Posted on March 2, 2020
20-Year Nonprofit Veteran Tina Chan Sweenie to Boost Awareness of Organization Within Community
Penn-Mar Human Services (Penn-Mar), the region’s leading provider of services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), announced today that Tina Chan Sweenie has been named as the organization’s Manager of Volunteer Engagement. This is a new position for the nonprofit and will support Penn-Mar’s ongoing efforts to provide advocacy for those with IDD while encouraging greater corporate community participation.
Chan Sweenie will collaborate closely with businesses across Maryland and Pennsylvania to help boost exposure for Penn-Mar as companies determine which nonprofits to support during their annual community days of service. Chan Sweenie will also help inspire companies to pursue more opportunities to serve the public and seek out ways to support Penn-Mar’s mission across the region.
“Tina has an outstanding legacy of dedication to nonprofit service,” says Penn-Mar’s CEO Greg Miller. “When we created the manager of volunteer engagement position, it was clear that the person leading the charge had to be a champion of philanthropy. Tina’s passion for community is what makes us so excited she’s leading our efforts to inspire others to be as enthusiastic about volunteerism as she is every day.” Chan Sweenie’s nonprofit career began during her time at Skidmore College work for The Career Awareness Program with The Fresh Air Fund. After graduating, she entered the United States Peace Corps, serving as a Natural Resource Management and Women’s Extension Agent. This was just the beginning of Chan Sweenie’s history of philanthropy. She went on to hold positions with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee, Vision Forward Association, and served as a freelancer for numerous nonprofits in the Hudson Valley. She is also a Franklin H. Williams Award recipient, a prestigious Peace Corps honor that recognizes the outstanding leadership contributions that Peace Corps volunteers of color have made in the area of community service. Even in her personal life, Chan Sweenie serves to improve the community, advocating for greater equality within the local schools her children attend.
“I’m thrilled to be a part of Penn-Mar’s legacy of civility and inclusion,” adds Chan Sweenie. “Diversity within our community is of particular importance to me and the work Penn-Mar does to help people with IDD find true equality in the workplace is really inspiring. I’m honored to be in a position where I can help shine greater awareness on Penn-Mar’s work and find new ways to inspire the local business community to become involved in our mission of transforming life into living.”
About Penn-Mar Human Services
Penn-Mar Human Services’ mission is to transform life into living in ways that promote value, independence, and self-determination. Through meaningful employment, community inclusion, and residential choice, the people we support live a life of purpose and meaning. Innovation and pioneering spirit are the heartbeat of our services. Our approach is unique, empowering, and successful. Founded in 1981, serves nearly 500 adults with intellectual disabilities through its residential, respite, educational, vocational and supported employment programs in northern Baltimore, Carroll, and Harford Counties in Maryland, and in southern York County in Pennsylvania. www.penn-mar.org.