MARK REDMOND CALLS UPON HIS VSB VALUES AND EDUCATION TO HELP THOUSANDS OF AT-RISK TEENS
MISSION SPOTLIGHT
鈥淚t all started at Villanova,鈥� said Mark Redmond 鈥�79 VSB. He鈥檚 reflecting on his career path, which began, traditionally enough, with a business degree from VSB and a management trainee position in New York City. Today, Redmond is the executive director of Spectrum Youth and Family Services, working with at-risk youth in Burlington, Vermont.
鈥淒uring senior year, I read a story in the Philadelphia Inquirer about a guy named Edward Fischer walking home to Philadelphia from Guatemala to raise money,鈥� Redmond said. 鈥淚t made an impression on me. Then, I attended Mass at the Villanova chapel, and there is Edward speaking about that journey; I was transfixed. I really wanted to talk to him, but I didn鈥檛 have the courage then.鈥�
That spring, he completed his degree, accepted a job with an insurance firm and moved to New York. He was all set for a comfortable life in corporate leadership, helping the firm increase assets and market share. 鈥淥ne day I was in a meeting where a senior VP was explaining how we could all help meet the company鈥檚 goal for the next decade of increasing their assets by $1 billion. I realized this was not my life鈥檚 goal.鈥�
Around that same time, Redmond had been recruited by a friend to volunteer at Covenant House in Times Square, which, during the 1980s, was marked by poverty, drug use, and other symptoms of hopelessness and despair. 鈥淏ack then, no one was working with homeless and drug addicted at-risk youth," Redmond said.
"Covenant House recognized the need and got the ball rolling. I was very impressed with their work and figured I could volunteer for a couple of hours a week," Redmond said. "Instead, the director offered me a full-time volunteer position to live there and work with the kids 40 hours a week; the position came with a weekly stipend of $12.鈥�
Remembering Mr. Fischer鈥檚 lessons, Redmond heard the offer as his call to service and worked up the courage to answer. He gave up his management position and his apartment and started working and living at Covenant House. Through his work there, Redmond discovered why 鈥淕od put me on earth鈥� and, nearly 40 years later, he is still hard at work helping kids.
Before joining Spectrum in 2003, Redmond worked with youth organizations in the Bronx and a charter school in Connecticut. He鈥檚 drawn to working with at-risk youth because the teen years are tough for everyone. Providing a safe place and the life skills necessary to navigate the world gives the kids he works with hope to turn their lives around.
Redmond has also experienced heartbreak in his work. 鈥淣ot all the kids make it. We鈥檝e had suicides; a staff member was stabbed and killed. I鈥檝e had 12 stitches in my face. But I am an optimist by nature, I have a very supportive family, and I spend the first hour of my day in meditation and prayer. I focus on how we can succeed.鈥�
Impressive Results
鈥淲hen you become the executive director of a nonprofit organization, it is imperative that you have a working knowledge of finance, marketing, human resources and strategic planning. I took courses in those areas at VSB, and that鈥檚 a big part of why I believe I have succeeded in this role.鈥� 鈥揗ark Redmond 鈥�79 VSB
Impressive Results
When Redmond first joined Spectrum, it was in debt. Today, they provide services to more than 1,500 teens and young adults each year, including a drop-in center, supportive housing, counseling, training and more.
Initiatives include Detail Works, a for-profit auto detailing shop created to teach necessary skills to find and hold a job鈥攐r to complete school鈥� including showing up on time and working with a supervisor and customers. Fundraising efforts include Sleep Out events, winter outdoor sleeping experiences for businesspeople and students where participants experience what it鈥檚 like living on the streets for one night.
鈥淭elling our story and giving people a chance to connect on an emotional level with the realities of what these kids experience every day contributes to our fundraising success,鈥� Redmond said. He noted that many Villanovans have supported Spectrum over the years. 鈥淰illanova is unique in the spirituality and values that are the foundation of the education you receive."