New director joins St. Anthony Foundation
San Francisco’s St. Anthony Foundation has appointed Shari Roeseler as Executive Director. Roeseler most recently served as vice-president of Resource Development with Mercy Housing California, a provider of affordable low-income housing programs.
St. Anthony’s, an internationally-known and modeled charity, was founded by Franciscan Father Alfred Boeddeker in 1950.
“We are thrilled to have Shari Roeseler lead St. Anthony Foundation into the future,” said Linda Pasquinucci, St. Anthony’s deputy executive director. “As we ramp up to building an up-to-date Dining Room, Shari’s leadership, development expertise, and passion for serving the poor will enable St. Anthony’s to continue to meet the needs of San Francisco’s most vulnerable citizens.”
“St. Anthony’s is a treasured San Francisco institution that has saved many lives and won many hearts,” Roeseler said in some of her first comments about the organization she’ll head. “I am honored to have been chosen to lead this historic and forward thinking nonprofit. It is an honor to have the opportunity to rise with St. Anthony’s to new levels of leadership and service for the poor.”
“These are challenging times for many people, and St. Anthony’s has stepped up to meet the needs of more people than ever before while serving the community’s most vulnerable,” Roeseler said. “This is also a time of tremendous energy and excitement among those who are looking to be a part of St. Anthony’s in building its capacity to make a difference.” St. Anthony’s volunteer base has increased from 8,000 to almost 10,000 in the last 3 years with many giving their time in the soon-to-be-refinished Dining Room according to the foundation.
St. Anthony Board President Clio Tarazi said, “Shari recognizes that people support organizations like St. Anthony’s because they care about the work done and want to be a part of that effort. She knows how to fundraise to people’s passions, and to facilitate people’s relationships with the work that is done in the process. It is a very Franciscan approach to fundraising- to honor the inherent merit of the donor as much as the guest and volunteer, and to create a place where everyone can come to the table and feel valued.”
Roeseler, said, “We have a dedicated staff. Many of them have been here over 10 years and they bring an immense wealth of knowledge and understanding.” Important, too, she said, will be meeting people who take advantage of the St. Anthony programs and spending “a good portion of my initial time here with all of our constituents.”
Roeseler has been familiar with the St. Anthony Foundation for 10 years. “I had the opportunity to learn more about St. Anthony Foundation when I was with Mercy Housing California,” she said. “The two organizations are partnering on a project that will create a continuum of services for St. Anthony’s guests in one location and provide stable affordable housing for seniors in the Tenderloin district.”
Construction of the new St. Anthony Dining Room, while being built on the space occupied by the current refectory, is not expected to interrupt meal service to the current 2,600 guests who arrive for the daily meal seven days a week, said Francis Aviani, St. Anthony’s communications director. “We will be operating an auxiliary Dining Room to get us through the critical construction period,” she noted. “The new Dining Room will have a waiting area and lobby that is approximately 50 to 60 percent larger than the current dining room and therefore we have the flexibility to accommodate 300 seated guests at a time. Currently we have 192 seats.” Cost of the upgraded facility has not yet been determined.
Roeseler, a former Sister of Mercy, has also worked with Yolo County Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Center and Catholic Healthcare West/Mercy Healthcare. “My experience with the Sisters of Mercy was one I will always treasure,” she said. “They really helped to deepen my calling to work with and for the poor.”
Roeseler completed undergraduate work in Social Work, Sociology, and Criminal Justice at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and is completing graduate work in Ethics at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley.
In addition to its hallmark dining room, St. Anthony Foundation offers programs including a free clothing program, a technology lab, residential drug and alcohol recovery program, and a free medical clinic. The organization, which does not accept any federal, state, or local government money for its programs, is entirely funded by private donations.
Clients and dining room guests, especially during the summer are “families, families, families,” said Francis Aviani with some from what has been called the new poor “carrying books, briefcases, and high-end backpacks and wearing shoes that are still in their first or second season.”
This summer St. Anthony’s is working to especially meet the needs of children who are feeling the strains of the economy, Aviani said. Its Free Medical Clinic, which has the only free Pediatric Clinic in the Tenderloin, will see a 35 percent increase in services including vaccinations and check-ups to children so they can attend school in the fall. The St. Anthony’s Free Clothing Program will see a 38 percent increase in children needing back-to-school clothes. And the Dining Room has already seen a 33 percent increase in children coming for meals – children who during the school year rely on school lunches. Donate and learn more at www.stanthonysf.org.
By Tom Burke
From July 16, 2010 issue of Catholic San Francisco.
