Meet the Team |
Sharon Stephenson Executive Director
In 2010, Sharon began partnering with organizations combating human trafficking. Impacted by her experience working with exploited girls, she started Blooming Bean Coffee as a way to financially support, provide mentoring and job skills training to high risk youth. It became very clear that these youth were susceptible to sexual exploitation, gang indoctrination, life of drugs, and crime.
For more than twenty years, Rick and Sharon have been involved with organizations teaching, coaching and instilling value to youth and adults. Sharon mentors young women and founder and co-hosts This Beautiful Ugly podcast produced by Creators Space. She has three sons who live in South Florida. Sharon precedes her late husband, Rick.
For more than twenty years, Rick and Sharon have been involved with organizations teaching, coaching and instilling value to youth and adults. Sharon mentors young women and founder and co-hosts This Beautiful Ugly podcast produced by Creators Space. She has three sons who live in South Florida. Sharon precedes her late husband, Rick.
Rori Pratt, MEd Educational Advisement, Board Member
Rori Pratt has taught school-aged children and adult learners in Palm Beach and Broward Counties for more than twenty years. Mrs. Pratt has a Master’s Degree in Education and holds a Professional Educator’s Certificate from the State of Florida Department of Education. Her professional expertise and experiences include elementary, middle and high school instruction, teacher certification preparatory instruction, educational model development, and curriculum and staff evaluation as well as design and improvement of academic programming. Currently, she is part of the Education Initiatives Team at OneHope and is serving as principal of Purpose Academy, a middle school, which OneHope launched in 2018. Mrs. Pratt resides in Boca Raton, with her husband.She has four children and one grandson.
Connie Sanchez, LCSW Crisis, Grief and Addictive Behavior Counselor, Board Member
Connie Sanchez is a licensed counselor with over 26 years of experience working in the field of addictions, loss/grief, Adult Children of Alcoholics, co-dependency, depression, anxiety, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, military issues, trauma, and relationship issues.
She works with Individual, couples, and family counseling.
Her passion is to walk alongside someone while helping him/her to discover his/her true identity.
She works with Individual, couples, and family counseling.
Her passion is to walk alongside someone while helping him/her to discover his/her true identity.
Chris Reesor, Board Member
Chris Reesor is a garden enthusiast specializing in youth development. He works side by side with the youth of the Grow City program and mentors them in life skills that will prepare them for their future in the work force. He comes from a long line of Canadian farmers and ranchers. His favorite pass time was spending time with his grandfather plowing wheat fields and munching on raspberries alongside his grandmother in the garden. Throughout his life Chris has served youth in many capacities from here in South Florida to mission work in Mexico, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic. Chris serves in his family church as a musician/worship leader.
Chris has worked with The Fruitful Fields for past 8 years and brings his passion for gardening and living off God's land and has a desire to see the youth of this generation developing a healthy life direction, and an all around simple and fun attitude toward life and living. He aspires to bring positive energy and excitement while developing the lives of the Grow City youth in a positive and successful direction. (Bio provided by The Fruitful Field)
Chris has worked with The Fruitful Fields for past 8 years and brings his passion for gardening and living off God's land and has a desire to see the youth of this generation developing a healthy life direction, and an all around simple and fun attitude toward life and living. He aspires to bring positive energy and excitement while developing the lives of the Grow City youth in a positive and successful direction. (Bio provided by The Fruitful Field)
Diana S Rice, LMHC Crisis Intervention Counselor, Creative Therapy Programming
Diana has a masters in Mental Health Counseling from Nova Southeastern University, a bachelors in Social Science from Florida Atlantic University with a certification in Women's Studies,and an associates in Early Childhood Education. With over 20 + years caring for high risk youth population, she has vast experience helping students GROW through what they GO through!
Being a former high risk youth, raised by a single immigrant mother, and surviving the challenges, she applies her personal understanding as a Crisis Intervention Counselor at Ascend Academy Charter High School in Broward County, FL.
Being a former high risk youth, raised by a single immigrant mother, and surviving the challenges, she applies her personal understanding as a Crisis Intervention Counselor at Ascend Academy Charter High School in Broward County, FL.
Natalie Bourgion Art Therapy College Intern
Natalie is a graduate of Palm Beach Atlantic University and now pursuing her graduate studies in art therapy. She has served as a global projects coordinator and mission leader for CMGlobal. She said that her mission trip to Guyana with Love Missions impacted her so greatly that she knew she wanted to work with youth in trauma therapy. She is passionate about making space for youth to experience healing through art.
Through Bud & Bloom's Career and Internship Pathway, we partnered with EMA Ministries of South Florida and Purpose Academy/ONE HOPE to provide a college internship program in art therapy with therapist oversight to meet Natlalie's internship requirements.
Through Bud & Bloom's Career and Internship Pathway, we partnered with EMA Ministries of South Florida and Purpose Academy/ONE HOPE to provide a college internship program in art therapy with therapist oversight to meet Natlalie's internship requirements.