Our Family

Joni Thompson

CEO

CEO/Co-Founder for Angels of Action for the past 12 years, Joni Thompson takes a lead role in the fight to alleviate hunger in Mecosta County. Born and raised just outside of Detroit, Joni has lived in Mecosta County since 2009.
She brings 25+ years of Sales and Marketing experience to her role at Angels of Action. Joni has had a lifelong passion of giving back to children. She was adopted at an early age and believes in helping children.
Throughout Joni’s life and career, her purpose has been to enrich the lives of others and to lead with love. Her example of this in her daily life has become the establishing principle of Angels of Action and continues to shape the organization.

Kim Easler

Executive Director

Kim is a Big Rapids native, having lived in the Morley-Stanwood and Big Rapids area for over 38 years. Kim has been married to her husband, Josh, for 17 years and is a mother to three beautiful children; her oldest son, Chris (who has a beautiful wife, Kristina); son, Brysen and daughter, Harper. Kim has a large extended family that spans across the pond to Bonnie Scotland, whom she misses very much. “Scotland is in my heart, on my mind, and will always be my second home,” says Kim.
Kim has a heart and passion for helping others and looks forward to her work at Angels each day. “I am beyond blessed to have the opportunity to work with the staff & volunteers at Angels of Action; along with other churches, agencies and organizations in the community, to help make a difference in the lives of the children & families in Mecosta and Osceola counties.”

Hailey Dard

Communications Coordinator

Hailey is a Stanwood native, graduating from Morley Stanwood High School in 2020. Currently, she is working towards a Bachelors in Public Relations and a Certificate in Leadership and Supervision at Ferris State University. After completing a Media Communications internship at the Big Rapids Community Library, Hailey was excited to join Angels of Action as a Communications Coordinator. Outside of Angels of Action, she also works at Ferris State University as a Public Relations Intern and enjoys playing recreational sports, water skiing, and spending time with friends and family.

Laurie Kohn

Director of hub services

Laurie and her Husband Tim of 27 years currently reside in Morley and are “empty nesters” as their adult children: Miranda, Emily (married to Jonathan), Kayla and Timothy all now live on their own. (Thankfully no more than a couple of hours away!) They spend their spare time “Jeeping”, riding ATV’s, antiquing, repurposing and catching as many sunrises and sunsets as possible. Laurie’s all time favorite thing to do, however, is to play “dinosaurs” with her 5 ½ year old Grandson Ezekiel!
Laurie, being born and raised in the Morley Stanwood community and coming from humble beginnings herself has chosen to honor those who supported her along the way by dedicating her life to serving others in the same capacity. She knows from first hand experience that it definitely takes a village to raise a family.
Laurie brings 20+ years of experience, working with families throughout Mecosta and Osceola counties. While working in the local school districts she has witnessed the impact on families through the Angels of Action programs and had been wanting to volunteer, but due to work constraints was only able to recently help out at the M.O.V.E. program. She is very excited at the opportunity to now serve full time as part of the Angels of Action family!

Louise Bennett

Director of Volunteer Coordination

Louise has been a radio broadcaster for over 40 years; working at Big Country 100.9-WWBR, Big Rapids since 2015. Louise and her husband Rob have been a team on the air for over 20 years, married since March of 2020 (blending five adult sons, two daughters-in-law and eight grandchildren). Her radio career has given her the chance to interview and promote local organizations. Louise is now excited to work side by side with the amazing Angels of Action volunteers who are making a difference in the lives of children and families in Mecosta and Osceola counties.

Lori Holmquist

Office Manager

After serving on the Board of Directors for Angels of Action since 2015, Lori made the transition to join our team in January 2023. Lori brings with her 35+ years of financial and customer service experience. She has a passion for assisting children and families to flourish and looks forward to carrying on the Angels mission in her new role. “Having grown up and lived in Osceola County all my life, I was super excited to see Angels of Action expand into those communities. All of the programs Angels have to offer provide much needed services to children and families in our communities. I recommend those not familiar with our organization take some time to learn more about us.” Lori graduated from Pine River Schools and currently resides in Reed City with her 2 cats. In her spare time she loves spending time with her children, Zac and Kayci. She enjoys crafting, reading, bargain hunting and staying in touch with family and friends.

Sara Hinojosa

Director of literacy in action services

Sara has lived all over Michigan but now resides in Big Rapids. She graduated from Evart High School in 2019 and is currently working towards a Bachelor’s in Social Work at Ferris State University. After interning at Angels of Action, Sara was so excited to join the Angels team and continue to make a difference in our community. Outside of work, Sara enjoys spending time with her friends, family, and cats.

Board of Directors

Anne Gielczyk, President

Anne Gielczyk grew up in Big Rapids and attended Central Michigan University to pursue a marketing degree. After living in New York City for a short time, she moved back to Big Rapids to pursue teacher certification and earned her Master of Education degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Ferris State University. She taught for a few years before marrying and starting a family in the Big Rapids area. Anne is currently the Vice President of Nocti Business Solutions, the national leader in pre-employment and workforce certification assessments. In her spare time, Anne volunteers at St. Peter’s Lutheran School and Church and enjoys watching her boys participate in all of their sporting events!

Kayla Kesting, Vice President

Kayla Kesting moved from Chicago to Big Rapids in 2004 when her husband assumed the anesthetist position at the local hospital. The Kesting’s wanted to raise their son and daughter in a small, supportive community. Since moving to Big Rapids, Kayla instantly became an involved member of many community organizations and worked with Wise, Stage M, and ArtWorks; she is currently a member of the General Federation of Woman’s Club Big Rapids. She recently earned her real estate license and is working at Big Rapids Realty. Kayla graduated with a BS degree in dietetics and food management from Illinois State University and served 11 years in the U.S Army Reserves with a combat surgical unit. She has over 10 years of management experience and enjoys working with people from all walks of life. Some of her interests include fitness, painting, interior decorating, home staging, traveling and outdoor activities.

Julie Miller, Treasurer

Part of the Angles of Action founding trio, Julie Miller has wanted to start a non-profit organization that would benefit children and bring awareness to the serious issue of hunger within our community for some time. Her goal is to motivate people to become involved and to realize they can have an impact on a child’s life. A graduate of Central Michigan University with a business degree, she has previously worked in sales and management positions. In addition to her work with Angels of Action, Julie enjoys volunteering at St. Mary’s School and Church along with spending time with her family and friends.

Danielle DeJean-Hansen, Secretary

Danielle DeJean-Hansen has lived in the Mecosta and Canadian Lakes area for 34 years. She is a Program Manager for Big Rapids Products. Her family consists of her husband Chris, and their two wonderful children, Jordan and Jaylyn. Chris and the kids are very involved in sports and keep Danielle busy, taking her all around the state to watch games. She is their biggest fan. As a family, they love to fish and have movie and game nights. They all tend to be competitive and love to tease each other.

Danielle first learned about Angels of Action five years ago from her father, Lenny DeJean, who has been a volunteer with Angels since the beginning of the program. She immediately knew that she wanted to become a part of it all. Her shared belief that no child should ever have to worry where their next meal will come from led her to sign up as a Hunger Hero and eventually find more ways to be involved and contribute to Angels of Action’s mission.