Each quarter we feature an interview with a board member and an employee of Prevention Partnership. Read our interview with Board Member Rosario Pesce and Prevention Specialist, Andrew Thomas.
What is the most rewarding aspect of your work with Prevention Partnership?
Rosario: I feel like I am part of a team, a team where we are all on the same page regarding the important work of prevention.
Andrew: I would have to say the most rewarding aspect of working with Prevention Partnership would be that through this agency I get to do what I love, working with our youth and making an impact on their lives, full time with a staff full of people who truly enjoy working with and for our youth.
How did you first become involved with Prevention Partnership and what excited you most about working with Prevention Partnership?
Rosario: I met Al over 30 years ago as he and I worked with others on some education/training in the area of prevention. Our paths crossed as the high school district in which I worked secured a Safe Schools Healthy Students Community Grant. This energized the Cicero/Berwyn community. In serving on numerous committees with Al, I also sensed comparable energy around the work he and the staff at the agency did and the support given by members on the Board. I was made to feel welcome in the roles I played over the years with the agency and I take it as quite a privilege to now serve on the Board.
Andrew: I was hired August of 2021, and what inspired me to work for the agency was their impact on the Westside Chicago communities through peer leadership and education programs.
What initiatives with Prevention Partnership are you most excited about?
Rosario: I am intrigued by the work of the Heroin Opioid Task Force. In my work in the past, I enjoyed getting out there in the community and being involved directly with families and agencies. Members of the Task Force are taking on the challenges faced by those who are truly in need and wishing to turn their lives around.
Andrew: I am the most excited about the work we will do on the Englewood Plus project with the new schools we have engaged to deliver Youth Prevention Education. Also, I am excited to see what is next with our Westside Heroin/Opioid Task Force, they have been doing amazing work in the community.
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