Rodney Sutton hired as Friends of the Homeless development director
NEW PHILADELPHIA (WJER) (Oct. 2, 2024) – A familiar face is helping the local homeless shelter streamline fundraising.
The Friends of the Homeless Board of Trustees has hired Rodney Sutton as the organization’s first-ever development director. Board President Joe Svancara says they created the position a couple of months ago to streamline fundraising.
“We simply wanted to bring on somebody who has expertise in this field, has done fundraising on this field before, is local in the community, is very familiar, and who also has a back story in regards to homelessness.”
Svancara says Sutton felt so called to the opening that he postponed his retirement to pursue it.
“He has a fantastic, God-filled story about his life, about going through homelessness himself, about how he truly feels he can give back and help and empower other people with everything that he does.”
The organization is in the midst of a $4.5-million capital campaign to build a new shelter behind the existing one in downtown New Philadelphia. Sutton started in early September and spent last week at a fundraising conference in Virginia.
“That was his idea. We had no idea that this kind of conference existed until he brought it to us, and we basically just said, ‘Go on and go and see what you can do.’”
Prior to this, Sutton was the Active Treatment Center manager for Horizons, where he previously worked as the grant writer and community development coordinator. He also served as a pastor for several area churches and ran a BBQ catering business.