St. Christopher's Independent Living Employee Wins Award for Role in Youth Development

From St. Christopher's Inc.:

St. Christopher’s, Inc. — a local organization dedicated to helping children with special needs and their families — today announced that Independent Living Services Specialist Mary Sofianos is among the list of individuals, agencies, and philanthropists to receive one of the first-ever New York Nonprofit (NYN) Cause Awards. NYN will honor those who have made a major impact on the most pressing human services issues of New York's nonprofit sector.

“Mary’s drive for excellence and her ability to lead others is impressive,” said Dr. Robert Maher, CEO at St. Christopher’s. “She is passionate and cares about each individual person to make sure they receive support and continue to move forward with their goals. We are so proud of all her accomplishments and thank her for her work.”

In her role at St. Christopher’s, Sofianos develops and runs an Independent Living Program for the agency’s adolescent special needs population, including the organization of off-campus trips and recreational outings exposing the residents to local and surrounding communities.

“I am extremely fortunate to work with an amazing team of talented, dedicated and supportive people who go above and beyond for the individuals we serve at St. Christopher's, Inc.,” said Sofianos. “I find that, especially in the residential treatment field, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and our cohesive functionality promotes greater successes for both our youth and each other.”

Awardees were nominated by their colleagues and have shown leadership in areas ranging from homelessness to food justice to support of the overall sector. They will be honored at a breakfast at The Capital Grille on November 2.

Since its inception in 1881, St. Christopher’s has helped teens with emotional, behavioral and learning disabilities by providing a residential program encompassing comprehensive therapeutic, social and family services coordinated with special education schooling.

Photo courtesy of St. Christopher's Inc.