.
Unique to Central Oregon, FAN began in 1993 and currently employs 27 advocates at 65 sites in Deschutes, Crook, and Jefferson counties. These advocates work tirelessly to help families break the cycle of poverty. The direct placement of FAN advocates within schools allows FAN to effectively reach and connect disadvantaged children and families to essential basic needs.
To learn more about the Family Access Network, please visit familyaccessnetwork.org or call (541) 693-5675.
Family Access Network’s mission is to offer assistance, possibility and hope to Central Oregon families in need by connecting them with crucial resources that will help children flourish in school and in life. Every year, FAN advocates improve the lives of over 7,500 children and family members in Deschutes, Crook, and Jefferson counties.
