Cindy E. Chandler, Executive Director
Cindy is one of the founding mothers of Family SOUP. She is a mother of three and a seasoned veteran of IEP’s, IPP’s and 504′s, from pre-school to college. If you can’t find her doing something for Family SOUP, she’s probably in the garden.
Contact Cindy at cindy@familysoup.org
Mary Pickering, LCSW, Program Director, Social Worker
Mary’s passion for helping families succeed gives her plenty of motivation to work with a non-profit that can focus on improving children’s lives.
Contact Mary at mary@familysoup.org
Chris Hickey, Early Start Director
Chris works with the families of our youngest children. She lives in the town of Sutter with her husband Mike and her 3 children, Andy, Sam (who has Angelman Syndrome) and Gabe. She represents Brittan Elementary School on the local Community Advisory Committee and she also represents Sutter County on the the State Council on Developmental Disabilities Area Board 3, as well as being involved in many other local activities in the community of Sutter.
Contact Chris at chris@familysoup.org
Cynthia Sandoval, Parent Liaison
Cynthia is our Spanish Parent Liaison and has been with Family SOUP since July 2003. She is trilingual and enjoys translating information for parents, organizing parent support activities, and working one-on-one with parents to identify their needs. Cynthia has 2 children, Chrystian, and Jordan (who is deaf). She Lives in Yuba City with her husband.
Contact Cynthia at cynthia@familysoup.org
Amber Soto, Administrative Assistant
Amber is the administrative assistant at Family SOUP. She works full time and is going to school to be a teacher. Amber grew up in Yuba City and spends most of her spare time exploring new places and looking for fun.
Contact Amber at ambers@familysoup.org
Edit Weeks, Administrative Assistant
Edit is an administrative assistant at Family SOUP. She also works at New Life Christian School as a teacher’s assistant. Edit was born and raised in Hungary, but now lives in Plumas Lake with her husband Tim and her children Jonathan, Julianna, and Hana, who has special needs.
Contact Edit at edit@familysoup.org
Amber Kesterson, Resource Parent
Amber is the Colusa County Resource Parent for Family SOUP. She is the dedicated mother of 5 kids, and works part time. Amber lives in Colusa with her husband and enjoys spending time with her friends and family.
Contact Amber at amber@familysoup.org
Brenda Leonhardt, Administrative Assistant
As the Able Riders Clerk and Administrative Assistant for Family Soup, Brenda particularly enjoys the supportive and learning atmosphere at Family SOUP, which helps her to point families in the right direction when they call our agency to request services. She believes that Able Riders is a valuable asset to our community, and she enjoys seeing the benefits that kids derive from that program.
Contact Brenda at brenda@familysoup.org
Janis Perrucci, Financial Officer
Janis has been a part of the organization since 1992, when she first served as Treasurer of the Board. She is currently the staff member responsible for keeping our finances in order. Janis lives in Yuba City with her husband and 3 boys, one of whom has autism.
Contact Janis at janis@familysoup.org
Debbie Bryant, Able Riders Instructor
Debbie is our lead instructor at our therapeutic horse back riding program and does a wonderful job with the riders every Tuesday.
Valerie Wilson, Able Riders Instructor
Valerie is the horseback riding pioneer in our area and started the seminal program that gave rise to Able Riders. Her loyal service is essential to our program to this day.