Savannah Madley - President

I am currently a third year law student at Fordham University School of Law. I became involved in Families for Families at its creation, as my mother and my three sisters and I decided to grow the Adopt A Family Holiday Program into an entire organization. My mother has always instilled a sense of community and giving back in my sisters and I from a young age and being a part of this with them is something I greatly appreciate. Families for Families is different because we focus on fostering relationships between volunteers and sponsors and the families we are supporting. I have had great experiences throughout our events and programs and head the Thanksgiving Committee myself. This sense of community and giving back my mother instilled in me has led me to pursue a career in human rights and public service after law school. This organization has been a very important aspect of my life for the past 7 years almost and I encourage others to join us!

Lori Norian - Vice President

Lori is a seasoned CPG marketer having worked in the industry for over 20 years. She has a passion for helping people and began volunteering with Cristyn Madley through her holiday Adopt a Family program. She later joined the more formalized Families For Families in 2017 and from the first meeting has been actively involved. She has held the roles of Board Secretary and Furnishing Great Starts Chairwoman but loves participating in a variety of programs and back office operations. Families For Families is unique in that it provides volunteers a one to one experience of helping client families. You know that all of your efforts have an immediate impact as you physically move a client into a new apartment, deliver them much needed food or provide costumes and a safe Halloween experience. Through her close connection with several client families, she has influenced new initiatives including the birthday club and client shopping for household items. She believes in the saying, "if not you, who? if not now, when?" and strongly believes that helping others is a moral imperative.

Jess Madley - Secretary

I am currently a Junior at UW-Madison studying Elementary Education and have been a part of Families for Families since it’s inception. I feel that our work is very important because we don't just provide monetary or material donations to families in need but we also build lasting relationships with families that we work with. This gives the families more of a feeling that they are important and cared about. In turn, this helps them to get in a better situation with supporters who really know who they are as well as what they may need help with.

I got involved in Families for Families because my mother (and president of Families for Families) always had my sisters and I doing things to help those in need. This started out as providing Christmas gifts for a family in need in Paterson for a few years and eventually evolved into us taking over the Christmas party for a shelter in Paterson. We built a relationship with the director of this shelter and kept getting more involved until eventually we started Families for Families officially.

Keri-Ann Cavalieri

Keri-Ann has spent over 20 years in the contract furniture industry helping to design spaces with the top architects and designers in the NY / NJ area.  The schedule is busy in the Cavalieri house with a self-employed husband, two kids and two rescue dogs but she always felt there was time to do for others.  Keri-Ann started her involvement with Families for Families by sponsoring a family for the holidays and the occasional outreach to Cristyn to see if there was anything else she could do.  Now Keri-Ann is a board member and runs the Clothing Closet for Families, where she manages local clothing donations and distributes them to families in need.  

“I’m so grateful to end my day with my family, in a warm home, in a beautiful town. It’s my responsibly to pay it forward and help families in need.” 

Erica Madley

I am a first year at Northeastern University studying to become a Nurse. Every time I am on a team that moves a family out of a homeless shelter, or every time we deliver groceries and see people on the street needing some too, I am able to see the impact this charity is making on our community. We have been able to grow and touch so many lives even if it is in passing on our trips to drop off donations. But it is not just board members and people solely committed to this charity that are able to connect with those in need, but other people from our community! We help those in need make connections with families who can help them! I feel as though we are not only giving material donations but also support in many areas.

Being involved in this charity means so much to me since this kind of work is sort of like our own family heirloom, stemming from my grandmother who engrained many of these values into my mother. Any given weekend, I will be asked to join in on moving around furniture and there is nothing else I would rather be doing than making an impact with my sisters, my mother, and the other volunteers.

Beth Thomas-Rea

It is a profound honor for me to serve on the board of directors for Families for Families. I have always admired and supported the mission of Families for Families so when they were expanding their board and looking for a social worker to strengthen their programming, I was eager to get more involved. Throughout my career as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and a Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug counselor (LCADC) I have worked in a youth shelter, an alternative high school, a psychiatric hospital and with survivors and perpetrators of intimate partner violence. My journey has led me to a deep understanding of the critical importance of community engagement and social responsibility. It is with this knowledge that I hope to make an impact with Families for Families. In the end, homelessness is not just a housing issue; it is a complex social challenge that is traumatic and can affect every aspect of a person's life. I look forward to the opportunity to continue to support the mission and vision for Families for Families.

Rosemary O’Connell

Rosemary is currently an art director in the editorial and publishing industry in the NY Metro area. As a resident of Wyckoff NJ and mother of two teen boys, Rosemary has used her graphic design experience to contribute to a variety of social and charitable events within her boys'  schools and local church community. In addition, Rosemary has helped many friends with conceiving, designing and executing their vision for their small and local businesses. Rosemary and her family have been fortunate enough to volunteer for Families For Families which in turn has introduced and connected the O’Connells to the many wonderful volunteers, families and clients. It is through her experience, meeting and working with Families for Families that Rosemary was inspired to continue the work as a board member helping families with the many challenges they face, continuing to discover the programs Families for Families has to offer to the community and helping to continue to expand their mission.

Sue Willemann

Sue has been in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry for over 30 years, leading sales teams in the NY and NJ area.  She and her husband have 3 active boys (5 if you include the cat and dog!) and have always tried to instill in them the value of doing for others and giving to those in need.  Sue first heard about Families for Families through the holiday Adopt a Family program that Cristyn ran and has continued with that and various other programs throughout the past several years.  She is excited to now be a board member where she can dedicate more time and effort towards helping our neighbors in need.

Mohan Subrahmanyam

Mohan has over 25 years of experience in corporate finance working for major Wall Street firms, managing a venture capital and real estate investment partnership, and now as the CFO of a technology startup. He has been living in Wyckoff with his wife and two children since 2012. Inspired by Families for Families mission to improve the lives of those in need and bonding with people from different backgrounds, Mohan looks forward to leveraging his business background to help the organization grow and continue to positively impact the community.

“Everybody can be great because everybody can serve.” 

-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Theresa Gallo

Johnny Colello

Youth Ambassador