Go, Jade, Go!

Tony Dungy is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Quiet Strength and Uncommon. He enjoyed a successful career in the National Football League, winning Super Bowls as a player and as a coach. Tony is involved in numerous charities, including the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and All Pro Dad. He and his wife, Lauren, are the parents of ten children. They are active in the foster parenting community, as both parents and advocates.

Lauren Dungy is the bestselling author of You Can Be a Friend and Uncommon Marriage, a frequently sought-after speaker, and an early childhood educational specialist. She is vice president of the Dungy Family Foundation, an organization committed to strengthening families and helping individuals acquire needed life skills. In addition to being a foster parent with Tony, she works with several agencies in the Tampa Bay area to help raise awareness for the foster care system.

Vanessa Brantley-Newton is a self taught illustrator of more than 80 children’s books. She first fell in love with picture books when she was read the Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats as a child. It was the first time Vanessa saw an image of a brown child that looked like her. Diversity is at the very heart of her illustrations and storytelling. She has written and illustrated three of her own books, Let Freedom Sing, Don’t Let Auntie Mabel Bless The Table and Grandma’s Purse. Vanessa wants every child to know the joy she felt when she saw herself in a picture book. “I want every child to know that I see you.” Vanessa is a lover of music and food. When she isn’t creating children’s Books she is cooking or singing somewhere. She lives in NC with her husband of 25 years and her daughter Zoe.