Coming Up
First Tuesdays, at COH
April 7, 5-7pm
Tomorrow, Tuesday, April 7th, Circle of Hope will have late dropoff hours. And you can expect this again in May, June... the first Tuesday of every month. Thank you Margot Carleton, the COH volunteer who has offered to staff this new important addition to COH's open hours!
Mother's Day Tributes
April/May 2015
Honor your mother for Mother's Day by making a donation in her honor to help Boston's struggling families and individuals.
Beyond Shelter
April 16
One of our biggest supporters, Charles River Apparel is the Lead Sponsor of this event taking place at House of Blues to support Friends of Boston's Homeless. It's an evening of fabulous food, live music, a great raffle and auction. Click here to purchase tickets.
Project Hope's 12th Annual Rise and Shine breakfast June 9
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Special Requests
- Spring jackets and raincoats for children, women, men
- Men's jeans
- Men's sweatshirts and fleece tops
If you have any of the above, please drop them off at 65 Rosemary Street during any of our...
DROP-OFF TIMES:
Monday, 9-10 AM
Tuesday, 4-5 PM
Wednesday, 9-10 AM
Wednesday, 3-4 PM
Thursday, 10-11:30 AM
Saturday, 9-11 AM
*NEW, 1st Tuesdays each month, 5-7 pm
If you would like to make a financial donation to Circle of Hope, click here.
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You Must Hear This...
It's notes like this that motivate us to work harder. You, our supporters, will especially be moved by these words...
"
The staff and families at Casa Nueva Vida are so much in debt to you for your kind and generous donations. Your hard work and dedication, as well as the volunteers that so unselfishly give of their time each month to make deliveries to us is commendable. THANK YOU.
"
Zaida Estremera Casa Nueva Vida
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Go To Crew Update
The Go To Crew is a small group of supporters who receive an e-mail if a special need arises. Being a member of the Go To Crew does not obligate its members to donate every time there is a need. If you would like to be a member of the Go To Crew, or know someone who would like to be on this e-mail list, just respond to this e-mail, or click here.  |
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Dear Friends of Circle of Hope,
The calendar declares spring and yet we're still waiting for its truest signs. The poet Arthur Sze writes, "A spring snow coincides with plum blossoms. In a month, you will forget, then remember..." What I'm remembering most and honoring in this issue is the generosity of our donors and the intrepid spirit of our volunteers. You'll read about the difference this extraordinary kindness made in this harshest winter. What is just as astounding is how COH met spring with
Revival, our first ever fundraising event. What blossomed from the creative vision of our Director of Development, Kate Maguire, was a vibrant and elegant event thanks to the amazing efforts of many wonderful volunteers, talented designers, and generous sponsors. Thank you to all who contributed your time, talent, and incredible energy so that Circle of Hope can thrive and serve our neighbors in need.
I am deeply grateful to all the Circle of Hope volunteers and supporters whose actions speak to their compassion for children, women, and men whose lives are a struggle every day. We ease their suffering, offer help in tangible ways, and we celebrate together the spirit of hope that transforms lives.
With deepest thanks,
Barbara Waterhouse
Executive Director
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Volunteer Opportunities at COH
As we think about how far we have come in the last six years and the thousands of people we have helped, we have to acknowledge and celebrate that it would not have been possible without dozens of dedicated volunteers. As we expand our reach to help even more of Boston's families and individuals who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, we are looking forward to expanding our volunteer family. Here are some of the opportunities where you can help...
NEW. E-Newsletter Volunteer.
The newsletter you are reading right now comes out once per month. It's contents are contributed by other volunteers, COH staff, and board members. This volunteer would collect the copy and, using our Constant Contact service, generate the newsletter. Constant Contact experience is great but not mandatory. This user-friendly resource can be easily learned by individuals who have basic computer skills.
NEW. Social Media/PR Volunteer. This volunteer would help COH maintain a presence on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The content and photos are provided by various COH volunteers and staff so the job is making sure it gets communicated. Additionally, this role could include submitting occasional press releases to area media, or a second volunteer could be named to take that part, and each volunteer could work together to maintain and grow COH's exposure in the Boston area. If interested in learning more, click here to send a message to Kate Maguire, Director of Development.
Sorters sort donations by gender, size, type and season. They package clothing donations in carefully labeled brown bags. Sorters also greet donors and accept donations during our drop-off hours.
Order Pullers prepare orders for delivery to shelters and other programs served by COH. They fill out delivery logs detailing all of the items donated in an order.
Drivers deliver orders in your own vehicle or our new COH Transport Van, to shelters and other programs in the Boston area. Drivers provide the most consistent personal contact between COH and the programs we serve.
Shoppers purchase clothing and other items we wish to donate using funds given to COH for this purpose.
Collection Volunteers
may run or advise others on collection drives for COH to gather clothing and other items that we donate to shelters and programs. At times, these volunteers may be called upon to speak to a small group (girl scout troops, community groups, etc.) about what Circle of Hope does.
School Liaison and Business Liaison. These volunteers are on call to support schools and businesses interested in doing drives for Circle of Hope. Liaisons provide the school or business with any signage or handouts they might need to educate potential donors. Additionally, the Liaison would communicate the event internally so that we can publicize it through our media resources.
Event Volunteers. This group of people is on our event list so that when an event comes up, we will reach ou
t to you to see if you would like to be part of the planning or simply donate a few hours on a particular day. This could be anything from staffing a COH event table to planning Revival, our recent signature fundraiser.
The Go To Crew is a small group of supporters who receive an e-mail if a special need arises, and the needed items are not in our inventory. Being a member of the Go To
Crew does not obligate its members to donate every time there is a need.
Social Media "Friend". No need to apply or even respond! For this volunteer act of generosity, you can do it virtually anywhere you have internet access! We now have a presence on Instagram, so if you haven't already, please follow us to see the photos we share. If you are on Facebook, first "Like" Circle of Hope and when you see posts you like (we try to post something every weekday) consider clicking "Like," or "Share" it with your Facebook friends. You can "Follow" us on Twitter. If you see a "tweet" that you like, please consider "retweeting" it so that your own followers may see it. Lastly, no need to keep our Monthly Newsletters or other e-mails we send you to yourself. Feel free to forward them to your friends who might be interested.
The following volunteer positions are currently filled, but we thought you might enjoy knowing what all of our volunteers do at Circle of Hope. Our Scheduler plans deliveries by contacting the programs we serve concerning their needs and coordinating with drivers to schedule deliveries. Our Data Entry Volunteers enter information into databases and spreadsheets. For example, the information from delivery logs goes into a database that allows us to track the value of the clothing and other items we donate. Our Website Volunteers keep our website current by updating it with content changes to our hours and other information.
Just by reading this article and newsletter, you are already supporting Circle of Hope! If you think that a friend of yours might be interested in one of the volunteer responsibilities above, feel free to forward this newsletter to them. Thank you!
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Because of people like YOU, Circle of Hope is able to help hundreds of people in Boston area homeless shelters and programs serving refugees and disadvantaged youth. Here are some of our stories from this month...
So Many to Thank for Revival
We are all still a little star-struck with all that happened during our inaugural fundraising event,
Revival. We are so grateful to
the Designers who selflessly worked for months to create ten perfect home vignettes.
This year's Revival 2015
Vignette Designers were Lynda Holich, Barbara Prosser, Linda Kickham, Helen Gregory, Barbara Jones, Dani Sammut, Sharyn Greenstein, Janet Cotter, Jane Morrison, Terry Windhorst, Arden Mason, Marina Janus, and Susan Philbin. And who was first to support this major undertaking in a very big way? Our Presenting Sponsors, Dedham Savings and Needham Bank. It would not have been possible without the tireless, enthusiastic, and fearless planning committee members - Julia Baker, Sharyn Greenstein, Helen Gregory, Ronnie Schauer, Michelene McClennon, Terry Windhorst, Dani Sammut, Paula Andrews, Donna Mulrenan, Lindyl Arno, Linda Kickham, Myra Anderson, and Kate Maguire. And we are ever grateful to our Patron Sponsors - Albion Investment Company, Avita of Needham, Berkshire Hathaway Town & Country Real Estate, The Bulfinch Group, Charles River Apparel, Coldwell Banker, The Herman Family, Home Trends, the Needham Women's Club, and Roche Bros
. Thank you all for making our dream of Revival come true.
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So Many Coats
In the snowiest winter ever recorded in Boston, Circle of Hope delivered more coats than ever before thanks to our generous donors. That's 2,381 winter coats to be exact, a 50% increase in the number of children, women, and men we kept warm this winter compared to last year. With the closure of Boston's largest men's shelter Rev. Cristina Rathbone said that COH "saved lives this winter" by giving warm clothing and winter coats to homeless guests at the Episcopal Lunch Program.
You may be wondering how we collected, sorted, bagged and delivered that many coats. It was the dedication of our energetic volunteers combined with the generous donation of storage space in the garages of two COH Board Member Bruce Goody. Bruce and fellow Board Member Myra Anderson picked up Anton's Coats for Kids from different Anton's locations, stored them, and brought bags of coats to COH in time for every one of our deliveries all winter! Our heartfelt thanks goes to the individual donors, "Go To Crew" members, and the folks at Anton's Cleaners for answering our call for warm winter coats. You warmed the hearts of our COH volunteers, relieved the anxiety of shelter directors, and kept 2,381 people warm and healthy this winter. Thank you!
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Thanks AGAIN, Cross Fit One Nation
Cross Fit One Nation once again combined fitness with supporting Boston's most vulnerable citizens. The end result this time - a donation of 200 pairs of shoes for Circle of Hope. Said COH President/Executive Director Barbara Waterhouse, "That's 200 homeless people who will have shoes and be healthier thanks to Cross Fit One Nation.
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Lots and Lots of Toiletries
The Needham Women's Club looks out for us in so many ways. They staff our Saturday drop-off hours. Many members volunteer at other times during the week. The NWC was a Patron Sponsor of Revival. And just when we thought we couldn't possibly love them more - they drop off three enormous bags of full-size toiletries, all collected from club members. Thank you NWC!
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Shout Outs
We're so thankful to have been celebrated and supported by the Masterworks Chorale on March 13 with a special performance at the Sanders Theatre in Cambridge.
And thanks to B in Touch Massage for collecting 146 pairs of socks with their recent challenge to their clients.
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