Expanding our impact: Introducing GAIN’s new Client Care Team
Atlanta, GA—Friday, August 9, 2024
As a result of the violence many GAIN clients are forced to endure and the major adjustments they face during their resettlement process in the U.S., our clients also experience unique challenges that require culturally-responsive social services, including learning how to access housing, employment, legal support, healthcare, mental health support, education, transportation, and other basic needs. A primary focus of expansion for GAIN has been to enhance our case management services to better support the communities we serve, adopting a more holistic approach that complements our legal services. With the recent addition of Sally Sanko as Director of Client Care and the expansion of her team, we are thrilled to announce the launch of our comprehensive case management program, effective August 1. Under Sally’s leadership, we can help clients beyond the complexities of the immigration system and open up a path to self-sufficiency, broadening the continuity of care for immigrant survivors as they establish their new lives here in Georgia.
Case Managers—Mariana Cruz and Chris Bunting—will meet with clients to explore their needs and strengths and create personalized individual care plans that support them in achieving their goals. The Client Care Team will also facilitate outreach activities, community events and workshops, supply drives, and resource distribution.
This work is guided by evidence-based, trauma-informed practices including the following principles:
- Our work is strengths-based and builds upon the clients’ strengths, specifically seeing the client as resourceful and resilient when they are in adverse conditions.
- Our work is client-led and places the client first and ensures they are leading and controlling the process. Clients are experts in their own lives.
- Our work is trauma-informed, recognizes the presence of trauma symptoms, and acknowledges the role trauma may play in an individual’s life—including service staff.
- Our work is collaborative and adaptive to clients’ needs. We enhance legal services and complement other community resources.
- Our work recognizes personal dignity, autonomy, and the right to self-determination.
Learn more about GAIN’s Client Care Team below:
Sally Sanko, Director of Client Care
As the Director of Client Care, Sally Sanko is dedicated to strategizing ways in which GAIN can support clients beyond their legal needs, serve clients holistically, and expand wrap-around services. Having over a decade of experience serving immigrants and refugees as a case manager, Sally is enthusiastic about community-based approaches and trauma-informed care.
Sally was born and raised in Central Kansas. She attended the University of Kansas where she began organizing with migrant farm worker unions. This experience inspired her to move to Guatemala to learn Spanish, start farming, and pursue a career in immigration-based social work. Upon graduating with her Bachelor’s in Religious Studies in 2012, Sally entered the immigration case management field as an Americorps Member and completed her Masters in Social Work at the University of Kansas in 2017. During her time as a student, Sally interned with Catholic Charities Refugee Resettlement Program and as a Special Education Social Work Intern in public schools. Since then, Sally has had the opportunity to expand her knowledge by using a range of case management tools and approaches while providing case management for undocumented families, refugees, and unaccompanied minors in a variety of settings and is looking forward to utilizing these experiences to tailor case management programming to collaborate with GAIN clients to meet their goals.
Mariana Cruz, Case Manager
Mariana Cruz is a Case Manager at GAIN, who welcomes the opportunity to promote services for immigrants living in Georgia and facilitate their navigation of the immigration process. She has over 10 years of experience working with children and youth, and vulnerable groups including immigrants and survivors of domestic violence. Mariana originally joined GAIN as a Navigator in 2022 after working with the Consulate General of Mexico in Atlanta, where she provided services to Mexican nationals living in Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee. When she noticed the urgent need for mental health resources for Latin Americans in the U.S., Mariana began volunteering with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) to promote their programs and resources for Spanish speakers. She enjoys traveling and learning from different cultures, spending time with friends and family, cooking, reading and running. Mariana graduated from Universidad del Valle de México with a Bachelor’s in Psychology.
Chris Bunting, Case Manager
Chris Bunting is a Case Manager at GAIN and a proud Venezuelan American who grew up in Atlanta, interning and volunteering at several immigrant and refugee organizations. He received a bachelor’s in sociology from Boston University before returning to Atlanta to work as a case manager for Mercy Care, and eventually moving to Spain to teach English for several years. He believes in a holistic, client centered, and culturally sensitive approach to case management and is enthusiastic to help clients reach their goals and situate his work at GAIN within the larger ecosystem of services to assist people here in Georgia. Chris is also a saxophonist and music lover who performs regularly in and around Atlanta.
