Catholic Charities of Lee County

New director brings passion to her work

 

Fort Myers—Ever since the first Earth Day in 1970 when Roseann Albertario was in seventh grade  and mobilized a group of neighborhoods kids in her native New York to clean up trash in a vacant lot, she has been motivated to do her part to leave the world a better place.

 

“I got donations for the trash bags and soda for the kids to drink,” Albertario said. “It felt good to walk by that lot after it was all cleaned up. I realized then that I liked coordinating efforts and seeing the positive results.”

 

Today, Albertario will be using her life-long passion as the new director of all programs and services of Catholic Charities of Lee, Hendry, and Glades Counties. “Social work is so much more than a profession to me. It is my way of life,” she said.

 

Albertario said her exposure to Catholic education as a child taught her the importance of serving others. “My grandparents also were a big influence on me. They were charitable their whole life,” she said.

 

Albertario received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loyola University and a Master of Social Work degree from Tulane University, both in New Orleans. She has more than 20 years of professional experience including working for Catholic Charities of New Orleans, and Charter Glade Hospital and the Children’s Home Society of Florida both in Fort Myers. Albertario also has held a private practice in the Fort Myers area as well.

 

“What attracted me most to Catholic Charities is that we offer a variety of programs that make such a positive difference for people in our community,” Albertario said. “My goal is to let more people know about all the good things that go on at Catholic Charities every day.”

 

One such initiative is to establish a solid working relationship with the faith-based community, Albertario said. “We also will be working with community organizations such as the United Way, the Community Foundation, Lee County, and others to identify the gaps in services that are congruent with our mission and our programs and services.”

 

Programs and services of Catholic Charities of Lee, Hendry and Glades Counties include refugee services, human trafficking, elderly services, food pantries, immigration services, youth tutoring and mentoring, adult education, youth programs, case management, and infant/toddler assistance.

 

“I am very impressed and encouraged by the quality of our dedicated staff and volunteers who roll up their sleeves and really work hard,” Albertario said. “It is very motivating and I plan to take that energy out into the community and show it off. Catholic Charities really is the best kept secret.”

 

For more information about Catholic Charities of Lee, Hendry and Glades Counties, please call 239-334-4007.

 

Photo: Director of Catholic Charities of Lee, Hendry and Glades Counties Roseann Albertario (left) works with Administrative Assistant Lourdes Forste in the food pantry at the Elizabeth Kay Galeana Center in Fort Myers.