Bev Pomering is the founder of the Live R.E.A.L. Foundation. Her passion to make a difference was born out of the death of her son Alex on August 28, 2019, just 4 weeks shy of his 21st birthday, from fentanyl. 
She thought she was drug savvy and would know if her sons were using substances... well, she was wrong. Bev & her husband Terry were unaware of Alex's opioid addiction until the Sheriff Deputy came to the door to say her son was at the hospital and we better go soon because he doesn't know his condition after being brought back from a heroin overdose.

With that blow came an overwhelming sense that communities needed the same education she did but there was no one giving it so, Bev did what Bev does, she started a grass-roots charity to bring education and awareness of the real epidemic of people dying from opioids at an exponential rate.

Bev lives in Northern Illinois with her husband of over 25 years, Terry. They raised Alex & their younger son Jason in the same communities they themselves grew up in. This is home, this is their passion, this is life.

Greetings, I have served in the Hospitality Industry and the Corporate Environment for over 40 years, working with a diverse customer base from around the Globe. I am a detailed corporate planner and organizer, a hospitality host, and a dependable work partner. I currently help people in the community with their Real Estate needs as a Keller Williams agent with "The Weiser Choice''.  I mentor teenagers as a volunteer with my local Church Youth group serving 6th grade through 12th grade on a weekly basis.

I prayed and searched for another way to serve others that have faced similar life experiences as my family.  Our story of opioid loss started March 2, 2019. My son Conrad and I were meeting my bonus son Joshua for a men's Iron Sharpen Iron, conference at a local Church.  We had spoken to Joshua the night before around 10 PM to confirm his attendance at the event but Joshua never showed that morning. Needless to say Conrad and I were disappointed, assuming that he had chosen not to attend. Later that day we heard the shocking news, Joshua had passed away early that morning.  It was eventually reported that the Coroner found traces of fentanyl in his bloodstream.  What a tragedy for our Son, our family and friends! 

I really connected with “Livin’ R.E.A.L.” after hearing Bev's story and her mission with the Live R.E.A.L. Foundation.

Godspeed, Wayne

Brad Schreiner is a retired Pastor who served in various roles in two churches for 18 years.  During that time he served as a Youth Pastor, Adult Ministries Pastor and Executive Pastor.  Prior to that he worked in the banking industry for 14 years.  He has been married to his wife Val since 1986 and they have three adult children, two of whom are married.  Brad enjoys travelling with his wife, biking, and model railroading.  Having worked with youth and ministry over many years, he became aware of many people who struggle with addictions of various kinds and their mental health.  This gave rise to his desire to join the Go Live REAL team to try to make an impact in our community.

Felicia Konaszewski is a mom of two boys, Ethan and Thomas.  She takes joy in raising her family with her husband of ten years, Christopher Zawada.  She loves doing everything with them!  From going to the beach to playing Mario Kart, she is always up to something fun!  Besides her family, her other passions are gardening, cooking, bike riding, playing the piano, spending time in nature, reading, dancing, writing, doing yoga, and traveling.  She is the owner of Storybook Shots Photography and also works from home as a childcare provider.  Once Felicia found out about Live R.E.A.L. she knew she wanted to be a part of it!  After losing her little brother to an overdose a few years ago, she knew this would be the perfect way to honor his memory while helping to spread awareness, support, and love to the community! She is looking forward to getting her hands dirty in the community garden and to helping with all of the wonderful projects and events Live R.E.A.L works on!

Valerie Schreiner has over 35 years of business experience, 20 of which have been in educational technology. She is currently an Industry Advisor for the Private Equity firm Warburg Pincus as well as the President of her own EdTech consulting firm.  Prior to that, she was both Chief Product Officer and Chief Marketing Officer at Turnitin, where she was accountable for sales pipeline development, product revenue, profit, and client satisfaction for Turnitin’s SaaS subscription software products.  During her time at Turnitin, she was also the Executive sponsor for the Mental Health Employee Resource Group (ERG).

 Previously, Valerie was CEO of VeriCite, an anti-plagiarism software company acquired by Turnitin in 2018. Earlier in her , Valerie held senior roles at Blackboard (learning management systems), Schoolzilla (school data warehousing), and Elluminate (virtual classroom) — all of which are SaaS subscription solutions for secondary and higher education.

 Valerie serves on the Board of Directors of Wall Family Enterprise, a Madison-based family portfolio company.   She previously served on the board of directors for Schoolzilla, which was acquired by Renaissance Learning in 2019. She is also a member of Women in Technology International (WITI) and a frequent speaker at education conferences and events, including Women in Education, Amazon’s AWS Imagine, Educause, ISTE, and IMS.

 Valerie is passionate about mental health care and finding solutions to substance abuse.   Working with students, educators and church members, she knows that there is more that needs to be done to educate the public and end stigma.    She’s excited about the chance to support Live REAL’s mission and vision in our local community.

Sherry has over 25 years of experience in the accounting market. She is currently the Senior Accountant at Fidelity National Information Services.
Sherry is a life-long resident of Ogle County, Illinois. She is married to Bryan and they have raised two sons, many dogs, cats, fish and flowers. Sherry has a passion for helping people with mental illness and substance addictions.