Volunteers
The NILMDTS leaders listed on this page are all volunteers and have accepted an additional level of responsibility for the operations of NILMDTS. We would like to sincerely thank them for their dedication to our mission.
Volunteer Leadership
Ben Wilkins
Volunteer Care & Onboarding Support
Ben Wilkins
Ben and his wife, Lisa, two girls (Grace and Lily), along with their Jack Russel terrier (Rex) live in Port Saint Lucie, FL where his day job is keeping the city water safely within government specifications. Both girls are into gymnastics, and the whole family, including Rex, loves the outdoors. Ben is also associated with Madison’s Miracles, an organization in Florida which raises funds for cuddle cots to be donated to hospitals. He and Lisa have raised the funds to donate a cuddle cot in their son’s name to their local hospital through Madison’s Miracles.
On September 19th, 2010 Ben and his wife had to say goodbye to their beautiful boy, Jacob. They have photos of their son that they will treasure forever thanks to Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. When he joined NILMDTS in 2018 he was the only photographer in his area, so he built up a relationship with his local hospitals and has provided numerous sessions so far. His wish is that every family suffering a loss will be met with compassion and offered every resource possible to support them and that all volunteers are well supported as they make this possible.
Burt Rich
Photography Mentoring Support
Burt Rich
A Texas native, growing up mostly in the south, Burt Rich is enjoying his retirement in south central Tennessee where they have lived since 1984. After college, his careers have been in Christian FM Radio broadcasting, teaching avionics in college, an executive in avionics manufacturing, and concluding his career as an executive in automotive electronics manufacturing with Chrysler and Siemens. He has served over 25 years as a worship leader in various churches in Ohio, Kansas, Tennessee and Alabama and is also a private pilot and an Advanced Class Amateur Radio operator. Burt and his wife, Norma, have seven children and eighteen grandchildren.
Burt has been involved in photography most of his life, learning in his early years from his father who shot both sheet and roll film, and also doing his own developing and printing. Shortly after retirement, Burt and Norma lost their oldest grandson, T.J., to cancer. A few months after T.J.’s battle ended, Burt joined NILMDTS in 2011 to honor T.J.’s memory. He initially served NILMDTS as an Assistant and currently serves as a Photographer, Area Coordinator, and Volunteer Coordinator.
Rhonda Gehman
Session Preparation Support
Rhonda Gehman
Rhonda has been an affiliated photographer for NILMDTS since 2009. Her father was an avid amateur photographer and was a huge influence on her photography passion. She says that being a part of NILMDTS allows her to use her love of photography in a way to serve others and to share her talent. In addition to her photography business, Rhonda enjoys knitting and traveling with her family.
Rhonda Johnson
Volunteer Support
Rhonda Johnson
Rhonda Johnson is a professional portrait photographer based in North Central Illinois and a dedicated volunteer with Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. With more than two decades of experience behind the camera, Rhonda specializes in newborn and family photography and is deeply passionate about capturing meaningful moments that honor connection, love, and legacy. She serves on the Board of Directors for the Professional Photographers of Northern Illinois and is passionate about always learning and growing.
She believes photography is more than creating beautiful images; it’s about preserving stories and offering families something tangible to hold onto during life’s most tender seasons. Through her work, Rhonda strives to create a safe, compassionate space where families feel seen, supported, and remembered, using imagery as a gentle part of the healing journey.
Rhonda considers it a true privilege to walk alongside families in both joyful and heartbreaking moments, and feels called to use her gifts to bring comfort, light, and love wherever she can.
Marti Wagner
DRA Education Support
Marti Wagner
Marti joined Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep in 2008 as an Affiliated Photographer, and several years later also added the Digital Retouch Artist role to her membership.
“Gifting parents the images of their babies that can’t go home is such an honor!” says Marti. Marti says that knowing several families have had fundraisers for NILMDTS or donated cuddle cots to the hospital that cared for them, keeps her mindful of how important these images truly are.
Marti currently resides in Chagrin Falls, OH with her husband and 5 small dogs.
Additional Support
Casey Wise
Technology Volunteer
Casey Wise
Casey began volunteering with NILMDTS as an Affiliated Photographer in 2017, drawn by a deeply personal experience — a family friend’s child passed away, and there were no good photographs of her. None. That loss made vivid something Casey couldn’t un-see: every child deserves to leave a mark, and every family deserves something to hold onto. He volunteers so that never happens to another family.
Truthfully, Casey wanted to continue to be a NILMDTS photographer, but he realized he was just not cut out for it. Watching NILMDTS photographers walk into some of the hardest moments a family will ever face — with grace, steadiness, and a camera — is something that genuinely amazes him. Their courage and compassion raise the bar for what it means to volunteer, and it’s exactly why he takes his own role so seriously. Now, instead of walking into the room with his camera, he participates in another extremely important role, as a technology volunteer.
In his professional life, Casey serves as a Cloud, DevOps, and Site Reliability Engineer and Architect supporting the US Treasury. Outside of work, he shoots alongside his wife Amber through their small photography business, Wise Capture, and stays busy with their three children, three four-legged furry family members, and a life that usually involves frisbees, movies, skating, skiing, singing, and family close by in Canton, Ohio.
Casey is deeply grateful for the trust NILMDTS places in him to guide and engineer the technology that supports their photographers and the families they directly serve.
Samrat Singh
Technology Volunteer
Samrat Singh
Samrat first joined Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep in 2019 as part of a small team of technology consultants. His expertise was so impactful that when his initial project concluded, the NILMDTS staff felt a significant void. After several years, a chance reconnection via LinkedIn brought Samrat back into the fold—a moment our team met with immense gratitude.
Since his return, Samrat has become a cornerstone of our digital infrastructure. His contributions have made a massive impact on the sustainability and growth of NILMDTS technologies, ensuring our systems can support our mission for years to come.
Samrat currently resides in Noida, India, where he continues to bridge the gap between complex technology and heartfelt service.
Anne Marie Gillooley
Ireland Coordinator
Anne Marie Gillooley
Anne Marie is based in Dublin, Ireland. She first learned about the services of NILMDTS when her son Max was stillborn at term in January 2015. Anne Marie and her husband John are forever grateful for the beautiful images from NILMDTS which have helped them in honouring his life and continuing place in their family. Anne Marie joined NILMDTS Ireland in 2024 initially as a board member and joined as a photographer in January 2025 to mark Max’s 10th birthday.
Kristina Foster
South Africa Coordinator
Kristina Foster
Born as a premie and oxygen deprived infant, Kristina was not supposed to live and the doctors had no explanation for her survival against all odds. She is now convinced that her purpose for surviving is to give to those families who’s babies were not as fortunate as she was and gift them memories of their precious little one. Living in South Africa with her family as American missionaries, Kristina received her Masters in Portrait Art in 2007 and joined NILMDTS as an photographer in 2011. Thru her contacts in missions, she has been able to introduce and gift NILMDTS to South Africa area hospitals and clinics over the years and is now excited to work with her extended team of country wide volunteers in implementing these services all across the country.
Kristina is the country coordinator for South Africa.
Volunteer Application Committee
Blaire Ring
Brice Langston
Gary Makowski
Grant Palmer
Lacey Sexton
Lisa Manchester
Marti Wagner
Rhonda Gehman
Roxanne Baggott
Sarah Love
Local Volunteer Teams
Ready to create a lasting impact? Join our volunteer community.
