Volunteer Recognition

Meet Our Team

Volunteers are the heart of the KanCare Ombudsman program. In 2017 our volunteers were able to assist over 3,600 Kansans with questions ranging from where to send a medicaid application, to the reason a consumer's services may have changed. The work our volunteers do is invaluable to the KanCare Ombudsman, and we would like to recognize them all for their unique view and dedication to the our mission to help break the cycle of poverty through improving the quality of life and access to services for Medicaid eligible Kansans.

Volunteer Biographies

  • Tawnya is from Louisville, Kentucky. After high school, Tawnya attended Eastern Kentucky University before joining the United States Air Force. After serving 20 years in the military, Tawnya retired and found herself in Wichita. She decided to go back to school to pursue her Master of Social Work at Wichita State University. During this time, she began volunteering at with the Ombudsman’s office, and has now been a member of our team since October of 2016. In her free time Tawnya enjoys keeping her home neat and clean, working out, and hanging out with her family and friends.

  • Kelsey was born and raised on a farm in Berryton, KS. After graduating high school, she found herself in Wichita to pursue her bachelors in psychology at Wichita State University. During her college career, she became involved with various projects at the Community Engagement Institute, leading her to take a position as the KanCare Ombudsman’s AmeriCorps VISTA after graduating in December 2017. She has been a member of the Ombudsman team since February of 2018. In her free time Kelsey enjoys attending music festivals, traveling to new places, volunteering in the community, and scrapbooking.

  • Carol was born in Brooklyn, New York. She lived on the East Coast until attending college in Illinois and graduating with a nursing degree. Carol met her husband while in college, and his job brought them to Kansas City. Her husband then attended medical school at the University of Kansas, which led to their move to Wichita. Carol raised her 4 girls, returning to seminary school approximately 20 years later to become a pastor. After retirement, Carol became a volunteer with the Ombudsman, and has been since November 2015. Her hobbies include reading and knitting; making preemie hats she shares with the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Wesley Medical Center. Carol loves to travel, and she also enjoys gardening. 

  • Brent was born in Lincoln, Nebraska. When he was still a child, he moved to Missouri, before finally settling down in the region of Olathe, Kansas as an adult. Before volunteering with the Ombudsman, Brent worked with the population of traumatic brain injury survivors as a cognitive and behavioral therapist and simultaneously as an independent living counselor for the Working Healthy program. He decided to volunteer with our program because of his desire to help people, and has now been a dedicated volunteer since March 2017. In his free time, Brent enjoys teaching himself how to play the guitar, and refinishing his home.

  • David was born and raised in Wichita, KS. He attended medical school after college and became a physician in private practice. He practiced in Wichita for 35 years before retiring in 2017. David decided to volunteer for the Ombudsman program dude to his interest in helping people navigate the Medicaid system, and has been a volunteer since December 2017. His favorite part of volunteering is learning about the different issues that can arise and then developing the expertise to help the consumer solve them. David enjoys reading, hiking and traveling in his free time.

Volunteer of the Month

By helping KanCare members, our volunteers are making a difference in the lives of people who need answers to questions, who need a listening ear, and who need a resource. Thanks to them, an answer is readily available with a friendly voice and someone who wants to help. Thank you for your commitment to supporting KanCare members in resolving problems regarding services, coverage, access and rights. We appreciate you!

Carol's Headshot

Carol was born in Brooklyn, New York. She lived on the East Coast until attending college in Illinois. Carol met her husband while in College. They were to later move to Kansas where her husband attended medical school at the University of Kansas. Carol graduated with a nursing degree working until her second daughter was born. Carol raised her 4 girls, returning to seminary school approximately 20 years later and became a pastor. Her hobbies include reading and knitting; making preemie hats she shares with the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Wesley Medical Center. Carol loves to travel, she enjoys gardening at home, as well as her church. She shared that her church has a community garden and vegetables are shared with local food banks. Carol has been a Ombudsman Volunteer since November 2015.

Volunteer Benchmarks

100 Hours

  • David- Wichita Office
  • Brent- Olathe Office

200 Hours

  • Joanne- Wichita Office
  • Carol- Wichita Office
  • Bea- Olathe Office

400 Hours

800 Hours

1600 Hours