Donning a well-earned crown and sash, Marlene Piasecki, MSW, was recently celebrated by her Family Service Association of Bucks County colleagues during a retirement party, which comes after an impressive 23 years with the organization.
“I loved my time at the agency,” she said. “And it was just a nice way to say, not goodbye forever, but goodbye until I see you again in some other way.”
Since beginning her journey with Family Service, a nonprofit social service organization, in 2001, Piasecki, who turned 76 in January, has held nearly every role imaginable. From her initial position as director of development, she transitioned to director of program planning and development, chief operating officer, grants administrator and, upon the sudden passing of longtime CEO Audrey Tucker in 2018, interim CEO.
Previously, Piasecki served as the executive director of a smaller organization that required a lengthy commute from her home in Bucks County. It was when she realized that she needed a change in her career that she discovered Family Service.
“I liked the variety of resources, the fact that there was mental health services, but there was also parent education, there were services for older adults, but there were also programs for persons who were HIV positive,” she said. “And over time, the organization has grown and changed, and added many other services, most notably in recent years, the Emergency Homeless Shelter. I liked the fact that I would be doing an important job to bring resources to an organization that had a wide range of services.”
Regarding the Levittown-based Bucks County Emergency Homeless Shelter, Piasecki was a key player in its success. Working closely with Tucker, a proposal was put together to acquire the shelter and establish it as a Family Service program. Once that happened, Piasecki had two key goals: improving case management to reduce the length of stay and move people into permanent housing, and focusing on renovations.
On the case management aspect, Piasecki explained, “Many people were staying at the shelter when we assumed responsibility for a year or more. Well, that’s not really a shelter, and it’s certainly not the role of an emergency shelter. A shelter is very important for a person at a crisis point in their life. But it’s not a place to live.”
Over the years, more programs, such as nursing support, were added to help people resolve the issues that led to their homelessness. Even as new challenges arise, like skyrocketing costs of rent, the Family Service team works to keep shelter stays short and assist people in finding permanent housing.
As for the renovations, she reflected on how the old kitchen was completely renovated and the broken-down benches outside were replaced, just to name a few of the projects. Ultimately, the shelter had to be a safe, secure and reliable place to live, even just temporarily. Such renovations, as well as the shelter’s daily operations, rely on the organization’s annual gala fundraiser, donations and volunteer support.
It was because of initiatives like these that Piasecki didn’t want to retire when she hit those “magic mid-60s.” She said, “I wasn’t ready. I was glad to stay much longer.”
Still, she’s been preparing for her exit, reducing her hours in recent years to make the transition into retirement less of a shock. Piasecki wanted to stay on just long enough to ensure the next CEO, Julie Dees, had everything she needed to lead the organization moving forward, a promise she made to her late friend and colleague Tucker. It was a collaborative transition, with Piasecki instilling her knowledge and expertise on Dees, and Dees sharing her fresh ideas and vision.
“It’s a partnership in which you are both sharing and learning, so I learned a lot of things from her and I hope that the things I was able to share based on my experience benefited her,” said Piasecki. “I expect to see many new and exciting things happening there under her leadership. I told her that I want to get all the newsletters!”
Dees said of Piasecki, “Marlene’s dedication, leadership and unwavering commitment to our mission have been an inspiration to us all. She has truly made a lasting impact on our organization and the community we serve.”
Despite being retired, Piasecki isn’t slowing down anytime soon. She’s a proud member of the Bucks County Women’s Chorus (she performed the national anthem with the group at a Phillies game mere hours after her retirement party); a volunteer with Soroptimist International of Indian Rock Inc., which provides women and girls with access to the education and training they need to achieve economic empowerment; and a committee member of Bucks County Housing Link, allowing her to stay abreast of what’s happening in housing.
“I want to keep myself busy in many different ways with a focus on the issues that concern me, which are women’s issues, housing issues and then general issues for those in the community that have the greatest needs, but sometimes in Bucks County, they’re not seen,” she said. “I’ve retired from paid work, but I’ve got plenty of unpaid work to do.”
As she leaves Family Service in the hands of the next generation of social service workers, she knows that it will continue to do what it does best: provide comprehensive, integrated care for anyone who needs it.
“Mental health is an issue. But how are you going to have strong mental health, or deal with addiction, if you don’t also have housing? Or if you don’t have positive relationships with your family? Whatever somebody has, just having a one-point approach, just having a place to sleep, not enough. Just having a sandwich, not enough. Just having healthcare, not enough. Just having a medication for your addiction, not enough,” Piasecki said. “It’s when all of those things are integrated that you begin to see a real impact in the community. And that’s where Family Service is going, and that’s the challenge for all its new people. So I’m excited to see them striving in that direction.”
Samantha Bambino can be reached at sbambino@newspapermediagroup.com
