Church welcomes three new staff members

The First Congregational Church of Crystal Lake welcomes three new people to its staff. Laura Gaszynski and Sami Dittirch are new co-directors for the church's children's Christian education program. Katie Zeliasz has accepted the newly expanded position as communications coordinator for the congregation.

Gaszynski, who graduated from Northern Illinois University, is a former director and teacher at KinderLearning Centers and, most recently, a teacher at Kumon. Dittrich, who grew up in Cottage Grove, Minn., graduated from Marquette University with a degree in civil engineering. Both have extensive volunteer experience working with children in educational and church settings.

Prior to having children, Zeliasz had extensive experience in marketing and sales. Her degree from Indiana University included majors in telecommunications (design and production) and speech communications (organizational communication).

Currently, she is director of the Cary Mom's Group. In 2003, she was named the Chicagoland Mentor of the Year by the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metropolitan Chicago.