THE VARNER FOUNDATION'S 3 PILLARS
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ABOUT US
John & Fredericka Remus believed in fresh starts. In the early 1900s, they packed up their family, left Cleveland and went west in search of opportunity. They planted roots in rural Nebraska where the family lived in a dirt dugout while John and his sons built their family home by hand. The homestead has been enjoyed by six generations.
The home has undergone an extensive renovation
and opened its doors to provide shelter
to survivors in 2024.
Board of Directors
Ranae Calvert
President
Ranae Calvert is the founder of Homestead Refuge. She is a former insurance executive with P&L responsibility. Semi-retired, Ranae serves as the Director of Strategic Business Solutions for Delta Dental of Iowa. She was raised in Nebraska and currently resides in Arizona.
Wendy Nutt
Secretary
Wendy L. Nutt is the Senior Vice President – Labor Strategy for MGM Resorts International in Las Vegas, Nevada. Wendy earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Bethany College in Lindsborg, Kansas (Cum Laude, 1988) and her Juris Doctor degree from Valparaiso University School of Law in Valparaiso, Indiana (Summa Cum Laude, 1991). She is originally from Nebraska and currently resides in Nevada.
Jody Babcock
Treasurer
Jody Babcock is a seasoned accountant with over 30 years’ experience. She is currently employed by Delta Dental of Iowa as Director of Accounting. Jody is formerly from Nebraska and currently resides in Iowa.
Glenda Bierfreund
Director
Glenda Bierfreund recently retired after 33 years as a teacher of the Blind and Visually Impaired and a Certified Orientation and Mobility Specialist. She is originally from and continues to reside in Nebraska.
Stephanie Savely
Director
Stephanie Savely is the president and founder of LYFT Learning and the creator of Life Skills Reimagined, an online program to teach life skills to youth and adults working towards self-sufficiency. She is originally from Nebraska and resides in Tennessee.
Rev. James Peterson
Director
James Peterson graduated from Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska and completed a Master's of Divinity from Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He currently serves as the pastor at St. John's Lutheran Church in Curtis, Nebraska.