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Staff Directory
Here at First Step First Love, we are fortunate to have staff passionate about our youth’s well-being. Each of our staff is supported as they stay up to date with the latest research and best practices in youth development. We also work with the Kansas Department for Children and Families which provides state pieces of training to provide staff professional opportunities. This training prepares our staff to work effectively with our youth and their families.
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Meet Our Director
Mr. Darrick Gray
My name is Darrick Gray, and I am the owner/director of First Step First Love. I began my journey in this field teaching Sunday school for the church. I went on to run a program for youths in Oklahoma, did mental health work, worked for Starkey, worked with children in schools, and eventually opened my own business dealing with behavioral kids. I have over 20 years in this business working with youths.
My goal is to provide a safe facility for the youths to be able to feel like this is home instead of being locked up, provide them access to go out in the community to do things they would normally do in a family, and implement a plan for them to be able to either get adopted or reintegrated back home to their families.
Over the years of working with youths, it has been a journey to see the challenges these kids face on a day-to-day basis. Being a role model and setting the foundation needed for these youths to transition back into their normal lives and out of the system is my mission.
Outside of working with the youths, I am the assistant pastor for my church. I enjoy spending time with my family and my hobbies are fishing, hunting, and golfing.
316-214-5172
Meet Our Manager
Ms. Tuesdea Welch
My name is Tuesdea Welch, and I am the Manager at First Step First Love who believes in the power of providing a safe place for the youths as well as giving them guidance, and structure, and teaching them daily living skills needed to help them in their lives. I began my journey in being a Direct Care Worker by meeting Darrick Gray, the owner of First Step First Love at my previous employment. We spoke about his plans of opening a group home for troubled teenage boys which piqued my interest and I wanted to help make a difference in these boys’ lives.
When I started working with the youths here at First Step First Love, I felt like this was the perfect job for me as I always enjoyed helping people. Being able to help kids that have come into the system because of their own behaviors or because of no fault of their own has been very rewarding to me as I continue this journey with the youths. My biggest accomplishment to date has been being a positive adult female figure who provides structure, guidance, communication, and empathy to the youths and seeing the ones who followed their program plan be able to go back home to their families and or get adopted out of the system.
316-749-9548
