St. Joseph of the Pines begins the New Year with three new members on its board of directors: Brian Canfield, Mitch Capel and Sister Julie Crane.
The board approved the new members last year. Canfield filled a seat created by the passing last July of James J. “Jack” Barnes, Crane filled a seat open due to illness, and Capel will attend his first meeting on March 20.
“All three of our newest board members embody the spirit of community and bring talent, expertise and energy to the table,” said Lori Portfleet, president at St. Joseph of the Pines. “We are very fortunate to have them by our side as we continue to strengthen the services we provide every day to the people that depend on us.”
Canfield is chief operating officer at FirstHealth of the Carolinas Moore Regional Hospital in Pinehurst. He is also responsible for operations at Moore Regional Hospital-Hoke Campus in Raeford. Prior to joining FirstHealth in September 2012, Canfield served in the United States Army and retired as a colonel after more than 28 years of active service.
“FirstHealth and St. Joseph of the Pines both serve an important purpose in our community, and I look forward to building on the already established synergies of our organizations,” Canfield said. “As a relatively new resident to Moore County and a Roman Catholic, I hope to learn more about the operations of St. Joseph, and contribute my talents to benefit the mission of the organization.”
Capel, who was born and raised in Southern Pines, works for Inflight Services at American Airlines and is an internationally known storyteller, writer and motivational speaker. He is perhaps best known for teaching respect, character education, good morals and anti-drug messages to young audiences as the character “Gran’daddy Junebug.”
“I feel a certain kinship with SJP because my brothers and I were born there, and my mother worked there for over 43 years,” Capel said. “Also, my mission in life seems to coincide with the SJP mission statement. My hope is that we, as a board, collectively recognize the needs of those that are less fortunate and address their issues with empathy.”
Crane, a registered nurse, has served the Sisters of Providence in Massachusetts since the 1950s and worked in a variety of health care positions in that state and Washington, D.C., before retiring in 2002. She worked in North Carolina in the 1970s while providing medical nursing care for migrants as part of the East Coast Migrant Health Project.
“I look forward to having direct insight into how our mission is accomplished,” Crane said. “I hope to bring encouragement to the board, and also to the SJP staff, in my dearly beloved North Carolina. With all of us working together, I have no doubt that our mission will prosper.”
St. Joseph of the Pines is an aging services network offering a full continuum of retirement housing, health care and community-based services for older adults as well as community outreach to those in need. It is a Trinity Health Senior Community continuing the legacy of the Sisters of Providence.
