Heather Gray

Executive Director

Meet Heather! She is the wife of Marcus and the mother of Raeleigh, Josie and Hallie!  In 2015, Heather and Marcus felt called to adopt out of foster care.  They didn't exactly know what this would look like, but they began on the journey.  In the spring of 2018, they welcomed their first placement of two and those girls became forever Grays in 2019!  This birthed Heather's love for foster care.  She was on the board of directors for the Heart Gallery of Tennessee as well as on the board of directors for the Upper Cumberland Foster Closet.

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In May 2021, Heather felt called back home to the Hopkinsville area to open a foster closet, similar to the Upper Cumberland Foster Closet.  She understands the needs that foster/kinship families have from first hand experience as a foster parent and as a support to foster/kinship families.  Her goal with Joy Closet is for all parents and kids to have their needs met both tangibly and non tangibly.  She absolutely loves using her gifts of hospitality to love on others!

Tressy Wells

Assistant Director

Meet Tressy! She is the wife of Gerame and the mom of Tate, Tucker, Trent, Tycen, Josey and Jillian! She has a degree in education and taught for several years before becoming a stay-at-home mom. In 2018, when their youngest at the time was 8 years old, Tressy began to feel God calling her to adoption.  She talked to Gerame about it and he was on board from the beginning! They began the process is early 2019 and brought sweet Jillian home from China in January of 2020.

The process of adoption opened Tressy’s eyes to the needs of children not only around the world, but also right here in our community. She has a heart for all children and is honored and excited to have been asked to serve on the board for the Joy Closet.  She is looking forward to doing whatever she can to love, support and encourage foster, kinship and adoptive families in any way possible!

Kristi Pryor

Finance Director

Meet Kristi!  She is married to Ryan & together they have a beautiful, blended family. She has worked with small children all her adult life. This gave her the opportunity to stay home and raise her own family. In 2015, she received an unexpected phone call from DCBS to foster her great nephews.  She was told she had 15 minutes to arrive at their current location, or the boys would be placed into the DCBS’s custody and likely separated. She called her husband on the way to the location. Ryan’s reply was simply “If it were me, I would want someone to pick me up”.  So that is exactly what she did. The boys have been with Ryan & Kristi since that day with their Adoption being finalized in April 2019. Adoption chose the Pryor’s & they feel extremely Blessed for this opportunity. 

When Kristi was asked to become a part of Joy Closet, she felt very honored. Kristi knows the struggle to provide for a child(ren) without notice. There were times when Ryan & Kristi just needed someone to relate and/or validate their journey. Kristi’s hope is for Joy Closet to provide the basic necessities and support for families in similar situations. She hopes the with Joy Closet opening, more families will feel supported and encouraged to open their homes and hearts to the many children that are without placements. Everyone can help with fostering in some way, every child deserves to have a safe, secure home setting to thrive within. 

Mari Ramsey

Eagle Fly Manager

Meet Mari! He has been devoted to youth ministry throughout his whole life. Mari went into foster care at the age of 14 and spent just under a year within the system. It changed his life for the better. He was taken in by an amazing family, and while there, he developed musical skillsets and came to know some of the most selfless and loving people he'd ever encounter.

Once out of foster care, Mari saw the need for a more loving approach comparing to the lawfulness of the system. He understood that a very small percentage of individuals in his shoes are/were not as blessed as he was.

Julia Roberts

Hope House Manager

Meet Julia!  She's a Hopkinsville native who took a short hiatus, but has been back in town for a little over a year. Julia is married to Logan and together they have two biological kiddos and one foster love. She's done a little bit of everything: from working in an office, to coaching USA swim teams, to managing fitness studios, but her favorite title is always "momma"

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Their family has been part of foster care for going on three years and they have seen the need for the Hope House first hand. "Interestingly enough I talked to Heather about a loose concept before I knew what she was working on behind the scenes. The impact we have the opportunity to create here is something to be proud of and I'm so excited to be on the frontlines."

Emily Flack

Volunteer Coordinator

Meet Emily! She is the wife of Drew and mother to sweet Ryleigh. Born and raised in Ohio, she moved to Kentucky in 2022. Emily went to The Ohio State University and graduated in 2017 with an Agriscience Education degree. She taught middle and high school Agriculture/ FFA for five years.  Then, she became the Freshman Seminar Teacher at Hopkinsville High School for one year before deciding to stay home to raise her daughter.  

Emily has always felt God leading her to work with/ for children.  After leaving the classroom she was led to volunteer with us at Joy Closet for about six months before becoming our Volunteer Coordinator. She is excited to help many children and their families with us!