This month’s Volunteer of the Month is Long Island Native, Renée Kraft. She has always been very interested in genealogy and jumped at the opportunity to take a DNA test when 23 & Me first offered their at-home DNA testing kits. After solving who her Mother’s biological father was, she helped several other family members with their own DNA mysteries. When she heard about DNAngels, she reached out to Laura Olmsted to volunteer and was taken on as a Research Assistant and Angel in Training. An influx of clients early last year gave her the opportunity to prove her talent. She was given a case to solve on her own and did it in just 7 hours! Impressed with her methodical approach and tenacity, she was given more cases. “In the year or so she has been with DNAngels, I’ve seen her grow into a strong Search Angel. She is also kind and thoughtful with all of her clients” said Aimee Rose Haynes, Lead Genetic Genealogist for DNAngels.
Renée has a passion for helping others and is also on the team that helps members of the group Amerasian Children of GI Fathers. Her compassion for, and dedication to helping these clients – who are often tough cases that are difficult to solve and do not understand that their new family will almost certainly reject them, is inspiring. Founder of the Amerasian group, Kat Ann, describes Renée as “professional and personable” adding that “she has used her passion for her ‘craft’ to help change people’s lives and give them the answers they have always sought for.”
Renée is also on the Mission and Vision rewrite team, the Paid Services team and in her spare time, she volunteers for the local animal shelter where she helps trap feral cats and kittens to have them spayed or neutered. Like all good Italians, she values the important things in life: family, good food and good friends.
Dee’s Story – Dee’s Chili Cookoff
