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Staff Biographies
Summer Derwald: Care Coordinator/Exec. Assistant
Summer Derwald, Care-Coordinator and Executive Assistant at Daybreak Ministries, is a native Buffalonian with a passion for her local community. Summer was active in community outreach as early as middle-school, and became a trained advocate for women during her undergraduate at Franciscan University of Steubenville. She is now working full time in the Williamsville area, and feels incredibly blessed to be part of an organization whose mission is to support women in need. As Care Coordinator, Summer will guide new clients in the intake process. Depending on a woman’s needs, Summer will direct her to free or low-cost resources and serve as a companion in the process of self-advocating and healing. These resources include health care services, mental health services, government assistance programs, and compassionate adoption referrals. Summer also carries out our social media and community outreach initiatives, which support women in need.
Mark Young, MBA: Founder and President
Mark's Prolife Journey
Mark began working in prolife advocacy by volunteering as a sidewalk counselor in the Buffalo, New York area. He was actively involved in several pro-life activities in the 1990s and remained connected to the movement over the years. While attending a church in Tonawanda, New York, he began working with a family that had taken in young expectant mothers. Then, he and his wife started hosting young women as well, and followed them through the births of their babies. This was the birth of Daybreak Ministries. For various reasons, the ministry paused for many years until Mark envisioned resurrecting it. Through his MBA program at Houghton University, he developed a strategic plan to restart, and upon graduating in Summer 2024, Daybreak Ministries was incorporated in New York and started operating in October. Mark’s passion for helping women in crisis pregnancies and the unborn is grounded in passages of scripture. One that resonates the most is Psalms 139:13-15, describing God’s creating life in the womb. The implication is that life must be protected, and Mark has devoted his life to ensuring this noble cause.
Rev. Marsha J. Wenhold - Board Secretary
A favorite verse of mine comes from Isaiah 49, “Yahweh called me before I was born; from my mother’s womb he pronounced my name.” Jerusalem Bible. I’ve always known that it means just as it says. Also, Psalm 139:14 tells us, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” New International Bible. In both, we are shown that God is very present, even before our beginnings in life. For my whole life, I have embraced this truth. God created each of us exactly as we are. I have also tried to follow Jesus’ words in Matthew 25, where we are admonished to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, invite strangers in with hospitality, clothe those in need, and visit the prisoners. These all relate to women in our time who are in a place of indecision regarding their pregnancy, and where some have gone by the route of abortion; others understand at some level that to make such a decision is not right for them. And yet they need to turn to someone, anyone, to help. In my own life, I have met people with great need, including the learning impaired of every level, many with serious physical disabilities. There have also been those who needed help with our native English. Most recently, I have worked closely with elders in various stages of dementia as their Chaplain, where I provided all aspects of spiritual care. I have had two close friends in my life who were faced with medical doctors recommending that to have abortions. One had a serious illness and was advised that the child might die in utero; the other, after having DNA tests during her pregnancy, was told that her child had Down’s Syndrome. Both women made very wise decisions not to follow their doctor’s advice. One child was put up for adoption. The other has grown up to be a beautiful, caring person. Recently, my brother, Mark Young, who has been an anti-abortion activist in the past and who continues to be committed to that cause by creating a place where any woman who faces the sensitive questions of whether to keep a child or to terminate its life, has begun a new ministry. He has called me into service with him at Daybreak Ministries, Inc. as Secretary, and I am more than happy to be working alongside him. Jesus calls us to serve all who are in need, and I continue to pray for the success of Daybreak Ministries, Inc.
Peter Young- Treasurer
I love the verse in Luke 1:41 because it demonstrates life in the womb, and how a baby is exquisitely sensitive to external “forces”. In this verse, the baby reacts physically by leaping at the sound of a voice outside of the womb. The baby is also spiritually sensitive to the person, Jesus, in the other woman's body. This is clear evidence that stands in contrast to the lie of the world that this “thing” is not really a baby and is considered unworthy until it is born. They use the term fetus to disparage and dehumanize life in the womb, but they don’t know that it means “young, still in the womb”. I believe that life is sacred. The DNA of the new baby is distinct and unique relative to the parents’ DNA. The baby is created in the image of God, and we need to do everything we can do to promote life and support mothers in need. This needs to be done with grace, compassion, and mercy.
Daybreak Ministries embodies the core values of grace, compassion, and mercy. I am so glad that my brother, Mark Young, birthed this ministry from his heart after a period of being “young, in the womb”. I will use my talents of financial management to support this essential work, and pray that God will grow us 30/60/100 times. Currently, I am the CFO of a large Physical Therapy company in WNY, and I am blessed to be part of a vital ministry that promotes and supports life.