Board of Directors

Hi, My name is Denise Ketola. Right now I’m the president of the Down Syndrome Society of Grant County. I’ve been doing this for 3 years now. I am first a wife and mother. Joel and I have been married for 36 years. We have 14 kids, 7 married with 23 grandbabies to love on and spoil. We moved to Ephrata from Battle Ground, WA 16 years ago. I’ve always lived in Washington. We love living here. I love cooking, baking and sewing, especially for other people. Our daughter Benita, 20 years old, has Down Syndrome. She is a light to so many people in her life. She goes to school in Ephrata and she doesn’t know a stranger. Everyone is her best friend. This is why I got involved in the Down Syndrome Society. I first started out volunteering for the Buddy Walk for several years. Then went on to be the Chairperson of the Walk. It’s been so much fun, but lots of work. So, I try to recruit other people to join in the fun, and the work too.

Hi my name is Vanessa Valdez and I have been serving on the DSSGC Board as treasurer for the past 7 years. I have lived in the Grant County area my whole life and I work for the Warden School District as an elementary teacher. March 4, 2015 my husband and I welcomed our 3rd child, Ava Grace Valdez. Ava was born with Down Syndrome. She has been such a huge blessing to our family and has us wrapped around her little fingers. I would love to continue to serve on the board because I believe my Spanish speaking skills for our DSSGC Hispanic community is important as well as myself being an educator. I want to continue to advocate for my daughter and the DSSGC community.

I have been serving on the Down Syndrome Society of Grant County (DSSGC) Board since it was formed in 2013. I served as DSSGC President for 7 years and I have served as the Outreach Committee Chair for the past 3 years. My oldest daughter brought the Buddy Walk to the Columbia Basin as her HS Senior Project. I have a special place in my heart for the Down syndrome community, which has grown more and more since my amazing son, Gevin, was born with Down syndrome 14 years ago. I truly believe people with Down syndrome make the world a better place to live in and have much to teach us. I also volunteer as a coach for the Special Olympics and have coached cheerleading for 3 years. My husband, Eric, and I have been married for 29 years and have 7 children, 4 of which are adults, and 3 are still at home with us. I am a homemaker mainly but I also teach dance and volunteer at my church. I am grateful for the opportunity to continue serving on the DSSGC Board.

My name is Kathy Marick. I was born and raised in Oregon. I am 62 years old. My husband of 22 years and I have 4 children. We owned and operated a small Diner/Bakery for 16 years. Our girls helped us in the Diner and gained useful skills. We retired from that in 2019 and became foster parents full time. We have foster-parented for 14 years. When we transitioned our last 5 kiddos we decided it was time to make a change. We met some wonderful people here in Moses Lake in 2021 and so myself, my husband John, and our daughters Abigail and Jenny decided to move to Moses Lake. Abigail is 20 years old and has Down syndrome. Jenny, age 26, has learning disabilities from birth and has lived and worked on her own for a couple years but will be living with us while she transitions to a new town. Jenny was in the foster care system and we were blessed to adopt her when she was 11. We hosted 10 exchange students from all over the world to give our daughters opportunities to meet a diverse group of young people. All of our exchange students went away with a new understanding of the value of special needs individuals. I have always had a heart for special needs. We are strong advocates for our two daughters as they navigate through life. We lived for years in a rural area and were not able to participate in many activities. Moving here to Moses Lake has opened up wonderful opportunities for our entire family. We want to become involved in the Down Syndrome community as well as the Special Olympics. We are active with our local church. When I have time I enjoy quilting, crafts and occasional baking.

Hi. My name is Eloise Ramos. I have been a caregiver since 1994. I am the proud mother of 3 children and I have been married for 42 years. I have a 37 year old son (Ricky) who has Down syndrome. My hobbies are camping, fishing, bbqing, and spending time with family.

I have two beautiful daughters. Natasha Anna Hastings who would be 17 1/2 years old now and she is my angel up in heaven. We all miss her everyday. My youngest daughter Lillian Madison Hastings is 14 and she is one of my best blessings. I was on the DSSGC board before, but I stepped down when we lost our daughter Natasha Anna. I had been wanting to get back on the board and get back to my roots where I belong. To show my daughter Natasha and all of the individuals with Down syndrome, the love and support that they deserve.