Joel Rosenberg is leaving AHM Youth and Family Services

Joel Rosenberg considers himself fortunate to have spent nearly 40 years with AHM Youth and Family Services.

As he formally retires from his work with the nonprofit, Rosenberg looks back on the role he played, alongside many others, in building the agency from the ground up.

“My career with AHM started in October 1984,” said Rosenberg.

At that time, the regional charity was just being formed by the AHM Board of Directors, led by Hebron resident Cynthia Goodrich.

“A group of residents from Andover, Hebron, and Marlborough made up of parents, grandparents, educators, business people, and a police officer (John Soderberg) started the organization,” recalls Rosenberg, crediting the group with having the vision for establishing AHM as a youth services bureau.

Since that time, scores of other community members have served on the AHM Board of Directors, carrying out the original vision of the founding members.

“In 1984, AHM was one of the very few [youth services bureaus] in the state created as a regional charity,” said Rosenberg.

That wise decision opened the doors for the AHM Board of Directors to bring in hundreds of thousands of dollars annually through grants, fundraisers and private donations.

“This saved townspeople a great amount annually in tax dollars,” noted Rosenberg.

In return, funds raised privately for the towns could be used annually to support programs. The towns’ investment in AHM each year helped greatly, as well.

“What drew me to the position was the unique opportunity to help build an organization from the ground up,” said Rosenberg. “It was a team effort from day one filled with many challenges, all of which in time has resulted in a long-lasting community partnership with four towns (Columbia was added to the organization in 2013).”

For 32 years, Rosenberg served as AHM’s first executive director. During those three decades, that role included working with the board, leading the staff, helping to create programs and services, working with town and state leaders, writing grants, leading fundraisers, and serving on statewide committees with other youth services bureaus.

“There was never a dull moment,” he recalls.

In 2015, Rosenberg stepped down from the role of executive director, handing the reins to Michelle Hamilton. He was asked him to stay on in a diminished role, and Rosenberg agreed, taking on fundraising, the AHM endowment program, and writing grants.

“It was an exciting way to finish out my career with AHM,” he said. “It was never lost on me the pool of talented staff and board leaders and advisors this organization has had all of these years.”

Asked if there was one accomplishment that stands out during his tenure at AHM, Rosenberg points back to the core of the agency’s mission.

“The only accomplishment that matters was being able to help thousands of children and families in Andover, Columbia, Hebron, and Marlborough,” he said. “We all did that together, through an incredibly smart and dedicated group of staff members past and present, a tireless group of volunteers (board, committees, programs), the commitment of donors over the decades (individuals, business, foundations, local organizations), and the support of so many past and current town leaders, police officers, the business community, faith community, and civic organizations.”

Rosenberg humbly attributes the accomplishments of the agency to everyone involved.

“This was a team effort from day one, through the creation of programs, to building the beautiful AHM Family Center, to providing mental health, juvenile justice, youth and family development programs, to creating a legacy program known today as the AHM Family Legacy Trust,” he said.

So what will Rosenberg do with the newfound time on his hands?

“Spending time with family and friends, picking back up on some old sports activities, doing some volunteering, and living a quiet life, and taking some time to look back on what we all did to make life better for a lot of kids,” he said.

Rosenberg also looks forward to watching how the next chapters of the AHM story unfold.

“Today, AHM in many ways has become a community center that offers a youth services bureau, a family resource center, and wellness programs for all ages,” he said.

And Rosenberg is confident that he is leaving the agency in very capable hands.

“I know that our board led by Brendan Shea, and our staff led by Tressa Giordano, understand the importance of continuing to build upon this historic relationship with the towns,” he said. “They and the AHM Board appreciate the unique relationship that AHM as a public charity has with our community partners and I could not be any prouder of their efforts.”

“My best wishes to the AHM family and the townspeople we served,” continued Rosenberg. “It was always an honor to do this work for these communities.”

See the AHM Youth and Family Services website for information on programs and services offered by the agency.

Melanie Savage can be reached at masavage@courant.com.