In the spirit of Father Brady, the Brady Faith Center (BFC) strives to serve as an ‘Oasis for Peace, Hope, and Justice’ in the south side of Syracuse. Over the years, the programs of the Brady Center has evolved to greater serve and support the needs of the surrounding community. Sometimes, the best way to understand the impact of an organization’s mission is through the telling of stories. On this page, we periodically add new stories to share with our site visitors. Some stories may be conveyed through video like the ones below. Other stories may be told simply in text, or even in pictures. We hope you enjoy learning more about us through this site.
Watch the video below to preview much of what we do and who we are:
BRADY STAFF:
Father John Schopfer
Father John Schopfer is the Pastoral Director for the Brady Faith Center. He has served in this position for many years to meet the spiritual needs of individuals and families in the neighborhoods of Syracuse’s South West Community.
Kevin Frank joined Brady Faith Center as the Executive Director on May 3, 2010. Formerly the pastoral associate at St. Lucy’s Church, Mr. Frank brings extensive experience working in the urban community to this position. Please view a video interview with Kevin Frank to learn more about his background and the journey that brought him to the Brady Faith Center.
Trevor Williams joined Brady Faith Center as the Center Coordinator June, 2011. He brings to his current position extensiveadministrative and programming experience and a calling to serve those who are in need.
Linda McHugh joined Brady Faith Center as a member of the Board in 2008, holding the positions of Secretary and Treasurer. In 2020 she became a Staff member with many prior years of Financial experience
Emily Nisco-Frank joined the Brady Faith Center as Program Coordinator in 2011. In a half-time role she coordinates numerous ministries and programs combining her multiple passions and gifts into a tapestry of celebration, loving relationships and service. Emily also leads the Sunday morning 9:00 am music ministry at St. Lucy’s Church.
Keonna Yearwood is a personal chef who has worked tirelessly in the areas of nutrition, and food security. She is focused on ensuring that communities of color have access to affordable, quality food and food education. She believes it is imperative that people of color have the knowledge and skills to live happier healthier lives. Her mission is to reduce the percentage of chronic illnesses in communities of color by providing communities access to wellness programming.
Jessi Lyons is a native of the Pacific NW but has been happy to call Syracuse home since 2006. At the Brady Farm, Jessi gets to combine her background in ecology and community development with her passion for food, agriculture and people. She loves to teach food preservation and experiment with eating and growing.
Agriculture is applied science and a fantastic tool for community building. Alice is excited to explore all possibilities of urban food production, and she hopes to use her skills to grow abundant, healthful, accessible, and appropriate food for her neighbors. Her favorite crops to harvest are dill and broccoli, and her favorite crops to eat are okra and watermelon.
Rose Tardiff was first introduced to the amazing network of people growing food in Syracuse through community gardening and volunteering with Syracuse Grows. Rose is excited to use her background in geography and organic farming at the Brady Farm to help grow nourishing food for the community. She’s eager to connect with neighbors and explore local food ways. Rose loves making pottery for eating, drinking and arranging flowers, and cooking for friends and family.
Julia Nosovitch joined Brady Faith Center in 2016. She currently coordinates the Pedal to Possibilities program, and assists with grant writing. She brings many years of experience in nonprofit organizations to her work at Brady.
Personal Memories of Father Brady
As the window of opportunity for Father Brady’s stories begin to dwindle, we’ve decided to contact close friends of Father Brady. In this video, we encounter many stories of Father Brady and his legacy in the community as well as how he touched the lives of many individuals. The intent of this video is to receive engaging and powerful personal memories of Father Brady and making it possible for others to see the mission and vision of Father Brady.
Introducing Kevin Frank’s Journey to the Brady Faith Center
This video introduces Kevin Frank as the incoming executive director of the Brady Faith Center in Summer 2010.
Who We Are
Brady Faith Center operates with a small staff and a large network of volunteers. Featured below are just some of the people who make Brady Faith Center programming possible.
Staff
Father John Schopfer
Pastoral Director
Kevin Frank
Executive Director
Trevor Williams
Center Coordinator
Linda McHugh
Finance
Emily Nisco-Frank
Program Coordinator
Keonna Yearwood
Community Outreach, Marketing & PR Manager Alice Gallagher
Farm Production Manager
Julia Nosovitch
Hospitality
Jessi Lyons
Urban Farm Coordinator Rose Tardiff
Farm Apprentice
Board Officers
Randy Wolken
Chair
Robert J. Street
Vice-Chair
Linda F. McHugh
Treasurer
Eileen Clinton
Secretary
Mark F. Cass
At-Large
Board Members
JoAnn Adjei
Rev. Cliff Auth
Jim Barry
Eileen M. Clinton
Dr. James Duah-Ageyman
Andrew S. Lunetta
Rev. David McCallum S.J.
Nancy McCoy
Louise Poindexter
Dan Queri
Joe Casper
Andriy Troyanovych
Zakeem Rutledge
Volunteers
The Brady Faith Center is able to carry out its mission with the support of more than 200 wonderful parent, youth, and community volunteers. We are grateful to all of the volunteers who bless us with their time and energy in support of Brady Faith Center programming.
