Michael Russell

CHAIRMAN

Finance

Mike is a retired school teacher and administrator. He graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham and is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. He is a Deacon and a member of the Trustees at Bethany Baptist Church in McDonough, GA. Mike serves in many other areas as well, and continues to mentor children in the public school system. We are honored to have him serving on our Board of Directors.
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Mike's wife, Luretha, is a retired nurse from WellStar Spalding Regional Hospital in Griffin. They have 3 adult children. Mike quotes Galations 6:2 as the reason for his servant attitude: "Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." ​
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Lori Beth Blaney

PRESIDENT

​Lori Beth resides in McDonough with her husband, Sam, and their two sons, Jake and Shane. Sharon Baptist is their church home. She founded Rachel's Gift in 2008 after an automobile wreck caused the death of her daughter, Rachel, with whom she was in her 8th month of pregnancy. Her passion is to assist other mothers through this often "silent grief" and to empower hospital staff to become more confident and comfortable caring for these patients during their time of crisis. She is most thankful for all of the others who have come alongside her to advocate and assist in many ways with this mission.

​Contact Lori Beth
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Elizabeth Baker

VICE PRESIDENT

​Elizabeth is a metro Atlanta native. She became involved with Rachel's Gift as office administrator in 2017. She is proud to help spread the mission of Rachel's Gift. In her spare time, she enjoys time with her dogs, fun with her niece, being outside, and reading a good book. The day to day operations could not happen without Elizabeth's expertise and ability. She has truly taken Rachel's Gift to the next level and has been an integral part of our growth and development.

​Contact Elizabeth
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Shirley Rainer

TREASURER

Finance

​Shirley and her husband, Fred, reside in McDonough, Georgia. Fred is also an active volunteer for Rachel's Gift. They are devoted members of Bethany Baptist Church.  They have 3 children and 4 grandchildren. In their spare time they enjoy fishing, camping and fun outdoors.

Besides Lori Beth, Shirley is our longest acting board member. She has served faithfully as our Treasurer for many years as well as always helping with our fundraising events. She has been involved in almost every aspect of the growth and development of Rachel's Gift over the years. Her service to us and the families we serve is invaluable.
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Joyce Simpson

Secretary

Growth & Development

Joyce is a wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother.  She is originally from the show me state of Missouri, but was transplanted to Georgia 25 years ago by way of her husband, Jim's job.  Joyce and Jim were high school sweethearts and have been married for 55 years.  She is very active in her church and in her spare time loves to read, sew and especially make quilts.
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Jim Shanks

Fundraising & Marketing
Growth & Development

​Jim has a business degree from Florida State University and has been a successful entrepreneur for most of his career. He has two sons and four wonderful grandchildren. He previously served as Board Chairman from 2018-2019. 
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Mike Smith

Finance

Mike is the Pastor at Oakland Baptist Church in Hampton, GA. He is married to Jackie. They have  3 children, 6 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild. He has been faithful in donating his time and talents in service to Rachel's Gift in memory of his grandchild, Garrett.

Malissa Mack

Fundraising & Marketing
Growth & Development

Malissa and her husband reside in Atlanta. She has years of experience in strategic marketing and branding, and has been moved by the Rachel's Gift mission. In 2016, the Macks experienced the importance of Rachel's Gift first hand, and Malissa is passionate about supporting families suffering loss, because it was such an important part of her healing process. In her spare time, she designs and makes jewelry and dabbles in interior design.

Christy Bivins

Fundraising & Marketing

Christy lives in McDonough with her husband, Jason, and son Jacob. Jacob keeps them busy with his athletics as he plays football, baseball, and is on the track team at Strong Rock Christian School! Christy is a CT Tech with Georgia Cancer Specialists and Kaiser Permanente.

Her husband works for Southeastern Freight Lines. Christy also is an Origami Owl Designer and she provides some of our moms who have teams for the Angel Dash with a beautiful piece of memorial jewelry every year! She has a heart as big as the ocean and her passion to help our families is evident in everything she brings to the Rachel's Gift board.
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Brittany Gibson

Growth & Development

Brittany is an Atlanta native who has been an educator for over 10 years and presently works as an Administrator in a credit recovery high helping students to obtain their diploma. She is married to Marvin and they have a blended family (Brooklynn, Marvin Jr, Lailah, and Trinity) and they have an angel baby, Lauren Simone. Lauren's loss is how Brittany became aware of Rachel's Gift and to be quite frank without Rachel's Gift she is not sure how she could have survived such a loss. Now, 3 years later and with the space and support to heal because of Rachel's Gift, Brittany is grateful to be a part of such great work and help other families overcome this great loss.
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Shannon Watkins

Fundraising & Marketing

Shannon is married with 3 adult daughters, 1 son-in-law, and two four-legged, very loud pups. She enjoys rock climbing/hiking, OrangeTheory, wine tasting, relaxing on the beach, and singing in the car (when NO one can hear). Shannon is a highly trained Realtor/Broker of a large team in the South Metro Atlanta area who is passionate about her clients. Shannon was 28 years old when she became a believer and shares the love of Christ in all aspects of her life. This comes through to her clients and those she serves through the genuine care she has for their financial well-being and not just after the sale. It also is evident in the ministries she serves through the financial support and time she gives.​
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Jennifer Gauvin

Jennie's bio will be added soon.