Lots to 💖 this month!

August 2021

From the Desk of H.A. Musser, Jr.

Can you believe it's almost fall? Things are falling right into place at Santa Maria. Not only do we have our annual fundraiser, The Sharing Table, this fall on September 30, 2021, but we are also beginning autumn with a new Board Chair, Guillermo Villa! Guillermo has been on Santa Maria's Board of Directors for more than five years, most recently serving as the board’s Vice Chair.

In addition, we're very proud of our High School Equivalency (HSE) graduates who received their certificates in July, and our littlest graduates from our early childhood education programs who received their certificates in August. Check out the pictures below!

Have a wonderful rest of your summer!

H.A. Musser, Jr.

President & CEO

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The Sharing Table

The Sharing Table, Santa Maria's major fundraising event of the year, is being held on September 30, 2021 at ARCO (Price Hill Will), 3301 Price Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 45205, from 6 to 9 p.m. Dr. O'dell Moreno Owens will be the guest speaker and WKRC's Bob Herzog will be the emcee.

About 40% of children in Cincinnati live below the federal poverty level. All money raised during The Sharing Table directly supports Santa Maria’s programming that helps alleviate this issue.

Join us for dinner, raffles, music, and more!

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Weldezghi and Semhar Receive Help from Santa Maria to Further Their Children's Education

Thirty-three-year-old Weldezghi and his 30-year-old wife, Semhar, moved to Cincinnati as refugees from Eritrea, in northeast Africa. In 2017, two years after arriving in Westwood, Semhar heard about Santa Maria Community Services’ Promoting Our Preschoolers (POP) program and enrolled with her oldest daughter, Betelihim, now 8. Weldezghi and Semhar enrolled Betelihim in POP because they value education and want the very best for their family.

Learn how POP helped their children thrive and rental assistance helped Weldezghi and Semhar get through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Congratulate Guillermo Villa!

Santa Maria Community Services, Inc. is pleased to announce the appointment of Guillermo Villa as its new Board Chair.

Guillermo has a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Texas El Paso and is currently pursuing his Master of Business Administration at the University of Cincinnati. Since 2016, Guillermo has served on the Santa Maria Community Services Board in various roles including Secretary, Governance Committee Chair and most recently, the Board Vice Chair. He has been employed at Johnson & Johnson since 2003 and is currently a Director for Johnson & Johnson in the Medical Devices Sector. Prior to joining Johnson & Johnson, Guillermo worked as a Rocket Propulsion Engineer at the NASA White Sands Test Facility. Guillermo resides in Loveland with his wife Diana and two children, Guillermo and Rogelio. In his free time, he enjoys playing golf and soccer, and bike riding.

“It is an honor and a privilege to continue to serve Santa Maria Community Services in this new capacity. Helping families help themselves is a mantra that I’ve always aligned to,” said Guillermo. “It’s so rewarding to see the impact that this organization has had on the Price Hill community through its many success stories. I’m humbled to play a small part in helping Santa Maria achieve its mission and work toward building a brighter tomorrow for the clients we serve.”

“We are deeply grateful to Guillermo for the vision, dedication, and passion he has demonstrated during his years with Santa Maria,” said Santa Maria Community Services President and CEO, H.A. Musser, Jr. “Santa Maria is excited for what the future holds under Guillermo’s leadership. He will bring diverse expertise and insight to our work as we forward our mission to be a catalyst and advocate for Greater Price Hill families to attain their educational, financial, and health goals.”

You can leave Guillermo a message here .