Hi, my name is Sam, and I am at the front desk as the Office Assistant at SAIL, the first point of contact for many inquiries. I have a strong customer service background and am an extra deluxe people person. I spent 38 years in Nevada County, California, which is between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe in gold country. I ran my father’s commercial sign shop and was involved in the health and wellness community, working at the Co-op. I also volunteered at several music festival campouts throughout the years, and found joy in helping others make friends, practicing inclusivity, finding accessible camping, and holding strong general empathetic merriment so people never felt left out. I met my Yooper husband in Nevada City in 1998, working in the fine dining scene, and started driving us to Marquette to visit his family every few years until we decided it was time to pack up our two aging kitties and head here permanently in 2018.

Upon moving here, one of the first things I noticed was how well this region takes care of the disability community. I instantly started caretaking for a neighbor and her son. I got immense satisfaction out of direct care work until I lost a fair amount of mobility myself. SAIL is a huge gift to my natural career scope, and I strive every day to give back. I look forward to spending more time in this community on new levels with new people, as well as nurturing those who are now becoming old friends.

Otherwise, you can find me at the beaches rock hunting, lounging with yooper hubby and the senior kitties, or with the local open mic community celebrating my two favorite things: music and people!