ALABoston.org President's Message

Our chapter is doing many great things this year. Membership continues to grow, programs are the best they have ever been, and sponsor support for our chapter is at an all time high! But I want to dedicate this President's Message to one our chapter's successes which occurred this past rainy Saturday and continues throughout the month of October, our ALA Community Challenge Weekend (CCW).

This month our community relations committee, led by Janice Hayes, has dedicated its efforts to raising money and dedicating volunteer time to one of our supported charities, The Home for Little Wanderers. This weekend was our volunteer portion of the Community Challenge. The Community Relations Committee organized our volunteer program at the Baird Center, a facility run by the Home in Plymouth. This facility houses and works with boys between the ages of 10 and 16 years who either have no family or have emotional issues requiring intensive counseling and temporary removal from their homes . The money we raised last year for our CCW went to this facility. Here is what I got to experience this past Saturday:

I had the privilege of working with over 20 volunteers from our chapter, including members, members’ families and friends and sponsors.. These volunteers gave up valuable personal time and donated more than 120 combined hours. We painted 5 classrooms in desperate need of cleanup and repaired 7 bicycles that the kids now can use;
I got to meet and interact with some of the great kids that the home helps as well as the dedicated staff that work with these kids;
I was able to see how the money we donated last year was used and how it made a difference in the kids’ lives;
I saw the genuine appreciation the staff and kids have for our chapter. They thanked our chapter repeatedly for our support, our past donations and volunteer work done this year and last.

Seeing the impact of how our chapter is making a difference in the lives of these kids and the gratitude of The Home for Little Wanderers is definitely one of the highlights of my presidency!

Now we need your help. If you or your firm have already made a donation, either in volunteering time this past Saturday, or a monetary contribution, THANK YOU! If not, the Community Challenge fundraising runs through October 31! Please help the Community Relations Committee reach their goal of raising $20,000 and attaining 75% member participation. Please donate whatever you can by making your check payable to “The Home for Little Wanderers” and send it to ALA – Boston Chapter, PO Box 960867, Boston MA 02196 ATTN: Community Challenge. We have strength in numbers, which makes our chapter special. You can track the progress of reaching our goal on www.alaboston.org.

Thank you again for your support and the faith you have shown in me to lead this Chapter during the 2005 –2006 year.