About FirstLight
in Overland Park
FirstLight is About People
We know your first priority when choosing a home care provider is finding someone you can trust and rely on… someone who will care for your loved one as you would. We invite you to read our many outstanding reviews from Google or Facebook and see why we have been recognized both locally and nationally as a premier home care and senior care provider. Meet our local care team!
Michael Brainerd, Chief Executive Officer and Owner
Prior to opening FirstLight Home Care of Overland Park, Michael had served in a number of marketing and consulting positions, where he designed and developed campaigns and programs to promote a range of products and brands – both in higher education and sports management. Michael was born and raised in St Joseph, Missouri and graduated from Missouri Western State University with a B.A. in Business Administration and Marketing.
Several personal experiences lead Michael to opening FirstLight Home Care. He lost three of his grandparents within a four year period, each to debilitating illness and disease – Cancer, Heart Disease and Parkinson’s Disease. Over that four year period he saw the difference home care can make, not only to the person, but to the entire family. In addition to having some wonderful caregivers take care of his grandparents, he also learned not all care agencies are the same and doing your homework is important. Ten years later, a culmination of life events lead him to finally answering the call to walk away from his career in pursuit of starting FirstLight Home Care. He is proud to lead a caring team, passionate about providing the best home care possible for FirstLight clients.
Both FirstLight Home Care offices were opened in partnership with Michael’s business partner (and brother) Andrew Brainerd. In his limited free time, Michael enjoys travel, cycling, golfing, and supporting charitable through his church, and advocating for the homeless and at-risk homeless attain self-sufficiency through housing, education and employment training programs.
Andrew Brainerd, Chief Financial Officer and Owner
Prior to opening FirstLight Home Care of Overland Park, Andrew spent 10 years managing technology platforms for large corporations in the information technology industry. Andrew grew up in St Joseph Missouri and graduated from The University of Texas San Antonio with a B.A. in Business Administration Management. He also holds an MBA from Northwest University with an emphasis in Information Technology Management.
At a young age, Andrew experienced what it’s like to be a family caregiver. In 2005 his grandmother was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. The family arranged for a private caregiver, but eventually moved her into an assisted living facility, where her condition declined quickly. Understanding and coping with these changes at a young age was difficult. To this day, his grandmother’s story is what drove him to open FirstLight Home Care. Being able to have a direct impact on the quality of care people receive is what lead him to FirstLight.
Andrew especially enjoys seeing the results of his business systems and processes in action, and how they have created the exceptional care model at FirstLight Home Care. He takes great pride in giving someone the ability to maintain their independence and “age in place” and remain in their home, while bringing peace of mind to their family. When Andrew isn’t working, he enjoys playing the piano, piloting small aircraft and working on anything mechanical.
Karen White, Human Resources Coordinator and Employee Relations Manager
Karen has over 20 years’ experience in the healthcare industry working as a CNA, administrative assistant and holding various management positions in a variety of care settings, providing care for patients of all ages and conditions. She also worked alongside a physician training KU undergraduate students. Karen gravitates towards seniors but enjoys working with people of all ages.
As a Human Resources Coordinator, she is responsible for recruiting, training and managing caregivers. She works closely with the caregivers, clients, and scheduling team to ensure we make a great client and caregiver match. Karen takes the time to
get to know the clients and caregivers and their needs and expectations with FirstLight and sets a goal to achieve these expectations.
Karen is passionate about her family and loves taking care of others. Karen takes pride in her work and truly believes that every day is an opportunity to help someone. Karen has always been a caregiver at heart, from taking care of her mother after she had a
stroke, her sister who passed from cancer, and providing care to her blind niece. Karen’s greatest joy is spending time with her daughter.
Shelby Littrell, Scheduling Coordinator and Client Relations
Shelby graduated from Northwest Missouri State University with a B.A. in Physical Education. Prior to joining FirstLight, Shelby managed before and after school programs for Pre-K and elementary school students for the Independence School District.
As a Scheduling Coordinator at FirstLight, she’s like a client-caregiver “matchmaker”. She prides herself in making meaningful connections and providing thorough communication with her clients, making sure all their needs are met, and finding that caregiver that is just right for them!
Shelby was drawn to working with those in need of home care, from personal experiences with her father. He had a caregiver for many years come into her own home, to help her father. She observed not only the task-based activities that helped him, but the social and emotional connection and how it benefited his daily outlook. It was also such a relief for her and the rest of her family, knowing that they had extra help. For Shelby there is no better feeling knowing she can help give another family the piece of mind and care that her family was so blessed to have.
In her spare time she enjoys spending time with her dogs Zoey, Honey, Mya, and her family. She has volunteered in local animal shelters, enjoys reading, listening to music, and doing 5k’s.
Ciara Hernandez, Client Care Coordinator
Ciara has extensive experience in non-medical healthcare, in both the at-home and community living industries for seniors, having performed in several roles ranging from hands-on direct care as a CNA, and leading care teams, where she managed scheduling, recruiting and quality oversight.
As a Client Care Coordinator at FirstLight Home Care she responsible for managing new client acquisitions, or the intake process for new clients starting care at FirstLight, guiding them through our services, and addressing any questions or concerns they may have. She facilitates new client starts by accompanying caregivers to the first visit with new clients, and performs quality assurance visits, to ensure our standards for care are met and that client care plans are always up to date. She plays a vital role in staff training and development, helping to ensure that our caregivers are equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to deliver exceptional care.
“As a Client Care Coordinator, I am blessed to be part of a team that is making a meaningful impact in the lives of others every day. I am deeply invested in Dementia education and advocacy. I believe that knowledge is key to improving outcomes for individuals living with dementia, as well as their caregivers. I actively seek opportunities to educate our team members, clients, and the broader community about dementia, its symptoms, and effective strategies for care and support.”
When she’s not busy at FirstLight, she enjoys spending time with her husband and her three children. She has several pets and is an advocate for animal rights and also loves to read in her spare time.
Marissa Bell, Human Resources Coordinator
Marissa graduated from Baylor University with a degree in Psychology and a minor in Spanish. Prior to joining FirstLight, Marissa was a Catholic campus missionary and mentored college students in leadership skills, faith formation, and virtue in everyday life.
As a Human Resources Coordinator, Marissa recruits, trains, and manages FirstLight caregivers with the goal of long-term client satisfaction and caregiver retention. She plays a vital role in identifying top-notch caregivers, aligning their skills with client needs, and ultimately providing them with a work environment in which they can flourish.
“It is my greatest joy to build relationships with our caregivers and to see their professional and personal growth. When making hiring decisions, I ask myself if the candidate is someone I would trust to care for my own grandparents. It gives me purpose to know that our clients are receiving top-quality care from caregivers who treat them with compassion and like their own family members.”
Marissa enjoys spending quality time with her fiancé, Domenic, and her six adorable nieces and nephews. She loves thrift shopping, good conversation, and dogs- especially her two toy Australian shepherds, Romeo and Micho!
Rachel Loewen, Scheduling Coordinator
Rachel is a Wichita State University graduate with degrees in business and music. Prior to joining the FirstLight Home Care team, Rachel’s career was in the music industry, where she spent over 10 years managing a local music school of 30 music teachers and staff, and over 500 students. Her extensive experience in client relations, program & event scheduling, and managing staff is a big add for the FirstLight team.
As a Scheduling Coordinator for FirstLight, Rachel is responsible for managing schedules and developing great relationships with caregivers and clients. She finds immense joy and satisfaction when she’s able to facilitate a great fit and lasting connection between client and caregiver. Her favorite part of the job is connecting with people and hearing their stories.
When Rachel’s not busy at FirstLight, she plays trombone with a community orchestra and she enjoys spending time with her husband, dog, and extended family. She also loves going to concerts, playing disc golf, and hiking.
Kate Phelps, Marketing Coordinator
Kate graduated from The University of Southern Mississippi with a B.A. in Public Health, and is passionate about helping others: mind, body, and soul.
As a Marketing Coordinator, she assists with both customer facing and internal employee marketing initiatives. Kate believes that people should be excited to go work, and our clients should look forward to their visits with our caregivers, so she loves creating art that expresses that! It is one of Kate’s greatest joys to follow up with caregivers after their first client visit and hear about how they connected with their client.
Vision & Mission
At FirstLight Home Care, we envision a world in which all adults may age with comfort, dignity and independence in the place they call home. We exist to help people have their best day, every day. Our mission is to provide compassionate home care so that the families we serve have peace of mind knowing their loved ones are receiving the support they need to enjoy the quality of life they deserve.
Core Values
We live these core values every day, without compromise. It is what we believe in above all else as they guide our home care company and team members to help us achieve our mission.
