As part of an on-going effort to communicate the renewed focus and efforts of our Parish Mission, I wanted to continue a series in our bulletin, Getting #ToKnow Our Staff. We will spotlight a staff member here at St. John, including some of their responsibilities and background. That way, if you have a question, or need some assistance, you can put a name and face to those that will be helping you.
Did you know that we had over 200 different volunteers assist us for the Gaelic and Garlic Festival? Many of those individuals were part of our existing Ministries, like the Knights of Columbus, Jamaica Outreach Program, Ladies of Charity, and Saint Vincent DePaul Society. Others, however, responded to our call for assistance and came out in droves to support this wonderful event. The coordination of all these people and groups would not have been possible without the effort of our new Volunteer and Development Coordinator, Liz Koplitz. Liz has come onto the staff to provide specific focus on the collaboration and structure of our various ministries, as well as to assist with the creation of a long-term development program.
I moved to Florida with my husband, Bob in 2016 from New York. The first Sunday after our move to Bonita Springs, I attended mass at St. John’s with one of our new neighbors. From the minute I took in the warmth and beauty of our church, the music, and of course, Father John’s homily. I knew I was home! No need for this New Yorker to go church shopping. I quickly found things that I wanted to do at St. John’s from originally singing in the choir to volunteering in the office to attending many of the functions. We made so many good friends here. I always felt that the Holy Spirit brought us to St. John’s for a reason and that reason turned into all of my life and professional experiences were useful at St. John’s. I was thrilled and excited to be offered a position as Volunteer and Development Coordinator. While in New York, I spent the last 13 years working with seniors and people with disabilities helping them plan a better quality of life so that they could live with dignity and joy. Prior to that I headed Worldwide IT and Development organizations for major entertainment and advertising companies and one of the largest hotel chains in the world.
Liz’s unique set of skills and experience make her ideal to assist with the future growth of our Parish in various avenues. On the development side, she has contacts within the local real estate and hospitality environments that can get the word out about our parish. She has already developed our new “We Are Saint John” Brochure, which illustrates who we are and the opportunities to become part of our Parish Family. For our Ministries, Liz has assisted our Pastoral Stewardship Council in communications and follow-up from our Town Hall meetings and ensuring continued participation in the Safe Environment Training Program for all active ministers of our church. Additionally, she has been instrumental in developing our new systems, from the Church Information System, ConnectNow, to the events management and coordination system, EventPro.
Every day is another blessing and another positive experience at St. John’s. I get to work with and be surrounded with our wonderful staff, volunteers, parishioners and visitors. It is an incredibly overwhelming feeling to be doing something you love in a place that brings you every day closer to God. I am so blessed.
Please join me in welcoming Liz to our Parish Staff Family!