She’s been married to her husband for 44 years, who she has three children with. Carrie has been active throughout the community from her businesses to volunteer efforts. She’s been the proud owner of four small businesses in Park County. She has run two daycare centers, one crate business, and one house rental company. She also holds 2 AAS degrees from Northwest College (Business Management and O
ffice Administration) and 1 Honors Certificate for independent study in Business. Because of her love of children, Carrie now works as a Foster Grandma at Westside Elementary alongside her husband who also works there as a Foster Grandpa. As a foster grandparent, she assists students in completing their assignments and learning new skills. This program is headed by the AmeriCorps Seniors, and Carrie was one of two selected in 2018 to represent Wyoming’s program at the national level. She was invited to take part in a video presentation which aired in Washington D.C. and was able to give a presentation to lawmakers about the value this program had and how she has seen it change the lives of both students and seniors alike! Carrie is also a CASA advocate (court-appointed special advocate) of the 5th Judicial District. Her job is to represent children in court when they have been removed from their home or when there is disagreement in who should retain custody. The CASA advocate’s sole job is to only represent the child or children in the situation, and to only keep their best interests in mind no matter the exterior circumstances. Carrie’s big heart and propensity for compassion does not just end with children. In 2008, she underwent a botched back surgery that left her disabled and in chronic pain. After being prescribed opiates for 12 years to deal with her pain, she decided to pursue and try using medical-grade cannabis to alleviate her symptoms. Miraculously, this plant gave her symptom relief she had not felt in over a decade, and in no time Carrie was quitting her doctor-prescribed opiates. Since then, Carrie has seen this plant change other people’s lives and has been a vocal advocate for the right of patients to use this medicine legally in Wyoming. She joined the board of Wyoming NORML in 2015 and now serves as their secretary, in hopes one day Wyomingites will have legal access to this life-changing medicine.