Our Story
A friendship shaped by family, care,
and shared experience.
Barbara’s Buddies was founded on belief that older adults carry a lifetime of skills, talents, and experiences—and they deserve meaningful ways to share them. Yet as people age, opportunities to connect with others based on shared interests often shrink. Retirement, health changes, or smaller social circles can unintentionally leave older adults feeling less valued, even though they continue to have much to offer.
Our match based model was created to change that. We pair older adults and volunteers through shared interests—such as music, travel, languages, careers —so that older adults can lead with their strengths. These thoughtful matches turn scheduled visits into genuine friendships, where older adults are recognized as teachers, mentors, and contributors. At Barbara’s Buddies, matching isn’t a logistical step. It’s the foundation of purposeful connection, ensuring that every relationship feels natural and reciprocal.
The organization is deeply personal for founders Debby and Karen, longtime friends who were inspired by their mothers—both named Barbara—now in their late 80s. As they age, the desire of the two Barbaras to continue to contribute never faded. Karen and Debby created Barbara’s Buddies to honor that spirit and to ensure that older adults have opportunities to stay engaged, purposeful, and connected.
Professionally, both founders are attorneys. Debby is the founder and senior partner at Cochran Law Group in Tysons, Virginia, assisting individuals, families, and business owners with estate and tax planning. Karen recently retired as Senior Counsel in the Legal Division at the Federal Reserve Board.
Our Executive Director
Jena Olsen has more than twenty years of experience working with older adults, including in the senior living and community services industry. Most recently, she served as the Director of Resident Engagement at The Mather, a life plan community in Tysons VA, where she led a team of professionals to bring a wide variety of wellness programs, transitions support, and community operations to the residents as well as oversaw a Fairfax community senior center. Prior to that, she was the Director of Memory Support at Westminster at Lake Ridge.
In the course of her extensive work, Jena also has launched and managed several memory support programs for seniors, including a start-up social day program. Jena holds a master’s degree in Clinical Exercise Physiology and a bachelor’s degree in Rehabilitation Science. She is also a certified dementia practitioner and trainer.
Our Program Manager
Sara Cantrell Lahpong is a nationally recognized art therapist and licensed professional counselor who has worked with diverse populations across the lifespan, including pediatric oncology patients, young adults with Down syndrome, and older adults in community spaces and residential care. Most recently, she worked as an Art Therapist & Creative Arts Manager in a life plan community, where she established and ran the art therapy program. She now brings that experience to a broader community focus as Program Manager at Barbara’s Buddies, where she builds community partnerships and develops new programs that connect people across generations. She is driven by a commitment to person-centered care and a passion for filling social gaps often left unaddressed.
Board Members
Barbara’s Buddies was founded by longtime friends Debby Donick Cochran and Karen Appelbaum Gordon, both attorneys. As their own mothers—both named Barbara and now in their late 80s—continued to seek ways to give back, share their talents, and stay connected to their communities, Debby and Karen saw something powerful: aging doesn’t diminish purpose.
Witnessing their mothers’ desire to contribute and stay engaged sparked the idea for Barbara’s Buddies. They envisioned a program that honors the wisdom, creativity, and lived experience older adults carry—and creates meaningful opportunities for them to share it. Their goal is to ensure that every older adult feels valued, purposeful, and connected through relationships built on shared interests and genuine friendship.
Sari Levinson Raskin is the founder of Calm & Order, a concierge, one-on-one service that helps individuals and families organize essential legal, medical, financial, and personal information into one secure, accessible system, so loved ones aren’t left searching during a crisis. Through personalized consultation and a secure online vault, she brings order and peace of mind to life’s most important information.
Sari draws on more than two decades in the philanthropic sector, where she built a reputation as a strategic, entrepreneurial leader supporting nonprofits and donors alike. Most recently, as Vice President of Grants and Community Leadership at the Community Foundation for Northern Virginia, she directed millions of dollars in grantmaking and led capacity-building initiatives across critical need areas, including older adults aging in place, education, and mental health. Earlier in her career, as Director of Engagement & Programs at Dallas Social Venture Partners, she guided donor engagement and nonprofit capacity building, liaising between donors, entrepreneurs, and nonprofits to strengthen organizational impact.
She holds a BSW from the University of Texas at Austin, an MSW from the University of Maryland, and a Certificate in Nonprofit Management from the Center for Nonprofit Management in Dallas. Beyond her professional roles, Sari served on the board of Sunflower Bakery from 2015-2023, founded the T’micha giving circle, coached giving circles for Amplifier Giving, and continues to serve as an annual reviewer for the Catalogue for Philanthropy. Sari lives in Potomac, MD with her husband Adam, and they are the proud parents of three adult children and a new son-in-law.
Vanessa Bishop, the founder and president of Elder Care Consultants, Inc., is the current Board chair for Barbara’s Buddies. Her company has been providing care management for older adults in the Washington, DC area since 2001. Before establishing Elder Care Consultants, Vanessa served as a social service director for a long-term care/skilled nursing facility in DC and Maryland. Vanessa frequently speaks on issues relating to aging life care management and serves as an expert witness. She is a licensed clinical social worker, a certified care manager, and a certified advanced social work case manager.
Interns: University of Maryland School of Public Health
Kirsten Baier is interning with Barabra’s Buddies as part of her master’s in health administration at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Health. Kirsten is currently the Vice President of the Johns Hopkins Howard County Medical Center Foundation where she is responsible for planning, managing and executing all development functions to benefit JHHCMC. Kirsten is a seasoned development professional with more than 20 years of experience directing philanthropic, institutional, and major gift campaigns for health and research-based non-profits.
Kirsten received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland and a master’s certificate in fostering inclusion and diversity from Yale School of Management. She is also an AmeriCorps alumnus. In her free time, she enjoys sculpting, hiking, yoga and traveling with her family.
Taylor Young is a graduate student at the University of Maryland, College Park, pursuing a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Practice and Policy. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Public Health Science from the University of Maryland in 2024, graduating with a 3.7 GPA, and previously earned an Associate degree in General Studies from Valencia College.
Taylor currently works at Luminis Health, where she has gained valuable experience in healthcare administration, patient communication, scheduling, insurance coordination, and customer service. She is also completing an internship with Barbara’s Buddies, a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing social isolation among older adults through meaningful connections, community engagement, and wellness programming. Through her internship, Taylor supports community outreach and helps build partnerships with senior living communities and organizations that serve older adults.
Taylor is passionate about improving access to healthcare, advocating for underserved populations, and helping individuals overcome barriers to receiving quality care and resources. Through her graduate education, internship, and professional experiences, she continues to strengthen her skills in public health leadership, healthcare management, community engagement, and policy, with the goal of making a meaningful impact on the health and well-being of the communities she serves.