Mike Mannshardt (President) taught science, math, and independent studies in the Twin Cities from 1973 to 2006. He was founding president of the Towne House Community Center in Oakland and organized Oakland Environmental Action, a community-based environmental education center. Mike has served on the board of the Yuba-Sutter-Colusa Chapter of the American Heart Association and as Executive Director of the Easter Seal Society of Yuba-Sutter Counties. He was a founding director of the Yuba-Sutter Affiliate of Habitat for Humanity and has served three terms on the Session of St. Andrew Presbyterian Church of Yuba City.
Sue Mannshardt (Secretary) has been active in community and church service since 1973. She has held offices with the former Yuba-Sutter Professionals’ Network, the Board of Directors of Casa de Esperanza and was a Casa crisis volunteer. She served as an Ambassador for the Chamber of Commerce, and held state and regional offices in the California Placement Association. She retired from Yuba Community College after 22 years as a Career and Employment/Job Placement counselor/advisor, where she worked closely with marginalized adult students (students on financial aid, homeless, recovering addicts and alcoholics) in both advisor/student and supervisory relationships. She has served two terms on the Session at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, where she is on staff as Director of Daily Grace Ministries and Spiritual Director. She served on the Steering Committee of both the Yuba-Sutter Interfaith and Yuba-Sutter Abrahamic Interfaith Associations. Sue represents Hands of Hope on the Sutter-Yuba Homeless Consortium.
Evelyn Cosner (Treasurer) taught music for Yuba City Unified School District for fourteen years. While teaching, she managed and hosted several complex musical festivals, and served as vice-president of the board of directors of the North Section of the California Music Educators Association. She and her husband volunteered for the first Habitat for Humanity house built locally. She chaired several committees while on the board of the local community theater, and since leaving teaching has worked in the private sector in various office/administrative positions. She has been the administrative assistant to the Executive Director of the Yuba-Sutter Chamber of Commerce for the last seven years. Her husband, contractor Gordon Beall, has been active in planning the remodeling of our service center.
Eric Anderson (Director) has been teaching U.S. History and Economics/Civics at Lindhurst High School for thirteen years. Eric became concerned about the situation of homeless families and children after learning how many of his students were, and are, homeless, and was subsequently attracted to serve on the Hands of Hope board when he learned of its goals. Eric enjoys working with computers, and has found his niche in the administrative side of Hands of Hope by designing and maintaining its web site, www.ychandsofhope.org.
Jim Bursey (Director) holds a Master’s Degree in Public Health and has worked in health care administration for 30 years. During this time he has served as President of the Sacramento and Sierra Chapters of the California Association of Health Facilities. Jim also served on the Board of Yolo Hospice as a director and Treasurer. In 2000, he received the California Association of Health Facilities Distinguished Service Award for exceptional professional service. Jim has been a member of Kiwanis for many years and is associated with Compassion International - an organization that works to improve the lives of impoverished children. He is active in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, having served as Youth Leader, Head Elder and School Board Chairman.
Sue Henderson (Director) holds a Master’s Degree in Nursing from UCLA, where she completed the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program. She has worked in the field of Critical Care Nursing for 26 years. During this time she has worked as a nurse practitioner for a neurosurgeon, as a research nurse for experimental drug trials with stroke and head-injured patients, and as a critical care nurse educator. She has worked as the Critical Care Educator and Supervisor of Clinical Education for Fremont-Rideout Health Group since 2004. Previous to moving to the Yuba-Sutter area in 1999, she lived in Bakersfield and was involved in a church-outreach at the Men’s homeless shelter, serving meals. Sue is active in the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, currently serving as Co-head Deaconess. She is the mother of two daughters, ages 20 and 23, and when she heard of the great need associated with homeless children in the Yuba-Sutter area, she knew she wanted to be involved.
Arlene Hite (Director) has lived in the area since 1977, and is a retired realtor with an active California real estate license. She has 29 years of sales and sales management experience, 20 of those years with Century 21 Select Real Estate in Yuba City. She served on the Mental Health Advisory board of Harney County, Oregon, chaired the Sutter-Yuba Association of Realtors Christmas Can Tree project in 1992, and has volunteered for Toys for Tots, the Salvation Army food drive, and numerous Century 21 service projects for children. She was instrumental in starting their agent advisory council and “give back to the community” project. Arlene was a founding director of the Yuba-Sutter Affiliate of Habitat for Humanity.
Wanetta King, MSW, LCSW (Director) brings extensive experience working with Big Brothers and Big Sisters of America, as well as The Salvation Army. After seventeen years as a Licensed Practical Nurse in various health settings, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree, and a Master of Social Work at CSU, Fresno. Licensed as a Clinical Social Worker in Utah and Nevada, she has spent twenty years working with families dealing with issues of domestic violence and abuse. Currently, Wanetta serves as Family Advocacy Treatment Manager for the 9th Medical Operations Squadron at Beale Air Force Base.
Board of Directors, Staff, Volunteers
Hands of Hope will recruit community volunteers to staff the center under procedures developed by the Board of Directors. As the program is established and reliable funding sources secured, a salaried facility/program manager will be recruited.
We welcome, and actively seek, the involvement of individuals and organizations from every sector of the Yuba-Sutter community. Our current board membership is profiled below:
Hands of Hope
Resources for Homeless Families
