Founder 

Julie Damian

Julie Damian is a mother to four boys, a former small business owner, and an educator.  She taught in Georgetown ISD for 8 years as a high school Professional Communication teacher, Debate Coach, and Kindergarten teacher.  

In March of 2018, Julie’s middle son Kade died in a tragic accident.  The Playful Child is a work of heart for Julie.  She is passionate about creating healthy, strong, resilient children through play and developmentally appropriate activities.  Joy is the heart of play.  Kade reminded our family of that daily.  He lived his life to the fullest and spread love and happiness during his 1065 days on Earth.  The Playful Child has been created in Kade’s memory and honor.  We love you, little man!

President

Jenna Fleming

Jenna Fleming has a deep love of the Georgetown community and has been active with the Playful Child since its start as a non-profit.  She's a Licensed Counselor and the owner of Central Texas Child & Family Counseling, with locations in Georgetown and Liberty Hill. 

Jenna works to make quality mental health support more accessible and approachable to our community through various projects and volunteerism.  She's used her education in trauma as a Trust-Based Relational Intervention practitioner to increase training available to Georgetown ISD, support the Region 13 Service Center, train mental health providers, and create free resources for the community.  She sees the mission of the Playful child as an extension of her passion and work. 

Jenna lives in Georgetown, Texas, with her family, where she enjoys the local events of the community and lacing up her running shoes to hit the Georgetown trails.

Vice President

Ali Donoho

Ali Donoho and her husband, Austin, have three beautiful children - William, Trevor, and Evelyn.  Ali grew up in the area, attended GHS, and after graduating from Texas A&M, felt a calling back to her hometown.  In 2013, Austin and Ali designed and built their dream house on the San Gabriel River.  She is an Operations Manager for MW Builders in Pflugerville, currently building several projects in Georgetown.

This cause holds a special place in Ali's heart as she has known too many families experience the heartbreak of watching their loved ones go to heaven too soon.  Ali has found joy in giving back to the community, with opportunities for Volunteerism, as well as using her background as a builder to offer guidance and expertise in the building of the park.

Treasurer

John Hancock

John Hancock is a 30 plus year Accounting professional and is the Controller at Champion Site Prep here in Georgetown.  Always involved in sports and just a big kid at heart, he has been active in playing and coaching his three kids in all of their many activities over the years in Kingwood, Texas.

A belief in having fun first led him to be an inaugural board member with the Kingwood Alliance Soccer Club in Kingwood.  He was the Recreational Soccer Director for seven years ensuring parents and children enjoyed their soccer experience as the club also experienced rapid growth.

In 2019 he moved to Georgetown with his wife Kim, in order to be close to family. He was brought to the Playful Child by Rachel Hancock and is excited to help see the park reach completion.  He wants to see his grandkids playing with others and enjoying this soon to be, Georgetown gem.

Secretary

Rachel Hancock

Rachel has always enjoyed connecting with the people in her community. She has a bright personality, a “can-do” attitude, and a love for all things local. 

Rachel owns Arkay Artwork, a local art company that specializes in joyful illustrations. In March of 2020, Rachel developed a fundraising program, Art with Heart. In just three months, Rachel raised over $10,000 for the local downtown community of business owners. 

Rachel and her husband, Zane, live in the heart of Georgetown with their children, Kennedy and Miles. They enjoy strolling the historic downtown square, going to local events, and hiking down the many nature paths Georgetown has to offer.

Board Member

Jeff Lindstrom

Jeff Lindstrom is trained as a landscape architect and currently resides in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, just west of Toronto. His area of expertise as a designer is play-space design and has over a decade of experience designing parks, playgrounds, trails, open space and communities. His work has brought him around the world working with military installations, educational facilities, indigenous communities, municipalities and parks departments. 

Jeff became involved with the Playful Child in 2018 when Julie reached out inquiring about creating a community play space in Kade’s honor. He worked closely with Julie and the Playful Child as the primary consultant to create the concept plan for the Kade Damian Healing Hearts Park.