Sarah Tirimacco, DC: Sarah has enjoyed the last 11 years in beautiful Upstate New York with her husband, Mike. They are both chiropractors and own a private practice in Brighton. She received her BA from the University of Western Ontario in London, ON, Canada and her doctorate from New York Chiropractic College in Seneca Falls, NY. While in her senior year of high school, she lost her father to a rare form of eye cancer. Her world came crashing down at the age of 17 and she was left with her 13 year old sister by her side as they began to navigate life without their father. At the time her mother would have done anything to have an organization like Dreams from Drake by her side. This organization will now and forever be an important part of the grieving process for so many families in the Rochester community and Sarah is honored to be a part of it.

Kristi Cowell-Kusak, M.D.: Kristi is a primary care physician, wife, and mother of three girls as well as pediatrician and dear friend of the Pettit family.  A Michigan native with degrees from the University of Michigan and Michigan State University, she moved to Rochester to complete her Med-Peds residency training.  It is here that she met her husband, began her primary care career, started a family, and came to know the entire Pettit family. Although recently relocating to Chicago, she continues to support the mission of Dreams from Drake, continuing her passion for community service. She’s always been an active member organizations that support children and families including U of M’s Dance Marathon, AmeriCorps, and URMC’s PLC-CARE Track program.  Dreams from Drake provides an opportunity for her to share her passion for children, families, health, and providing services to those in need. Contact Kristi at [email protected].

Jaime Erskine-Pettit: Jaime is the co-founder and co-chair of Dreams from Drake. She is a mother of four children, Trevor, Delaney, Drake and Tiernan, and two foster children, Amanda and Steven. She is the wife of Brian and a Physician Assistant for Unity Hospital Parkridge Chemical Dependency. She was born in California and raised in Rochester. She received her B.S. from Daemen College and her M.S. from the University of Nebraska as a Physician Assistant. She is thankful for all the support her family received from family, friends, colleagues, and the community. Dreams from Drake was developed to offer that same support to other children and families dealing with the loss of a sibling or parent. Contact Jaime at [email protected].

Haverly Erskine: Haverly is the co-chair and co-founder of Dreams from Drake. She is the proud (and obsessive!) aunt of nine nephews and two nieces, including Drake Ross Pettit. She owns a small business dedicated to small business marketing and content development, and she coaches a team of budding entrepreneurs who are as passionate about having a “Plan B” as they are about taking care of their mental and physical well-being. She studied public relations at Syracuse University and has a master’s degree in educational leadership from the University of Rochester. She divides her time between Rochester, NY, and Knoxville, TN where she helps her father who courageously battles ALS. Her sister is her best friend, and they talk about 26 times a day. Contact Haverly at [email protected].

Meredith Rossborough: Meredith is a Speech-Language Pathologist with UR Medicine Homecare where she had the pleasure of being a co-worker of Drake’s father, Brian Pettit. She has been tremendously impressed by the entire Pettit family’s ability to turn their pain into a positive source for healing for themselves and for others by founding Dreams from Drake. In 2023, Meredith joined the board to assist in on-boarding new families and to lend a hand wherever help is needed. She continues to be awed by the people she has met through Dreams from Drake events. Meredith was raised in New Rochelle, NY and received her BS in Speech and Hearing from Elmira College and her MA in Speech Pathology from SUNY Geneseo. She lives in the Rochester area with her husband Don and her dog. A proud mother of adult children Will and Elizabeth, Meredith enjoys camping, travelling, gardening , hiking and painting in her free time. Contact Meredith at [email protected].

Kyle Omphroy: Kyle is a Project Manager at Gannett (the parent company of the Democrat and Chronicle and USA TODAY) and graduated from Columbia College Chicago in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in Interactive Arts and Multimedia. He’s been with Gannett for ten years and has won several awards including two AP awards. Kyle was born and raised in the Rochester area and enjoys supporting the Greater Rochester community. Contact Kyle at [email protected].

Trevor Pettit: Trevor is an undergraduate student at the University at Albany studying Political Science with a concentration in American Politics. He is the oldest of six children, including angel Drake. In 2023, he proudly joined the board of directors to give back to the organization that had helped him channel his grief safely and productively. Trevor enjoys working with the other board members to organize and coordinate activities from behind the scenes. He uses grief as a catalyst to help those going through a loss like he suffered when he was seven years old. Trevor works part-time as a lifeguard and a birthday party leader. When he isn’t studying, Trevor enjoys playing tennis, building Star Wars Legos, fishing with friends, grilling on his smoker, and eating those baby back ribs with his family.

Ashley Pinkeney, LMFT, CT: Ashley is a native Rochesterian and lifelong traveler who is always searching for the next adventure. She currently is the Pediatric Bereavement Coordinator at Golisano Children’s Hospital and Intern Coordinator/Group Therapist at The Healing Connection, a mental health clinic that specializes in the treatment of eating disorders in Rochester, NY. Ashley earned her bachelor’s degree at St. John Fisher College and earned her master’s degree in Marital and Family Therapy at University of San Diego. Her practicum experience as a bereavement counselor at San Diego Hospice and Palliative care sparked her passion for working with bereaved families, and she has been committed to providing quality counseling to families in need. Ashley’s honored to serve on the board with other people who are just as passionate about serving the needs of grieving children and families. Contact Ashley at [email protected].

Laura Metzger: Laura was born and raised on Long Island, NY. She received her bachelor’s degree at the State University of New York at Buffalo and her MBA from the University of Phoenix. Laura has been in banking for over 15 years, originally with KeyBank for the first 14 years of her career. Laura then moved to M&T Bank in 2021 as a Vice President, Treasury Management Consultant for Rochester Middle Market and Commercial Real Estate. She lives in Rochester, NY with her husband and three children. Laura can be reached at [email protected].

Lindsay Tomidy: Lindsay is a very proud mother to an amazing little boy, Declan and two doggies. Her and her husband, Nick, enjoy traveling and family time. Lindsay was born and raised in Rochester and graduated from the College at Brockport. She has many years experience as a marketing professional with print, digital, and TV experience, and she loves giving back to the Rochester community through Dreams from Drake. She was drawn to help grieving children, as she lost her older brother suddenly at the age of 12. She feels passionately that no child should feel alone through this loss. Contact Lindsay at [email protected].

Julie Ann Wilson: Julie Ann is all about family and friends. She also has five amazing godchildren, including Drake.  She has a master’s degree in liberal studies from Nazareth College and is a physician support specialist at the University of Rochester Medical Center.  She has Type 1 Diabetes and leads a support group for women with diabetes through DiabetesSisters.  She also writes a blog about living with Type 1.  She was born and raised in Rochester, and she travels wherever and as often as she can.  She also enjoys reading, gardening, wine and brewery tours, and attending or watching sporting events with her fiancé. Contact Julie Ann at [email protected].  

Our Drake Ross Pettit

Drake Ross Pettit went to Chuck-E-Cheese every year on the exact day of his birthday with his family!

His fourth birthday was no exception. With a cup full of tokens, Drake was off to play all the games and ride every ride he could.

Drake would share his tokens with his three other siblings, making sure that everyone got a piece of the fun!

At the end of his day at Chuck-E-Cheese, Drake had earned enough tickets to pick out a cool toy to take home with him; he picked out a lamp that continuously changed colors!

Because Drake loved sharing, he let each of his sibling’s take a night where they could keep the lamp in their room! Once again, sharing is caring.

 The Pettit Family with Drake Ross

Jaime and Brian Pettit are amazing parents who value nothing more than investing all their time and energy in to their children. Their four children, Trevor, Delaney , Drake (forever 4), and Tiernan, are their lives. Jaime and Brian spend their time helping others either at work or through volunteer opportunities. Their children are involved with karate, dance, baseball, soccer, piano, religious education, and art.

The Pettit Family with Drake Ross in Spirit and the Introduction of ROY

To represent the idea that Drake Ross Pettit is always with them in spirit, the Pettit family never takes a family picture without Roy, the rainbow-colored sock monkey featured in Delaney’s hands and pictured below. Roy travels everywhere with the family, including vacations, soccer games, birthday parties, all holiday events, recitals, and much more. Wherever the family goes, Roy goes. He is featured in almost every Pettit family picture, and everyone in the Pettit/Erskine/DiNitto family carries their own Roy with them to represent Drake’s spirit. Drake is and will be always with our families.

How did Roy get his name? Drake LOVED rainbows. He always thought they were so beautiful because they had so many colors. He also LOVED sock-monkeys. He slept with at least one every night. The rainbow-colored sock monkey is a perfect representation of two of Drake’s favorite things, and since it travels everywhere with the family, it needed to have a name! Trevor decided on Roy, short for Roy G. Biv, the acronym used to describe the sequence of colors that make up a rainbow.