As a chief executive, 37-year-old Matt Martin cuts an unlikely figure - a slight guy who shows up for work in casual slacks and V-neck sweater, a fedora covering his close-cropped hair.
He's sporting the beginnings of a beard on a boyish face and speaks with a working-class New England accent. With no big educational pedigree and after just two years at the helm of Social Advocates for Youth (SAY), an agency older than he is, Martin has emerged unexpectedly as a force to be reckoned with.
He has befriended some of Sonoma County's biggest power brokers in the nonprofit world, often finding his way through the back door through mutual acquaintances. And he does it with a buoyant optimism mixed with an infectious passion for the cause of helping homeless, runaway, disadvantaged and struggling youth.
Martin thrust himself to the forefront of local nonprofit leaders last August by securing the donation of the former Warrack Hospital in east Santa Rosa as a place to fulfill his dream of creating a comprehensive center for youth services.
Bill Reinking, chairman of the board of directors at Exchange Bank, characterized the offer by Sutter Medical Center as "huge."
"I have never heard of anybody being so generous as to give something that could be immediately used and of this value. That kind of gift is unprecedented."
Martin said he does not know the value of the property, and Sutter officials did not immediately respond Friday to an inquiry. When Sutter purchased the 53-year old, 79-bed hospital in 2001, medical experts valued it at $10 milliion. Sutter then announced a $2.7 million upgrade.
Martin sees his role as helping kids break through the cycles of violence, poverty and abuse that seem to get passed down through generations.
"The human spirit is a spirit that endures, and can really endure through a lot of challenges," he said from his office on Airway Drive, an uncluttered room adorned with photos and artwork of kids who touched his life during his years as a teacher, program developer and mentor for inner-city kids.
"When I look at my work here, it's squarely grounded in helping families break those cycles and create new futures for themselves."
The Warrack campus dream
A move to the Warrack building on Summerfield Road would triple the size of SAY's physical offices, expanding and centralizing services for youth and providing space for related agencies.
Concerned that SAY's Tamayo Village homeless shelter for youth cannot accommodate the growing number of kids living on the streets, Martin and a team of advisers persuaded Sutter in November to donate the majority of the Warrack campus, agreeing to sign over 38,000 square feet of property and lease back some space still in use in the east wing.
While the nonprofit has an agreement with Sutter, it is studying whether the ambitious project can work, given the costs of renovation, maintenance and operation. Martin hopes to have a clearer financial picture for SAY's board meeting Wednesday, with a decision possible by April.
If the Warrack dream materializes, Martin said he expects SAY to be able to serve up to 25percent more youth than the more than 2,500 it now helps each year. Martin has joined other staffers in going door to door in a face-to-face lobbying effort.
Making it work hinges on drawing in other youth-serving agencies to share the space and cost. If it works, a new Youth Opportunity Center would not only provide more shelter to teens but offer counseling and other services in one location.
Helping families is a cause close to Martin's heart.
His mother, Patricia, had her first baby at 18; Martin is the youngest of five children.
His dad, George, the son of a Portuguese immigrant, was forced to drop out of high school. He drove a cement truck while Patricia stayed at home, later completing her GED and getting a job as a classroom aide. Typical of the working poor, they struggled to make ends meet. When George had a heart attack, the family lost its home and moved to a second-floor tenement closer to the tough urban core of New Bedford, Mass.
"It was scary and confusing and angering," Martin said. But he learned through the experience that people can overcome their history.
"I just watched my parents struggling and my father, particularly, work to end cycles that he had to live with growing up: a lot of violence, a lot of abuse in the home," he said. "When my father had his chance to be a father, he never once brought those things into our home. He did everything he could to stop those cycles. I have to do everything I can to continue that work he started.
"My mother taught me a lot about forgiveness and caring and just general compassion, and my father showed me what it meant to work really hard and not to give up even when things seem so insurmountable. Those are two sets of skills and values I carry into the work I do today."
UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy: