Mission and Vision
Dawn of Hope inspires hope and a sense of value for children, youth, and families affected by foster care. We do this by mobilizing faith-based resources and cultivating diverse community partnerships to provide opportunities for life-changing relationships.
By sponsoring opportunities such as Royal Family KIDS Camp, we provide experiences that address the specific and unique needs of kids in foster care. For the week of camp, children are treated royally in a fun, safe, and loving environment, where they are able to freely play and simply be kids.
Our goal is to grow as an organization and be able to provide additional opportunities, such as the Royal Family KIDS Club and Mentoring.
Our Board of Directors
Maria Austin, President
Maria is a member of the board of directors as well as our President and Director for Royal Family KIDS Camp. She has spent her life investing in the lives of kids and families. Her education and professional experiences have all been geared toward the goal of creating life-changing opportunities for others. Maria graduated with a Bachelor of Sciences in Counseling, Educational and Developmental Psychology with a minor in Recreation Management from Eastern Washington University. She also completed a Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy from George Fox University, a Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology from Fuller Theological Seminary, and a Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology where her studies provided an emphasis in contributors to adolescent thriving, organizational leadership and leadership development from Fuller Theological Seminary.
Abraham Hsu, Treasurer
Abraham is a member of the board of directors as well as our Secretary. He not only volunteers throughout the year by spearheading our fundraising efforts, he also volunteers during the week of camp as a “Big Camper” (camp counselor. His educational background includes graduating with a BS degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Masters in Electrical Computer Engineering from Cornell, and an MBA from the University of California Los Angeles. He has worked for over ten years within the aerospace industry during which time he rose to the rank of Program Manager managing teams over forty people across multiple divisions and locations.
Elizabeth Hsu, Secretary
Elizabeth is a member of the board of directors and serves as one of our Placement Coordinators for Royal Family KIDS Camp. Her educational background includes graduating with a BS degree in Management Science (Business) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an MBA from the University of Chicago. She has worked for 3 years in the management consulting industry supporting various clients through organizational change with the Boston Consulting Group. She also graduated from the Human Resource Leadership Development Program at NBCUniversal before moving into her current role of HR Manager, Cable Entertainment. She has been with NBCUniversal for 5 years and currently supports employee relations for employees across multiple locations, as well as Diversity Initiatives for the Cable Entertainment portfolio.
Connie Barrocas, Director
Connie is a member of the Board of Directors, and volunteers during the week of Royal Family KIDS Camp. She holds a degree in Business Administration from Cal State University, Los Angeles and became licensed as a California CPA in 1981. She was a founding Board member of Sunrise Preschool in Pasadena, and served on that Board for the first 5 years of the school’s operation. Connie is co-owner and the Chief Executive Officer of Cornerstone R/E Management, Inc. For the past 27 years, she has been responsible for the daily operation of that business as well as involved in the management of over 150 income properties serviced by her company. She is an HOA specialist, regularly facilitates association board meetings, is experienced in parliamentary procedure, and works with numerous Board members to enable them to comply with all aspects of HOA management.
Sherrie Murphey, Director
Sherrie is a member of the board of directors, Director of Community Relations and serves as Assistant Director for our Royal Family KIDS Camp. She has worked in the legal industry for over 30 years and currently enjoying the new rhythm of retirement. Sherrie also has decades of experience launching volunteer groups including Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, and a parent booster club.
Rachel Bechler, Director
Rachel is a passionate advocate for children impacted by foster care and supporting the foster families caring for them, where she and her husband have been certified to foster for 6 years, and their family serves as a Safe Family for local families in crisis. Rachel also serves as the Foster, Adoptive and Safe Families ministry lead at Fellowship Church. Professionally, Rachel serves children as an educator in special education and currently is pursuing her Doctorate in Educational Leadership. Rachel came to Dawn of Hope having previously served as a previous Assistant Director and Mentoring Director for Royal Family KIDS Camp. Along with her care and compassion for kids in care, she is committed to her family, being a mom to 2 kiddos, which keep her cup full.
Dawn of Hope 