Renee Banas, (she/her) – Family Support & Education Specialist
Renee joined Ampersand Families in October 2017. She is thrilled to continue her work with an organization that supports children and families.
Renee earned her BA in Elementary Education from Concordia University St. Paul, and spent many joyous and chaotic years teaching young children both in the United States and Egypt. Her passion for cross-cultural communication led her to pursue a Master of Arts degree in Islamic Studies upon returning from Egypt. Prior to joining Ampersand, she worked at Catholic Charities meeting clients at all walks of life; refugees, young pregnant mothers, adults with disabilities, and homeless elders. She has discovered that there is much to be learned from each other through our inter-generational relationships, and what better way to begin doing that then within families?
In Renee’s spare time she enjoys outdoor adventures with her boys; hiking, swimming, biking, sledding and taking in a major league baseball game when they can. She also spends a good deal of time reading, writing and tending her gardens.
Buddy Families – An Enriching Experience Have you heard of our Buddy Family program? Buddy families are just regular people in the community who step up to become part of the support network for an adoptive family. They get to know parents and their new kids, and help out by spending a couple evenings and… Read more
Did you know your purchases can make a difference? AmazonSmile donates to Ampersand Families when you do your holiday shopping at smile.amazon.com/ch/14-2004438… Read more
Give to the Max Day celebrates its tenth year of generosity in Minnesota- which coincides with Ampersand Families’ 10th anniversary of helping youth in foster care find permanency! Join others around Minnesota as they give generously to the organizations they care about. Your donation makes a difference in the life of a teen! Donate here… Read more
Donate with AmazonSmile! Amazon Prime Day is coming up on Tuesday, July 17 and will feature one-of-a-kind deals exclusively for Prime members. This a great time to shop at smile.amazon.com. AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon with the same products, prices, and shopping features as Amazon.com. The difference is that when you shop on… Read more
In Renee’s spare time she enjoys outdoor adventures with her boys, gardening and a delicious book.
