New Director Attracted to Wheats Community Mission, Times Courier, April 1, 2009

New Director Attracted to Wheat's Community Mission

Times & Courier
April 1, 2009

http://www.wickedlocal.com/clinton/news/x1931054324/New-director-attracted-to-WHEATs-community-mission

James Sheehan, executive director of WHEAT Community Services.

Clinton - James Sheehan says his new role at WHEAT Community Services brings him “back to the basics.”

Sheehan, 60, a former Catholic priest, has dedicated his life to social work, mostly in specialized communities — counseling people with HIV and AIDS in Danvers and Philadelphia, combating substance abuse among gays and lesbians in Pennsylvania and helping men break the cycle of domestic violence and emotional abuse in Western Massachusetts. He will start April 27 as executive director at WHEAT, a broad-based social services agency in local small towns.

He’s already found a home in Clinton and is looking forward to his new role.

“It’s the mission that really attracts me,” Sheehan said Tuesday. “I’m a firm believer in community and the community-based organizations that support the community. In this time of financial crisis, so many of our neighbors are in a financial crisis that we need to step up and help. WHEAT is that kind of organization, and that’s what I want to step up and put my energies into.”

Sheehan now resides in Sunderland, where he’s served since last year as executive director of the Men’s Resource Center for Change in Amherst. Before moving to Western Massachusetts, he led Strongest Link AIDS Services in Danvers for two years; was executive director of the HIV-AIDS support organization SILOAM in Philadelphia and a therapist with the Lambda Recovery Program for gay and lesbian people struggling with substance abuse in Pennsylvania. He was also a priest in Dodge City, Kan., for 17 years.

“I think all of those experiences have taught me, first of all, the kind of things that are needed to make agencies work,” he said Tuesday. “A lot of what I did in the past — HIV-AIDS, substance abuse and domestic abuse — flows out of the issues that WHEAT addresses. People are facing financial difficulties and don’t have a place to live. I’m drilling down to what the basic issues are and can hopefully reduce the instances of what these other things are. I’ve done a lot of work at that community level.”

Sheehan began working as a substance abuse and HIV-AIDS counselor after he left the priesthood, a decision he said stemmed in part from the revelation of sexual abuse by Catholic Church clergy, but also because wanted to do more social work.

“I no longer felt comfortable doing that kind of work,” said Sheehan of priesthood. “Part of my reaction and response was because of what had happened in the church. … I felt that as a trained counselor, I could be doing more, effectively, outside the church. It was time for me to go. It was one of those things I was grateful for my time.”

The Men’s Resource Center for Change, where he works now, offers men an array of classes, workshops and trainings at educational institutions across the Northeast and beyond.

“It was a case of looking at the whole concept of masculinity and redefining them in terms of the developing consciousness of men and women. Specifically, we focused on domestic violence,” said Sheehan, adding, “We run a state-certified batterer’s program. A lot of the men that come to us are involved in domestic violence and emotional, mental and physical abuse. We run support groups for men in a world that changes very rapidly. We also work with young people, particularly young men, and address how it is to grow up in this world and how to interact with women such as coworkers and friends.”

Sheehan is a graduate of St. Joseph’s University in Pennsylvania. He has a master’s degree from St. John’s School of Theology in Detroit and St. Thomas School of Theology in Seattle.

‘Great deal of experience’

Kerry Flathers, WHEAT’s board president, announced Sheehan’s hiring March 27.

“We are really excited to have Jim join us. He comes with a variety of skills and talents. The path of service he has in his places of employment service him nicely for serving as WHEAT’s executive director,” said Flathers Tuesday, also adding in a press release, “He brings a great deal of experience as a case manager, fundraiser, non-profit executive director and advocate.”

The executive director search committee included WHEAT board members and was chaired by Clinton resident and board vice chairman Kathy Veroude.

WHEAT Community Services, located at 123 High St., Clinton, helps low-income individuals, children and families in Berlin, Bolton, Clinton, Lancaster and Sterling through emergency assistance, food and housing programs and education initiatives.

The agency, founded in 1982 as the Wachusett Health Education Action Team, has been without a director since last December, when Mary Olsson stepped down after a little more than seven months on the job. Her predecessor, Jodi Breidel, served from 2002 to May 2008 and is now director of Growing Places Garden Project in Clinton.