We are Colin and Cherise Lukehart. We were married in 2009 and now have two precious sons through adoption. Colin is a pilot and associate pastor, and Cherise is a Family Nurse Practitioner with experience serving in a local pregnancy center. Through our work with expectant mothers in Lucas County and the surrounding area, we have discovered the great need for support and community that Safe Families for Children can provide. We love that there are so many ways one can be involved in Safe Families for Children. We hope you will prayerfully consider joining us.
Our Launch Team
Safe Families for Children is both volunteer-driven and professionally-supported, with our dedicated volunteers leading our community efforts while our professional team provides essential support and structure. Our team passionately invests their lives in strengthening families, engaging the church and community, growing the volunteer base, supporting and vetting volunteers to keep children safe and families together!
The Lukehart Family
The Slager Family
We’re Jacob and Emmarsyn Slager, and we’ve been married since 2023. We met at Redemption Church here in Toledo and quickly discovered a shared heart for loving people the way Jesus does. Jacob is preparing for a career as a Physician Assistant, and Emmarsyn has a background in ministry and social services. Along the way, we’ve seen how deeply families in our community need support and connection, which is why we’re so excited to help bring Safe Families for Children to Lucas County.
As parents to two little ones in heaven, family holds a very sacred place in our hearts. We believe the Church is called to step into the lives of vulnerable families with compassion and practical love, and we’re honored to be part of building that here.
The Dooley Family
We are the Dooley family! Our family of 6 began in 2015 when Zack and I got married. Every couple of years after that God blessed us with one sweet baby after another. We know the calling God has placed in our lives is to love Him and to love the people around us – in our community and around the world. Zack and I are associate missionaries with an organization that does medical clinics in multiple countries around the world. We are passionate about serving the people of our community here in Toledo, too! Safe Families has felt like such a perfect avenue to do just that. I volunteer at The Pregnancy Center here in Toledo, which has allowed me to see the need that our city has for community, love, and support. We can’t wait to see the families in Northwest Ohio be cared for and loved by the Safe Families community we all can build together.
Julia Vandergrift
I’m Julia Vandergrift! I work as a clinical dietitian and love trying new coffee shops, traveling, & spending time with friends and family. God has given me a passion for people and some extra time and energy in my singleness that l’m eager to use to further His cause in our community.
Our Volunteers
Our volunteers are the driving force behind the Safe Families movement. It takes many people working in various capacities to support families who are going through difficult circumstances. These dedicated volunteers live out our core values of radical hospitality, disruptive generosity, and intentional compassion. Volunteers serve a variety of roles from hosting children for a temporary period of time to wrapping support around families to providing services such as transportation, parent mentoring, respite care, and supplying tangible items such as diapers, car seats, household items, and meals.
