Compass for Kids has hired two staff members for newly created
positions as part of the organization’s expansion.
Virginia Colletti is serving as the coordinator of the new youth
leadership development program, which will allow Compass to expand services to
older students. Colletti previously worked as a teacher in the Ball-Chatham and
Springfield school districts, as well as with Girls Scouts of Central Illinois.
“Virgina’s skill set is perfect to help us launch this program,” said Sarah Oglesby, director of programs for Compass. “We’re going to be
expanding to serve middle school and high school students, who will also spend
one day a week at our elementary school sites mentoring the younger students.”
Services for older students will focus on life and job skills
classes, including how to write a resume and prepare for a job interview,
research colleges and apply for scholarships and more.
“We want to help students graduate from high school and be
successful in whatever they choose to do, whether that’s college, trade school,
entering the military or going directly into the workforce,” Oglesby said.
Kathy Seadler has been hired as the director of finance and
administration. She recently retired as the chief financial officer for Marine
Bank.
“As Compass has grown, we also need more help on the
administrative side of things,” Oglesby said.
Compass for Kids was founded in
2011 by Molly Berendt as a ministry of Douglas Avenue United Methodist Church. In
2016, Compass for Kids became an independent nonprofit organization after
having operated the previous four years as part of the Family Service Center.
The organization partners with Springfield School District 186 to serve underprivileged
children through the after-school program Club Compass, along with Camp
Compass, the largest summer learning provider for the district.
This article appears in September SBJ 2023.