APRYL RASHID

Mother to four kids with big personalities, foster and adoptive parent with Andy, her husband of 19 years. Educator, nurturer, believes all people deserve compassion and equal rights.
Likes - Yoga, knitting, reading something she can’t put down, all cats big and small, travel, strong coffee, being on the water, watching her kids dance together.
Dislikes - Materialism, inflated egos, repeating herself, seafood, and clutter.

Apryl believes in living with intention and learning from each person she meets. She began her career as a classroom teacher before transitioning to program management for a Cleveland museum, and spent her free time traveling with her husband. Though she enjoyed her work, becoming a mother and foster parent had always been a major goal in her life. In 2013, she left the workforce to focus on her newly adopted son, and she & Andy entered the world of foster care, becoming licensed as foster caregivers through Cuyahoga County.  After five years, fostering 3 infants, adopting two children and welcoming a biological son, Apryl was ready to invest some time back in the community serving families through Cleveland Angels.

Apryl has been with CA since 2019. She was instrumental in implementing our core programs, and building the relationships needed with local agency partners in the child welfare space to grow the organization. She continues to be passionate about spreading awareness of the particular challenges children with histories of trauma face, and working toward social justice and opportunity for the under-served.

She completed her BA with Honors at Ohio State University in 2003 and her Masters of Education with Honors at John Carroll in 2004. She is a certified yoga instructor, and loves to spend her free time with her family exploring Cleveland.