7/27/2019 Albany County Employee Praised For Role As Mentor And
Coach at Shaker HS
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEMonday, October 21, 2013
County Employee Praised For Role As Mentor And Coach
Albany County is fortunate in that the people who live and work
in the community oftencontribute in various ways to helping others.
One such person is Tara OKeefe, aHousing Specialist with the County
Department of Mental Health who is responsible fordeveloping,
maintaining and promoting mental health housing opportunities for
peoplein the county. She has served in this role since 2008 and
also ensures that the highestneed individuals have access to those
resources.
In addition to her position with the county, OKeefe has served
as the head coach of theShaker High School girls varsity soccer
team since 2010. The team recently completedits season and finished
with an 8-5-3 record. The team begins Sectional play next week.
On October 16th
, the team held a ceremony a halftime to honor the seniors on
the team
and the highlight of the ceremony was the ovation for one
particular player, GiannaMacPhee. Thanks in part to OKeefe and her
team, Gianna MacPhee was able to jointhe team four years ago and in
doing so broke down the barriers that youngsters withspecial needs
face. Born with Downs Syndrome, MacPhee is the first student
withspecial needs to participate in a sport at Shaker High
School.
Shaker went on to win 5-0. MacPhee started the game and helped
cheer her team on tovictory in the last home game for the seniors
on the team. Her achievements may notshow up on the scorecard but
her perseverance and selfless play have inspired herteammates and
coach in many ways.
While at work, Tara has demonstrated daily her dedication to
improving the lives ofpeople facing adversity, said Albany County
Executive Daniel P. McCoy. She takesthat same dedication to the
practice field where she has proven to be a great coach andmentor
for the team at Shaker. Were proud of her for her work here and as
a coach.
It has been great coaching Gianna and the team, said OKeefe.
What I do as a coachis an extension of my job, helping others to
achieve. She has shown me that sports ismore than wins and losses
and if we work together we can bring out the best in
