Amber Pasquarella
Board Member
Amber serves on the Hudson Valley HIEroes Board in honor of her daughter, Daisy. Daisy sustained an HIE brain injury at birth and demonstrated an immense amount of strength during her six-and-a-half weeks of life. Amber moves forward in life carrying the love and strength from Daisy to support other bereaved parents along their journey. She holds the role of peer mentor through a few non-profit organizations. It is through these parent connections that she is able to share coping strategies, ways to honor children gone too soon, share Daisy's story of life, and celebrate the life of other children. Amber is committed to making meaningful relationships with others to ensure that families talk about their children and feel less alone by being a part of the HIE community.
Before becoming a mother, Amber was an elementary school teacher for seven years. As a first-year teacher, she joined Teach for America and taught in an urban school in Mississippi. She went on to be a founding teacher for a charter school in Rhode Island. She primarily worked in urban communities, providing space and opportunities for families to be heard whom often aren't listened to. When her first child, Bryce, was born, she shifted all her energy from being a teacher to being a parent. Being a mother is something she holds closest to her heart. Memories of her two children together are of the most sacred and treasured.
Being a part of the Hudson Valley HIEroes community allows for connections, love, and community to be made. Amber is proud to be a member of an organization who has a mission of aiding families within the local community.