STAFF

Sarah Martinez-Helfman, Executive Director
Sarah Martinez-Helfman was hired as the founding Executive Director of Eagles Youth Partnership in 1995 and has, with the Eagles Youth Partnership Board, dreamed the vision and built the strategy for the organization. Her chief responsibilities include overall management of day to day operations and oversight of staff, programs, events, budgets, fundraising and communications.

Sarah has devoted much of her career to working with young people. She has helped develop two National Service AmeriCorps Programs, has served as Chief Clinician of a residential treatment center for adolescent males in the juvenile justice system and as the lead advocate of a Rape Crisis Center. On the corporate end, Sarah spent three years in Europe, advising corporations, groups, and individuals on their charitable giving in England, Ireland, and Russia.

A graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Sarah earned her B.A. in English Literature and her M.S. degree in Counseling Psychology. She also holds certificates as a trainer of diversity, conflict resolution and perceptual processing. Having lived in four countries, she now is happily settled with her family in the Philadelphia area. Her simple mission in life is to leave the world better than she found it.

As a child, Sarah's favorite book was Popcorn, about a firedog that earns its spots. (In second grade, Sarah crossed out all references to "firemen" in the book and penciled-in "firefighters." All these years later, she is still working for equality!)

Rajiv Lajmi, Program Director
Rajiv Lajmi directs the Eagles Eye Mobile program. Prior to joining Eagles Youth Partnership in 2007, Rajiv spent eight years in management consulting helping multinational corporations redesign and automate their business processes. Rajiv has maintained a long-standing interest in international and community development. He co-founded the Philadelphia chapter of Child Rights and You (CRY) in 1998, and has volunteered with the West Philadelphia Alliance for Children (WePAC). Rajiv also serves on the Board of Philadelphia's Young Nonprofit Leaders (PYNL).

Rajiv holds an MS in nonprofit leadership from the University of Pennsylvania, an MBA from Drexel University, and a BS in Accounting from the University of Mumbai. Rajiv grew up in Mumbai, India.

As a child, Rajiv's favorite book was Enid Blyton's Five On A Treasure Island.

Growing up, his dream was to become an airline pilot (now he 'flies' with the Eagles). He was known for his table-tennis skills (and is still good at it!).

Mark "Chumley" Singer, Event Manager
Mark "Chumley" Singer joined the Eagles Youth Partnership in the spring of 2006. His primary responsibilities include the EYP annual fund (and fun) raisers such as The Eagles Carnival & Auction, Radiothon and Locker Room Breakfast, in addition to other programmatic events.

Chumley (a college nickname that stuck!) began a career in event management by volunteering on HIV/AIDS fundraising events in the mid-80s, and has been Creative Director of many Philadelphia festivals including Sunoco Welcome America!, Millennium Philadelphia, and most recently the Dali Experience.

Chumley received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Temple University's Tyler School of Art, focusing on Graphic Design and Photography. He remains very involved in the regional hospitality and tourism industry.

As a child, Chumley's favorite book was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, a story that became very personal for him after living in Hershey, Pennsylvania for many years as a kid.

Amy Tessier, Program Coordinator
Amy Tessier returned to Eagles Youth Partnership in the spring of 2006 having interned with the organization two years prior. In her role as Program Manager, Amy focuses on all aspects of the Eagles Book Mobile program, leads the planning of the annual Eagles Playground Build and manages the fundraising efforts of the WIP Radiothon.

Amy graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst with a degree in Sport Management. During college, she served as President of a student-run community service organization and volunteered at a local after-school program for middle school students. Amy is passionate about social justice, the Red Sox and of course the Eagles.

As a child, Amy's favorite book was The Polar Express (actually, it still is). Who better to be on the EYP team than someone who believes in the power of a child's dream?!

When Amy was about 9 years old she wrote a statement, which she has to this day, that she would become the first woman to play professional baseball. "My dream was to play second base for the Boston Red Sox. As I got older, I realized that dream might be slightly unrealistic so I turned my attention to becoming a sports news anchor instead." Amy was known for her ability to name every US state and capital in the second grade and for memorizing her multiplication tables and too many random facts from the Guinness Book of World Records.

Michelle Roach, Administrative Coordinator
Michelle Roach joined Eagles Youth Partnership in August 2007 as Administrative Coordinator. She's the wizard who keeps the office humming so that our infrastructure can support our growing programs in the community.

Michelle is a Philadelphia native and graduate of the Philadelphia public school system. She has devoted her time to assisting youth through different faith-based organizations and sees EYP as a way to continue to support the young people who are coming up behind her. Michelle brings 15 years of administrative experience to EYP, the majority of which was working in the healthcare system.

As a child, Michelle's favorite books were Curious George. "He reminded me of myself, always asking 'why?' and looking for answers to those questions."

At age 10, Michelle dreamed of being a lawyer. "I always wanted to defend those who couldn't or wouldn't defend themselves." She was known for being the teachers pet in all of her classes (K-6th grades) for being very analytical.