FACT welcomes

new director for family resources

?My impression has been that the past directors?Linda Ogden, who started the organization, and Ashley Gann, who just left?have done an amazing amount of work and selfless giving to create a great foundation for someone else coming in to serve.?<p>?Joy Mark, FACT Inc. <p>executive directorJoy Mark is the new executive director of FACT Inc., a non-profit organization that oversees a number of family-related services in Marion County.

FACT, an acronym for Families and Communities Together, is a non-profit organization that serves as a resource for families and individuals needing services.

?I?m interested in (working for FACT) because it?s an opportunity to give back to the community that?s unique from other positions that I?ve had in the past,? Mark said.

Previously, Mark was the chief information officer at Tabor College for five years. Before that, she worked in library and information technology services in Kentucky for 10 years, although she is originally from McPherson.

This is her first time working for a non-profit organization.

?A lot of the skills are similar,? Mark said about her past work experience, ?so I feel pretty comfortable stepping in.?

Her husband, Shailesh, owns Database Management and Consulting Services Inc., which he runs from their home. Their 3-year-old son, Vineet, was part of the reason Mark was interested in working with FACT because of services she received from a similar agency, Parents as Teachers.

Mark heard about the position from a newspaper ad. Even though the application deadline had already passed when she first saw it, she was able to turn in an application and eventually was chosen for the position.

Mark?s first day was Dec. 31. She says her transition has been smooth because of the foundation laid by her predecessors.

?My impression has been that the past directors?Linda Ogden, who started the organization, and Ashley Gann, who just left?have done an amazing amount of work and selfless giving to create a great foundation for someone else coming in to serve,? Mark said.

?It takes a lot of work?a lot of footwork and a lot of people work?to get a name out for a non-profit that?s a service organization, and they have done a wonderful job.?

FACT was founded in 1999 and has expanded over the years due to state and federal grants. It oversees several service organizations in the county, with its primary partnerships relating to substance-abuse prevention and early childhood health and preparation.

?It?s a variety of different responsibilities or assistance that it provides, depending on the group and their particular needs,? Mark said.

For example, FACT partners with local law enforcement or schools to help them sponsor programing about substance abuse through the funds that FACT receives from the special alcohol tax.

FACT also manages the Family Financial Assistance Fund, which assists families in need of basic services like rent, utilities or medical needs.

Looking toward the future, Mark has already begun making plans for her new role.

?One of the things I?d like to look at in the future is a basic marketing effect in (FACT?s) services so that it?s even better known throughout the county and can therefore help more people,? she said. She also plans to sharpen the focus of their services to meet families? needs more effectively.

As she settles into her new office, some of the upcoming things on Mark?s agenda will be to meet with the board at the end of the month to develop her ideas and to tour the 12 towns in Marion County.

Jared Janzen, a Tabor College senior, is an intern at the Free Press during January.

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