February 8, 2002

As hundreds of MGH employees gathered in the O'Keeffe Auditorium to hear the words of Julian Bond, chairman of the NAACP, at a special Martin Luther King Day celebration Jan. 25, they also had the opportunity to recognize the achievements of a special member of the hospital family. Samuel Roberts, (pictured below) coordinator for MGH Volunteer Services, was named a 2002 YMCA Black Achiever. Rhuvette Ross, of Partners Information Systems, and Tarma Aderinkomi, RN, of BWH Nursing Services, were the other Partners honorees. A formal awards gala at the Boston Marriott Copley Place was held Jan. 31 to recognize the winners.

The Black Achievers program salutes African-American professionals with outstanding accomplishments both in their careers and in their personal commitment to mentoring young people. Honorees are selected from throughout the Greater Boston community and represent a wide variety of professional pursuits and backgrounds.

Oswald Mondejar, of Human Resources, lauds Roberts as "a person who willingly invests his time and energy in individuals and in the community. It is no surprise that Sam was nominated by his colleagues for this prestigious award."

Roberts — who has been an MGH employee for 26 years — is responsible for interviewing, orienting and finding assignments for the approximately 1,200 volunteers who serve the hospital each year. He has formed numerous mentoring relationships with students and young adults in the community. Roberts also leads the MGH Missing Links Bicycle Team, spearheading the team's participation in rides to support several local and national charities.