A Message from Margo Casey, Executive Director of the NSUW
Dear Friends,
As we slide into our fourth (or fifth?) heat wave, I am taking a brief respite in air conditioning to share a bit about what has been keeping us busy this summer at the North Shore United Way. I see the NSUW Summer Update as an opportunity to provide a snapshot of new initiatives and other activities so that you can become more familiar with some of the work we do.
A year ago, we launched the Family Community Service Project to provide unique opportunities for parents and their kids to volunteer together on the North Shore. This July, we gathered a small group of mothers to discuss the Project. It was very gratifying to listen to this group of women talk about the value of NSUW volunteer opportunities as a way to teach their children from an early age about the difference between “want” and “need.” We also heard that the mothers were interested in learning more about the role of NSUW in the community because much of what we do is “behind the scenes” and less visible. Representatives from the Beverly Mothers Club were at the discussion and we are looking forward to working with them and other mothers groups in the coming year.
In keeping with our commitment to a rigorous review of our grants, we organized a half-day Outcomes Measurement Training in June for over 50 nonprofit leaders representing each of the local agencies we currently fund. The goal was to provide tools and a framework for agency staff to establish, assess and report on the impact of their programs. Prior to the training, our Research Committee refined the goals for each of our 5 NSUW Community Impact Areas.
We are also gearing up this summer for our first annual LIVE UNITED Leadership Award on September 30th in Gloucester. We will be honoring Jack Meany, CEO of the North Shore YMCA, for his outstanding leadership and commitment to meeting the needs and challenges of our communities. Jack’s work at the Y over the past 25 years touches upon all the NSUW Impact Areas and embodies the community spirit of LIVE UNITED. Click here for tickets!
Finally, in addition to the 38 programs we currently fund, we award discretionary grants on a rolling basis throughout the year. We have received five discretionary grant proposals so far this summer, more than any in prior years --a testimony to the challenging times for nonprofits. We awarded grants to support the Mill Street Fire Fund for families that lost everything in the devastating July 4thfire in Beverly and to Harborlight Community Partners towards the rehabilitation costs of the Acord Food Pantry building in Hamilton. We also began an exciting new partnership with Glen Urquhart School for a summer enrichment program for low-income children from Beverly.
I hope you enjoyed learning a bit more about what we have been up to. Please contact us with your questions, ideas and interests in working with us. You can reach me at mcasey@nsuw.org.
Enjoy the summer days,
Margo Casey
Executive Director
