Meet Our Staff Heather Hebdon-Founder and Director of STOMP The mother of 3 children, all of whom were enrolled in the Exceptional Family Member Program, during her husband's 22-year military career, she has a strong commitment to working with other military families. Ms. Hebdon's oldest son has Down Syndrome, lives and works in his community, and continues to be a source of inspiration and exasperation to his mother, as do her other two children. Heather is located at the Headquarters office, when she isn't traveling, and welcomes calls from families and providers. Luz Adriana Martinez- Parent Education Coordinator Luz Adriana Martinez is a native of Colombia, South America. For the past 18 years has been working in the field of advocacy for children with disabilities. She is currently working as the Assistant Project Director for STOMP out of the Central Regional Office in Arizona. She has been apart of STOMP’s Parent Professional Volunteer Network (PPVN) since 1992. She holds an MBA from the University of Phoenix and a BA from the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico. “When I first heard about STOMP, I had three children under the age of three and two with significant disabilities.” Adriana has Down’s syndrome, type I diabetes (pump therapy) and thyroid issues. Her sisters Brenda and Sandra were preemie twins and Sandra later was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. ”STOMP was instrumental in giving me the tools I needed to be an advocate and ensuring services for my children and myself as we moved from one installation to another during my husband’s 22 year career in the Army”. Adriana is looking forward to your emails and phone calls and meeting you in person during one of our training sessions. Valerie Patterson - Parent Education Coordinator Valerie Patterson is an Army wife and mother of five children, four of which are enrolled in Exceptional Family Member Program. Jennifer (16) is deaf and attends Eastern Carolina School for the Deaf; Kimberly (15) is your typical teenager; Jeffery (13) is ADD and has learning disabilities; Amanda (11) is ADD, Mild metal retardation and has learning disabilities, asthma; and, Matthew (8) has serve asthma as well as learning disabilities. She volunteers in many different groups. She has worked as an assistant with the Exceptional Family Member Program for the last eight years. For the last two years she was Mayor / Activities Coordinator for her housing area on Post. I believe as a parent we need to hold active roles in our children's lives. I have told my children just because it may take them longer to do something never let that stop them for going after their dreams, "One Person Can Make a Difference". Karen Elliott - Parent Education Coordinator Karen Elliott is an Army wife of 12 years and mother of two girls who are enrolled in the Exceptional Family Member Program. Karen’s 7 year old daughter has asthma and 6 year old daughter has Down Syndrome, Sensory Integration Disorder and asthma. Karen is also enrolled in the EFMP herself. Karen is excited to have the opportunity to work with STOMP. She views her personal advocacy experiences as natural preparation for this position. Karen looks forward to helping others as she has been helped. Karen is very active in her church. “We all need help and support at some point. Just knowing that the person on the other end of the conversation understands, makes all the difference in how one copes with the daily onslaught of life. Today with the changing face of the military family and disability, helping each other cope is even more important. I know that I am here today thanks to those who have patiently taught me how to advocate for myself, my children, and my husband’s career. I can’t wait to help you!” Chris Bastian – Parent Education Coordinator Chris is the West Coast Regional Coordinator for the STOMP Program. Chris says, “Her goal is to ensure that our military families, with special needs, have access to an appropriate education for their children without delay and receive resources and supports available through their State.” She has a vision to empower the military family, to improve their quality of life, and to increase their readiness for duty by training them to be positive advocates for their children. Recently, her husband retired from 27 years of service with the Marine Corps and they have been married for the past 30 years. They have two grown children, Joe who is 29 years old and Jenn who is 25 years old. Joe is their young adult with special needs. He was given a diagnosis of PDD/NOS, Autistic-like, profound Developmental Delays at the age of 3 years old and more recently with Osteoporosis. Chris and her husband are the active care providers for their son as the state supports him with adult services and programs. Chris’s mission - that no military family will ever endure our struggles and also a vision, that she can empower her military community through trainings and 1:1 assistance. It is her pleasure to serve the west coast region for STOMP. Sandra "Sandy" Trujillo-Administrative Assistant Sandy has worked for Washington PAVE/STOMP since 1986 with a year and a half away in the DC area where she worked for the National Parent Network on Disabilities. She heard about STOMP through a former STOMP employee, and the rest is history. She says, "I've enjoyed working with all the staff and have learned so much." Sandy's family enjoyed 20 years of military life. Her husband is now retired from the Army and works for the City of Tacoma. Sandy has 3 wonderful children with 3 terrific significant others and 3 grandchildren who are the light of her life. She became involved in the disability field because her daughter had meningitis while the family was stationed in Germany, which left her with a profound hearing loss. "We are proud of all our children, but especially proud of Heather and the goals she has reached. She graduated from Galluadet University and is now working with children who have disabilities. Her advice to parents, "don't ever let anyone tell you your child with a disability can't do something - let the child tell you by action or word."

This Web Site © Copyright, STOMP 2003. Washington PAVE has a policy of nondiscrimination. In the event you, as an employee or recipient of services, feel that you have been discriminated against on the basis of race, color, national origin, marital status, disabled or Vietnam era veteran status, sex, disability, religion, creed, age, sexual orientation, or HIV/AIDS status, you have the right to file a complaint with the agency´s 504 Compliance Officer. Please contact PAVE´s Compliance Officer: Heather M. Hebdon, 6316 South 12th. Street; Tacoma, WA 98465-1900 (253) 565-2266 (v/tty); 1-800-5-PARENT (v/tty); Fax: (253) 566-8052, E-mail:hhebdon@washingtonpave.com