Who We Are & What We Do

Board of Directors

bod@samarasvillage.org

Diana Setaro

President

Tony Rizzo

Vice President

Diane Saullo

Secretary

Bob Pichette

Treasurer & Financial Committee Chair

Jackie Boras

Communications Chair

Staff

Debbie Keener

Executive Director

Lisa Petta

Program Director

History

Samara’s Village was founded in 2015 when the pastor of Generations Church challenged members to find their passion. Four women came together and discovered they had a passion for helping female adolescents, and in researching the issues related to this group they learned that teen pregnancy was a big and growing problem in Brunswick County. Additionally, they learned that while there existed pregnant and parent services directed at pregnant and parenting teens, these services only focused on physical and educational needs. The women held a strong belief that there was a need for a more holistic approach – similar to the concept of ‘it takes a village’. The founders chose the name Samara’s Village because the name means ‘under God’s protection’. And according to founder, Donna Robey-Sullivan, “We wanted to operate under the notion that ‘it takes a village’ to raise a child. Our goal is to provide a nonjudgmental support system that focuses on the entire family unit – not just the pregnant and parenting teen. We do this by empowering, educating, and supporting the pregnant/parenting adolescent mother and the baby’s father, so that they can be in control of their lives, raise healthy babies and grow into productive and responsible adults in Brunswick County."

Donna Robey-Sullivan

Katherine White

Jean-Marie Lee

Jame Meirs