Meet Our Board
Adrianne Allen
President
A mother of 4 children, all of whom were students of Blaine's, including his final year as an educator, Adri knew firsthand the effects Blaine had on the Palmerton School District and community. Affected by the tragic loss of a beloved teacher and community member, Adri set out to help the community cope while trying to embody Blaine’s well-known spirit of giving. Thus, Adri became a founding member of what is now known as “Raising the House” and sits as the current President. Continuously moved to see how the kindness and generosity of one person could catalyze an organization that has helped Palmerton students, families, and the community in more ways than she ever predicted, Adri is committed to ensuring Raising the House continues to prosper in Blaine’s memory, becoming even more impactful to the Palmerton community.
Maison Allen
Vice President
A member of the executive board since 2019, and recently taking the role of Vice President, Maison first joined Raising the House with hopes of increasing awareness of the organization in the community she grew up in. Since her joining, Maison has dedicated her time and energy to Raising the House through her marketing and writing expertise, social media savviness, and push for enhancing food access in the community. A past student of Blaine House, Maison eagerly joined Raising the House to help keep the memory of Blaine alive by providing necessary resources to the community members in Palmerton.
Brandyn Miller
Treasurer
A past student of Blaine's, Brandyn eagerly joined Raising the House to help keep the memory of his past teacher alive by encouraging students to live to their fullest potential. Joining the executive board in 2020, Brandyn’s primary focus was to increase the awareness of RTH in the community while simultaneously increasing RTH’s opportunities to support Palmerton students. A Business and Computer Science teacher at Palmerton Area High School, Brandyn brings a unique viewpoint to the board, providing technical expertise and insight for RTH’s website development and maintenance, social media and publication design, and managing the organization’s funds.
Caitlin House
Secretary
Cait joined Raising the House in 2021 as a board member, shortly becoming Secretary thereafter. The oldest daughter of Blaine, Cait was raised with a passion of supporting and strengthening the communities and individuals around her. She joined RTH with a few goals in mind: support the community that meant so much to her father, help the organization expand and evolve, and create a legacy for the man that gave her everything. She focuses on Marketing and PR and is a member of the Lights at the Lake committee. Joining RTH has been one of the most rewarding experiences for Cait, and she’s excited to see the group’s goals continue to come to fruition.
Tamara House
Board Member
Wife of Blaine, Tammy became a board member of Raising the House in 2015. Having witnessed first hand the impact Blaine had in his school and community, Tammy was moved by the establishment of Raising the House and determined to assist in honoring her late husband by continuing to help students and families in the Palmerton Area School District. While involved in all aspects of Raising the House, Tammy is the chairperson for the backpack program, driven to combat student food scarcity needs. Almost a decade later, Tamara is so proud of the organization and looks forward to seeing what the future holds in all they plan to accomplish.
Erin Snyder
Board Member
A founding member of Raising the House, Erin Snyder, along with other parents, set out to create an organization honoring the life and dedication of her daughter’s teacher. Erin recalls first hand the impact Blaine had on her daughter and her family during a time of difficulty, stating he was a huge part in her daughter’s healing journey. Having given so much to her family, Erin was determined to keep his memory and name alive. Her main goal in Raising the House is to assist as many children and families as possible. Of the various programs offered through Raising the House, Erin’s greatest passion is with the backpack program, ensuring students are always taken care of and never hungry.
Kris Hoffner
Board Member
Kris joined Raising the House in its early years. A fellow teacher at the Towamensing Elementary school, Kris was not only a colleague to Blaine but also a close friend. After the sudden loss of Blaine, Kris was eager to keep his friend’s memory alive. Kris has been an active board member for the majority of Raising the House’s existence. In recent years, Kris has acted as Director for the RTH 5K run/walk. An educator at heart, Kris feels the greatest accomplishment of RTH has been the number of children and families they’ve been able to assist throughout the life of the organization.
Matt Yurkunas
Board Member
A graduate of Palmerton Area High School, Matt knew he wanted to find a way to give back to the community that gave him everything. Matt joined Raising the House initially as an intern, donating his time with the Lights at the Lake committee. In 2022, he officially joined as a board member. Working remotely while attending college, Matt still focuses heavily on Lights at the Lake (the brains behind the digital scene). He loves working with the Raising the House crew and is excited to continue to help foster growth within the organization.
Thank you to our volunteers
We would be remiss not to acknowledge and thank our countless volunteers that have helped us in more ways than we can mention. From the bottom of our hearts, we are beyond thankful and grateful for the time, energy, and effort of our volunteers. We wouldn’t be able to operate as efficiently and effectively as we do without you!