Naples, Fl (April 21, 2023). Youth Haven, Inc. is pleased to welcome two new members to its Board of Directors.
Brenda Ruth Blickenstaff – A Florida real estate agent for nearly two decades, Brenda is currently a sales associate with Premier Sotheby’s International Realty’s Broad Avenue office and a member of the Naples Area Board of REALTORS®. Originally from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, she has lived and worked in Naples for 25 years.
Derace Schaffer, MD – Dr. Schaffer has founded or co-founded more than 30 public and private companies and sat on numerous hospital, health care systems, and health insurance company boards. He completed his postgraduate medical training at the Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was Chief Resident. Dr. Schaffer has been a Professor at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and the Cornell School of Medicine. He is a member of Alpha Omega Alpha, the National Medical Honor Society.
“Youth Haven is honored that Brenda Ruth Blickenstaff and Derace Schaffer, MD have joined our Board of Directors,” said Linda Goldfield, Youth Haven’s CEO. “Brenda and Derace will be valuable assets to our board, each bringing a wealth of knowledge. We’re grateful their guidance will help us provide home, hope, and healing to abused and neglected children and teens in Southwest Florida.”
Youth Haven 2022 – 2023 Board of Directors
Denise Murphy – President, Christina Linaberry – 1st Vice President, Jennifer Porter – 2nd Vice President, Lynda Waterhouse – Treasurer, Trina Mostyn – Secretary, Gregg Agens, Ingrid Aielli, Colonel Jim Bloom, Sue Brousseau, Robert Kiffney, Pamela Lundborg, Jen Mitchell, Amy Novakovich, Andres Paz, Michael Prioletti.
Honorary Lifetime Trustees
Youth Haven’s Honorary Lifetime Trustees consist of Carol Boyd, Lamar Gable, Lavern N. Gaynor+, Frances Pew Hayes, and Sheriff Kevin Rambosk.
For media inquiries, please contact Laura Lafakis, Youth Haven Director of Development, at 239-687-5175 or Laura.Lafakis@youthhavenswfl.org.
About Youth Haven, Inc.
Youth Haven, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit agency, is Collier County’s only emergency and residential emergency shelter for children and teens ages 10 – 19 removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect, or abandonment. In continuous operation since 1972, Youth Haven’s therapeutic campus, located in Naples, Florida, houses 70 youth with a waking staff system that allows for around-the-clock specialized care. Youth Haven provides programs that create transformational change in its youth. Youth Haven is a COA nationally accredited organization, a member agency of the United Way of Collier and the Keys, and a Naples Children & Education Foundation grant recipient. It also holds a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator. Its mission is “To provide Home, Hope, and Healing to abused and neglected children and teens in Southwest Florida.” For more information, please visit youthhavenswfl.org or call 239-774-2904. Follow Youth Haven on social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.