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Staff
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working
together towards a common goal
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| Mary
Beth joined the Samaritan Family as Executive Director in June 2005.
Her job is to stay out of the way in the kitchen, allow the talented
staff to do what they do best and provide management and policy
implementation in support of the Center's mission. |
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Mary
Beth grew up in the foothills of the Adirondacks; her career in human
services brought her east along the thruway from Buffalo to
finally settle in the Syracuse area in 1993. She graduated from Oswego
State University with a BS in psychology and returned there to receive
her MBA in 2000. Mary Beth brings twenty-two years of experience in the
non-profit sector, positions ranging from direct service in the mental
health field to management at the United Way of Central New York.
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| Mary
Beth describes what brought her to the Samaritan Center, and what
brings so many of the Center's volunteers, as a "pull of the heart"; a
desire to make a direct difference in the community, one meal at a time. |
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An
individual who can build relationships, trust, and rapport with almost
anyone; broker relationships and make connections between people,
create partnerships and alliances, and provide the enthusiasm and
motivation to propel momentum forward toward the attainment of a
worthwhile goal with ease...these are just a few words to describe Lori.
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Development Director of the Samaritan Center, Lori "gets things done"
and drives results: through collaboration, partnerships, relationships
and good old fashioned friendship. With infectious enthusiasm, a
genuine smile and always positive attitude, Lori radiates a sincere
passion for the Samaritan Center, its guests and the mission it carries
forth. |
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| Lori's
unique background is a valuable asset to the Center. With
extensive experience in Marketing, Sales, Public Relations, Information
Technology, Customer Service and Television News, Lori has the ability
to assist the Center in a number of important areas. From
designing the website, to coordinating and managing effective
fundraising events, Lori is called upon to perform a wide variety of
duties and meets every task with urgency, diligence and of course, a
laugh and a smile. |
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| Dan
Wade
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Operations
Manager
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| Phone: 315-472-8156 |
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| Dan is
the Emeril Lagasse of the Samaritan
Center. He is responsible for feeding the hundreds of guests that come
down to the center everyday. Along with supervising the daily cooking,
Dan manages all that deals with the kitchen from the inventory to the
invoices, from the roasting to the grease traps. |
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| Dan hails
from the great city of Boston. He
studied at Springfield College to receive a degree in Physical
Education and continued on to receive a master's degree from Bridgeport
University in Physical Education and Kinesiology. Throughout his life,
Dan has been a head high school coach for Baseball, Soccer, Basketball,
and Football, as well as a Science Teacher, and college Baseball coach.
He will tell you that cooking is a hobby (even though he has been
involved with Food Service Management for forty-four years.) Dan is a
sports fanatic, but also enjoys watching old-time movies and spending
time with his sweetie Ida, four children and ten grandchildren. |
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| Brenda
is the enforcer of the Samaritan Center and is the
reason for a smooth meal operation. She assists with the food
preparation, cooking, and distribution of volunteer jobs during meal
service. She is also Dan's right-hand-woman in helping out with
whatever is needed from tedious paperwork, to managing community
services volunteers. |
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| Brenda
is a Syracuse native. She has held numerous jobs in the city such as
Machine Setup Operator at Bristol Meyers Pharmaceutical Company,
Machine Operator at Higbee Gasket Corporation, and Lunch/Support Aide
in the Bellevue Elementary School District. She has managed to hold
these jobs while at the same time raising her five children (Alisha,
Shawna, Billy, Cherelle, and Cherese) and making sure they excel in
school. |
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| Brenda
Mims
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Assistant
Operations Manager
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| Phone: 315-472-8156 |
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| Maryanne
Grady joined
the Samaritan Center staff in April 2004. She is the Office Manager and
Weekend Supervisor. A native "Valley Girl:", she attended the
University of Delaware and majored in Chemistry. Her experiences
include teaching entry level lab classes for DuPont , working with
graduate and post doctoral candidates in research with solar energy and
auditing petroleum pollution for a major refining company. Her love of
cooking (and eating) inspired her to start a catering business in
Syracuse and to work for several other catering companies as well. She
brings energy, enthusiasm and considerable expertise to both of her
jobs. |
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Julie
was adopted into the Samaritan Center family in 2008 as the Guest
Services and Volunteer Coordinator, placed through the Jesuit Volunteer
Corps. After quickly falling in love with the mission of the
Center, she transitioned into the role of Resource and Referral
Specialist in 2010.
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A
Philadelphia native, Julie graduated from St. Joseph's University,
where she studied English, with a concentration in writing.
Julie's position at the Samaritan Center directly addresses its
mission to "promote the dignity, welfare and self-sufficiency" of our
guests. By building relationships, providing direct case
management and networking throughout the community, Julie is able to
provide our guests with the information, linkages and support they need
to create positive change.
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| The
sense of organic community has always been an important part of what
makes Samaritan Center so special, providing a familial, caring
atmosphere for those we serve. This newly created position will
only help further empower our guests as they journey through the
challenges life has presented. |
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| Sara Gardner volunteer@samcenter.org
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| Guest Services and Volunteer Coordinator |
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Phone: 315-472-0650
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Sara
is here at the Samaritan Center as a Jesuit Volunteer placement.
She will be working at the Samaritan Center and living out the
next year in reflection of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps values of
spirituality, community, simplicity and social justice.
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My
name is Sara Gardner and I am the Samaritan Center's friendly new Guest
Services and Volunteer Coordinator! I graduated from the college
of Saint Benedict in May 2010 with my degree in Theology. This
past year I have lived at home with my beautiful mother and spent my
time driving a school bus for elementary school-aged kids. When I
grow up, I would like to be one or more of the following: a writer,
college campus minister, mother, and dessert tester.
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At Samaritan Center, I will be serving as the Guest Services and
Volunteer Coordinator, helping our guests link with supports and
services in the community and coordinating more than 800 wonderful
Samaritan volunteers a month.
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I haven't
been here long, but feel I am quickly becoming part of the Samaritan
Center family. I am looking forward to building relationships
with all the staff and volunteers, and especially the guests. I
certainly have a lot to learn, but I am excited for this opportunity to
grow and become a better version of myself here in Syracuse.
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