TONJA LESMEISTER

Tonja and her husband are the founders of TAP. She went on her first service trip to Jamaica in 2008 and has done over 30 service trips since then. Tonja is a Social Worker that worked primarily with youth during her career. She is passionate about building community and providing opportunities for people to serve others. Aside from social work, she enjoys the outdoors, gardening, kayaking, traveling, and spending time with her family and friends.  Tonja along with her husband, Troy, and youngest child, Neyo, are full time travelers living in their RV when not traveling to other countries.

KRISTIN FRYMAN

Kristin joined her first TAP trip in February 2019, after reading about the opportunity through the Delta Airlines pilots’ group. She currently lives with her family in Bishop, Georgia. Kristin has worked professionally as a speech-language pathologist for over 20 years and recently opened her own practice. She enjoys traveling, photography, reading, being outdoors, and spending time with family. Having lived in almost 20 different cities, towns, and countries, being a military child and spouse allowed Kristin to learn about and respect various communities and cultures. This respect for culture while providing support to people in need drew her to TAP’s mission.

bethany meachen

Bethany took her first TAP trip in February of 2020. Since then, she has been volunteering with all things marketing, communications, social media and leading trips to Jamaica. Bethany lives with her husband and two teenage children in western Wisconsin. As an aviation family, they are very thankful for the opportunity to travel and explore the world. As parents, they believe it is very important for their children to experience other cultures, locations, and lifestyles that are encountered while traveling. TAP holds a special place in her heart as it brings together traveling the world and volunteering.

Karri Colberg

Karri joined the board following her first TAP in 2023. She became involved with TAP through a partnership with the University of Wisconsin-River Falls(UWRF) providing teletherapy speech-language services to children at Robin’s Nest and Melody House. Professionally, Karri is a speech-language pathologist and Clinical Associate Professor at UWRF.  Throughout her career, Karri has always had a passion for helping children and adults with significant communication challenges, with special interest in serving the needs of children with autism spectrum disorders. During her first TAP trip, Karri had the opportunity to to visit the Montego Bay Autism Center and immediately felt called to use her  skills to help support the needs of the children and families at this school. Karri has since expanded the UWRF teletherapy services to include children and families at the Montego Bay Autism Center. In addition to this work, Karri is active in her community, volunteering and advocating for the  needs of individuals with disabilities. She enjoys spending time with her family, her dogs and being out in nature. Karri is excited to be a member of the TAP board of directors as she looks forward to fostering relationships and serving others on a global level.

TAYLOR FEUERHELM

Taylor joined her first Traveling with a Purpose trip in summer of 2023 after hearing about the opportunity from the University of Wisconsin - River Falls Speech-Language and Hearing Clinic where she was currently attending graduate school. After the trip, Taylor felt called to further learn how to support TAP and our friends in Jamaica. She currently lives with her family in a small Wisconsin town called Hager City. Currently, Taylor is working her first job as a Speech-Language Pathologist. In her free time she enjoys spending time with her family, taking her dog on walks and being outdoors. Taylor is excited to be a part of the board and help support TAP’s goals. 

jack tocho

Jack joined the board prior to his first TAP trip in January 2025. Jack has spent over a decade supporting various community service efforts such as affordable home building, back to school drives, free sports camps, and food drives. TAP aligns with Jack's current interests, serving not only at a national level but an international level as well. Jack currently lives in Charlotte, NC, working professionally as an IT Project Manager. Prior to his current profession, Jack played professional football for 4 years. Jack enjoys traveling, reading, working out, and spending time with family and friends. With both parents being Kenyan, Jack looks forward to supporting TAP with providing sustainable improvements in communities all over the world.

heather hood

Heather made her first trip to Haiti in 2010 with Soles for Souls. Inspired to return she connected with an orphanage in Port Au Prince and started the first of her Project Grace dance camps. The camps grew into a nonprofit organization and made frequent trips to Haiti. The political climate has made travel there impossible since 2020 and while researching a Jamaican  location to continue Project Grace, the connection was made with Tonja and Travel With a Purpose. It is with excitement and anticipation of new adventures, Heather joins the board of TAP. 

In addition to running Project Grace Haiti with her daughter Jhane, Heather does freelance wardrobe work in the Theatre and is also a trained death doula. Heather currently  resides in Birmingham Alabama.