Meet one of our newest board members, Kasey Ivan. Kasey is new to Maine, having moved here with his husband from Pennsylvania in 2021, and has been a full-time wedding and portrait photographer since 2014.
Kasey will soon be heading back to school to begin work on his Masters degree in Social Work, with the goal of working with children in the mental and behavioral health field. His interest in the well-being of children, in making connections and creating experiences dovetails nicely with what the Center is looking for from its board members.
Kasey first connected with Kids First Center through mutual associates and was invited to be the photographer for our annual auction/fundraiser held in September, Bloom ’22. His creative background and skills lent themselves perfectly to capturing the ambiance of the special evening and the eclectic nature of the venue itself (Throttle Car Club).
A few months later, Kasey was generous enough to donate his services to help us tell the story of the Kids First Center with a family portrait. In particular, our 9-week ICOPE (Intensive Co-Parenting Education program) often has profoundly positive outcomes for the co-parents who participate, and for the children they share. Kasey visited one such family after the parents’ successful graduation from the program and was able to capture an authentically joyful moment playing in the snow shared by both parents and their three children. This portrait is now prominently displayed in the children’s home where they can be reminded on a daily basis that their parents are now working together, communicating peacefully and putting their kids first. For many children, it has been years, if not a lifetime, since they have seen evidence of such cooperation, with a picture to prove it. What a gift for this family.
Clearly a person of varied interests and talents, Kasey is also the founder of Moose Historical Fencing, a club that focuses on training in German longsword and learning how the art of sword fighting was done in the Middle Ages. Kasey brings an open mind and fresh perspective to the board of Kids First and we all look forward to working with him in the coming months.