As he will readily tell it, Sam Spicer, Jr. had been in and out of jail/prison a few times when he came to Friends Outside in Los Angeles County to perform community service.
What was immediately apparent was Sam’s passion, cooperative spirit, and his desire to learn. After completing his community service, I hired Sam, who worked for FOLA for 15 years, 1992 – 2007, during which time he also obtained a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree.
Sam has great people skills and good instincts about what kinds of services are needed by those we assist. He was instrumental in the development of our re-entry employment program and facilitated our first fatherhood support groups for persons with criminal records.
| From left to right: Former FOLA Staff, Samuel Spicer, Jr., Martin Sosa |
After leaving FOLA (in body but not in spirit!), he became a counselor at a Headstart program. Although estranged from the mother of his son, Sam always fought to maintain a relationship with his son, who is now himself married, making Sam a very proud grandfather!
We are honored to have a long-standing relationship with Sam, beloved by the community and his colleagues and a man who made deep footprints in our 50-year history!
Thank you Sam!
Mary Weaver
Executive Director
Friends Outside in Los Angeles County