Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our newsletter here.

As executive director of Sarah’s Guest House — a Syracuse-based nonprofit supporting individuals seeking medical care — David Haas frequently gives presentations, conducts tours and speaks with guests who are battling life-altering experiences.

Haas said he is able to better connect with patients who are going through some of the most difficult situations of their lives through his “hidden handicap” — a stutter.

“I would say it’s a little bit harder on myself because I’m a person who stutters, but that hasn’t ever stopped me from doing my job,” Haas said.

The home seeks to provide shelter, transportation, meals and comfort to patients receiving medical care in central New York and their families, according to its website. Haas described the nonprofit as a “shelter from the storm” for patients or their loved ones who are looking for support.

“We don’t do it for the praise … just hearing their thanks, their appreciation, how we influence and can change the course of their lives, it really hits home. It really touches your heart each day,” Haas said.

Paul Wrobel, the accountant at Sarah’s Guest House, said Haas has the “spirit of the place in his soul.” Wrobel added that Haas has a strong dedication to the organization, which he has seen in his work while managing the budget and financing of the nonprofit.

“He’s a very good listener, which is important if you’re a manager,” Wrobel said. “We lose people over time, so you got to have a lot of skills and deal with a lot of different types of people.”

Haas said has always been interested in the “nonprofit realm.” After studying health management at SUNY Oswego and earning a master’s from SUNY Cortland, he went on to work at Arc of Onondaga and then as the manager of adult services at the Learning Disabilities Association of Central New York — now known as LAUNCH — for nearly eight years.

“I knew I wanted to work in a position where I give back,” Haas said. “I’m able to be my empathetic and understanding self, which I think a lot comes from going through life as a person who stutters.”

After being in and out of speech therapy since the age of 4, Haas’s speech therapist encouraged him in 2010 to attend a meeting for the Syracuse chapter of the National Stuttering Association — a nonprofit organization that aims to provide support to people who stutter — as a “learning opportunity.” At the time, he was not open about his stutter and had never met others with a stutter before.

“Those first few meetings were almost life-changing,” Haas said. “It definitely helped me accept my stuttering and be more confident and comfortable about stuttering … I’ve met a lot of lifelong friends from the group. It’s helped me to grow into the person I’ve become.”

Within a few years of being in the group, Haas was asked to be its chapter leader. In 2015, Haas gave a TEDx talk called “Weight of my words,” where he discussed the technicalities of stuttering and how the condition is often “misunderstood.”

“One of my duties that I take very seriously is informing and educating the public on speech disorders,” Haas said.

Renée McCaffrey, a development specialist at Sarah’s Guest House, describes Haas as her “partner in crime.” She said he provides a sensitive and calming energy when people visit the house.

McCaffrey said Haas is “very understated” and that many people don’t know he has such a large following on his social media platforms.

In 2020, Haas began a TikTok account @syracusehistory, where he posts unknown stories about the city and its history. The account now has almost 300,000 followers. Haas, a Syracuse native, previously told The Daily Orange he is interested in interacting with the history of the city while sharing his opinions on ongoing local issues, such as the removal of Interstate 81.

“I always say, David, you’re a celebrity!” McCaffrey said.

McCaffrey said all in-person events at Sarah’s Guest House had to be canceled during the COVID-19 pandemic, but she did an online appeal to have an event called “Fund The House: Reach Our Rooftop!”

The fundraiser, which aimed to raise $30,000 in 10 days through online video emails, pledged to have Haas climb up to the roof of the house to “reach the rooftop” if it achieved its goal, McCaffrey said.

When they reached their goal, Haas and McCaffrey put a ladder up against the house and filmed Haas pretending to climb it. McCaffrey said the two of them led Sarah’s Guest House to receive the “Outstanding Fundraising Event” nonprofit award from the Central New York Business Journal for their “creativity.”

“I said to him, ‘I have never had so much fun doing a fundraising campaign as I did with that,’” McCaffrey said. “We just had so much fun with it.”

Haas said that guests are not charged for their stay but are encouraged to donate $25 per night. The nonprofit holds annual fundraisers, such as a gala and a golf tournament, to raise the funds they need, which he said can be a challenge but “not one they’re ever not up for.”

“It starts with compassion, and that compassion has to show when you do things like fundraising,” said Wrobel, who considers Haas his friend.

Sarah’s Guest House is currently going through an expansion that will include 11 more bedrooms and an elevator, Haas said. The house will also occupy the entirety of the building they previously only had half of, he said.

Haas said he is excited for the expansion because they can house a lot more people and increase accessibility for patients who can’t get upstairs without an elevator.

“It just makes you want to keep going because you know what our house can offer,” Haas said. “We know that the need is great and that our guests are coming from all different places, all walks of life and that our house is very crucial and important in the community.”

Published on April 11, 2024 at 12:59 am

Contact Claire: cksamsta@syr.edu