Helping
Santa Clarita Thrive…
One Life at a Time.
At SCV Thrive & Connect, we believe everyone deserves whole-person care and real connection, because no one should face life’s challenges alone.
ABOUT SCV THRIVE & CONNECT
OUR MISSION
SCV Thrive & Connect brings together the Santa Clarita community, local churches, and service providers to connect people with the resources and relationships they need to thrive physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
OUR VISION
A Santa Clarita Valley transformed by
churches and the community working together so every person has the whole-person support
they need to thrive.
WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO
In Santa Clarita, many face crisis, isolation, or instability, without knowing where to turn. We exist to change that. Through strategic partnerships, Christ-centered care, and practical resources, we walk with our neighbors from crisis to stability, and from surviving to thriving.
OUR COMMITMENT TO YOU
INTEGRITY
We serve with honesty, transparency, personal and professional responsibility.
HUMILITY
We serve by listening well. We seek to continually learn and improve.
CARE
We express respect and compassion through our words and actions.
ROOTED IN
SANTA CLARITA
We’re not just serving this community, we’re part of it.
We’re deeply committed to seeing our neighbors thrive.
OUR TEAM
Our team brings decades of experience in healthcare, ministry, social work, education, and nonprofit leadership, all rooted in our deep love for this community and our faith in Christ.
Jennifer Ebenhack — Founder, Executive Director
After years in the nonprofit sector in both Haiti and the United States, Jennifer’s passion to serve others through whole-person care led to the founding of SCV Thrive & Connect. Jennifer holds a master’s degree in Nonprofit Management and Leadership and brings both professional experience and personal insight to the organization’s mission. Throughout ministry, foster care, adoption, parenting children with special needs, and raising eight children with her husband Jarod, she has been strengthened by God’s grace and by connection to His people. Her heart is to help others also find the hope, connection, and support that can make all the difference.
Maxine Underwood — Board Secretary
Maxine, or “Max,” is a registered nurse with B.S.N. and M.N. degrees and has spent more than fifty years serving in the healthcare profession. Throughout her career she has been passionate about patient advocacy, education, and compassionate care. Max and her husband also founded and operated a scientific instrument manufacturing company in Santa Clarita. She is an active member of Grace Baptist Church, and is a committed volunteer with a heart to serve the SCV community. She enjoys exercising, gardening, cooking, and spending quality time with family and friends.
Marybeth Margrave — Board Treasurer
Marybeth serves as Women’s Ministry Director at Faith Community Church, where she is passionate about helping women grow in their love for Jesus and connect through authentic biblical community. She believes the mission of the local church is strengthened through partnerships with ministries like SCV Thrive & Connect, which provide practical opportunities for believers to care for those facing difficult circumstances. Marybeth enjoys leading worship and finds joy in cooking meals and gathering the people she loves around the table.
Kristina Jurkowski — Board Chair
Kristina serves out of a deep desire to live out her faith in practical and relational ways. Compelled by Jesus’ call to love and serve others, she is passionate about creating spaces where people feel seen, cared for, and connected to hope. A season of personal grief in 2020 led her to pursue the spiritual care that provided the encouragement and comfort she now shares with others. Kristina helps lead a women’s ministry at Crossroads Community Church, has experience in both corporate and startup healthcare environments, and has volunteered in schools, nonprofits, and youth sports throughout the Santa Clarita Valley. She is married to her UCLA sweetheart and is blessed with two adult children and one son-in-law.
Jaime Allen — Board Member
Jaime Allen brings a passion for encouragement, ministry, and community connection to her role on the SCV Thrive & Connect board. With a degree in kinesiology, she has long used her love of physical activity to coach and encourage others in a variety of athletic settings. Jaime is actively involved in mentoring relationships and is especially drawn to supporting youth, single mothers, individuals with special needs, and those in seasons of loneliness. She is a licensed realtor and the mother of four young adult children. Through business, nonprofit involvement, and personal relationships, she seeks to create spaces where people feel valued, supported, and encouraged.
Cory Gustke — Board Member
Cory Gustke serves as an elder at Faith Community Church, where he oversees Local Outreach and seeks practical ways to live out Jesus’ command to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31). He is passionate about connecting people in need not only with practical resources but also with genuine relationships and the hope found in Christ. Cory works in the entertainment industry as a producer, writer, and artist. His heart for storytelling and ministry reflect his desire to see people encounter truth, hope, and transformation.
Advisory Board Members
Pastor Dan Broyles, LMFT, Care Pastor, Valencia Hills Community Church
Lonna Gibson, Nonprofit Growth Strategist, Seven & Associates
Emil Heinze, MD, Olive View-UCLA Medical Center
Carl Kanowsky, Esq., Kanowsky & Associates
Mike McGrath, CFP, CLU, CAP, Senior VP, Advisor, Partner, EP Wealth Advisors
Amanda Sattler, PhilD, CFRE, Amanda Sattler Consulting
