Mariah (Garratt) Vail, MBA, joined the Project SUN team as Community Navigator in 2019. She officially became a Kankakee County resident in 2017 after receiving an “Enterprise U” grant from the Kankakee County Chamber of Commerce. Coincidentally, she ultimately found fulfilment for her vision of a community resource website in the Kan-I Help Information Network, kanihelp.org, which has remained at the heart of her work.

Mariah holds an MBA, concentrating in Corporate Communications and Media Studies. She has worked in marketing and communication both for Olivet Nazarene University’s Office of Development as well as the Pledge for Life Partnership. Mariah is also the Kankakee area ministry lead for Safe Families for Children, a Christian organization that provides temporary hosting for children and supports families in crisis.

Outside of her work with Project SUN, Mariah is a coffee ambassador for local coffee company Connect Roasters. Foster care and mental health are two of her biggest passions. Mariah and her husband, Dustin, live in Bourbonnais and are currently learning to cook together.