We are pleased to have the leaders of our METCO program with us this Tuesday. As we all know school this year will be a challenging one. I am looking forward to hearing how the METCO program will address may of the current concerns and continue the many successes it has had.
Milagros “Milly” Arbaje-Thomas has over 20 years experience in organizations. She is the President/CEO of the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO), the largest and second longest-running school desegregation program in the country. METCO places 3150 students from Boston into 33 participating suburban school districts with the goal of reducing racial isolation and increasing diversity. Born in the Dominican Republic, Milly received a Bachelor Degree in Psychology with minors in Education and Women Studies, a Master in Clinical Social Work from Boston College, a Certificate in Non-Profit Management from Boston University School of Management, and an Honorary Doctorate Degree in Humane Letters from Emmanuel College.
D. Farai Williams is METCO's Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Her approach to equity brings together body/mind practice, cultural organizing, and theater of the oppressed facilitation. She earned an MFA from Harvard's Institute for Advanced Theater Training and has served as a racial equity strategist with Boston-area organizations including The Disruptive Equity Education Project (DEEP), Jamaica Plain's Racial Reconciliation and Healing Project, and Dynamizing Equity.
Colin Stokes is the Director of Communications, Outreach, and Engagement at METCO, Inc. He has worked at the education non-profits Citizen Schools and The Achievement Network. He speaks at schools, non-profits, and corporations about privilege, parenting, and popular culture. His four talks at TEDxBeaconStreet have been viewed nearly 10 million times. He has been a professional actor and graphic designer in Boston and New York. He studied visual arts at Harvard.
We will have a Recognition for Joan Stomatuk who is retiring after spending years working with our MHS Interact club. Thank you Joan for all your efforts.
We are finalizing our Instillation ceremony. Paul Harris Award certificates and pins have arrived for Chris S., Teri McD., Kathleen M. and Luis R. Congratulations to all.
The next BOD meeting is scheduled for next Thursday, September 17th. All are invited.
Next Membership meeting Thursday 9/17 10:00 a.m.
Calling all Harbor Rotary Zoomers: Have you recently invited a family member, friend, speaker, or work associate to one of our zoom meetings? We are looking to provide thank-you notes and information about upcoming programs and service opportunities to a wider network of service-minded people, and we'd welcome contact information for those folks (email addresses preferred). We are certainly sensitive to unsolicited emails and will be very brief in getting the word out about our wonderful club and its activities. Please send the information to either our secretary, John, at
jgandjawilliams4647@comcast.net or Linda D. at
ldoliber@hotmail.com.
Service committee meeting after our Tuesday meeting. Service before Self. I encourage all our members to join in the gathering of the service committee meeting. We need to be sure that we actualize our reason for being.
From Laura O'Neill: On behalf of Pathways for Children, I want to thank you for your donation earlier this summer. We are just now receiving it, as our Salem site has been closed. A more formal acknowledgment will follow, but in the meantime, I wanted to be sure you knew how much we appreciate your support!
Dear Rotary Club ff Marblehead Harbor, Thank you for your generous donation of $500 to support The Food Project. We have allocated your gift to support our Farming for Resilience initiative. With your gift, we are able to hire farm hands, invest in equipment to increase efficiency on our farms, and grow more food than ever before. Together, we will contribute 75% of the harvest from our 70 acres of urban and suburban farms to hunger relief organizations and subsidized farmer's markets in communities hardest hit by COVID-19. On behalf of the board, staff, and youth participants of The Food Project, thank you for your partnership during today's crisis.
With Gratitude,
Kathleen Sykes, Director of Development
