There are approximately 143 not-for-profit,
charity groups in Marblehead. They champion
causes of every kind. They throw parties,
hold auctions, run car washes, sell bracelets,
and despite other obligations, work tirelessly
and without pay on our behalves. They do
it because they rightfully believe that
what they do makes a difference.
The Marblehead Food Pantry feeds those
in the greater community who are hungry.
The Community of Friends provides practical
necessities for our neighbors on the North
Shore. TeamUp offers valuable education
to parents, teachers and students that the
school budget cannot provide. Merry Mixers
is working to create one of the finest children’s
hospitals in Massachusetts. The Penny Bear
Company shares love and hope around the
country. Making Ends Meet is doing just
that.
That’s only six. Imagine what all the others
are doing right now.
Sometimes these groups come to your door
or your mailbox seeking your support. They
all want a piece of you: your ear, your
wallet, your time. And, truth be told, so
do we.
Rather than becoming unduly competitive,
these groups happily co-exist. The Marblehead
Family Fund goes a step further by championing
what others do, simply because, that IS
what we do. We exist to make a great town
greater and we do it by working together.
Founded in 1998, ours is not a flashy outfit.
We are rich in only one way, in the way
Park and Recreation Director Mike Lane,
has said: in sweat equity.
We work hard, mostly with our kids in tow,
to get things done. We’ve moved dirt, swung
hammers and Walked for a Beautiful Town.
We provide affordable family fun throughout
the year, often on a shoestring budget,
and we rarely charge more than $10 for an
event. And over the last eight years, our
simple mission has raised in excess of $100,000,
all of which has directly benefited the
town we love.
We have rebuilt six community playgrounds
and established the popular Family Concert
Series, the Big Pumpkin Fair, the Author/Illustrator
Series and more. We are helping to rebuild
the facilities at Devereux Beach and we
are a key sponsor in the launch of TeamUp.
We are initiating an Afternoon Indoor Park
at the Community Center during the winter
months and in the spring, we will present
Kid Expo, a day-long event bringing local
services for children of all ages to the
parents who seek them.
Our ambitious agenda for the future includes
the creation of a Marblehead Teen Center.
We can only accomplish this goal, like all
our others, through the generous support
of the local community and by partnering
with other like-minded groups, the 20/20
Youth Friendly Committee for example, for
the mutual benefit of all.
In a few weeks, we will launch the inaugural
Festival of Wreaths, a town-wide exhibition
of imaginatively decorated wreaths created
by local businesses, schools, government,
groups and individuals. These distinctive
pieces of “art” will be exhibited throughout
town during Christmas Walk and sold for
auction by silent bid during the weekend
and the week following (December 2nd through
the 9th.).
Our aim for the Festival of Wreaths is
twofold. While obviously we hope to raise
money for our causes, we are also determined
to celebrate the unique and eccentric essence
of our town. We are thinking “outside the
circle” and anticipating wreaths that go
beyond bows and berries. Dog bones? Great!
Red tape? Funny! Paint brushes, safety belts,
vegetables, sporting equipment, newspaper
copy, videos, SAT results – it’s all up
for grabs. And if we have a little fun,
laugh a little bit and ooh and ahh at the
creativity and talent of our neighbors and
friends, well, so much the better.
The Marblehead Family Fund is a committed
group of volunteers not unlike the other
143 in our community, but we are unique
in our own way. We provide quality, affordable
events for families to have fun together,
while simultaneously raising the money we
need to fund, fuel and make happen the great
ideas of others. It might be a new neighborhood
playground, or a better shower, fencing
and parking lot at the Beach, or an educational
resource for happier kids, parents and teachers.
And someday, it will be a Marblehead Teen
Center.
When we come to your door or mailbox asking
for your ear, time or financial support,
know that when you support the Marblehead
Family Fund, you are supporting countless
others who make life here better: The Farmers’
Market, Abbot Public Library, The Park and
Recreation Department, TeamUp, the retail
community and more. As a Trust of the Town
of Marblehead, operated by our board of
directors and with the support of the Board
of Selectman, we remain one of the few of
the hundreds of charitable organizations
who directly affect our town.
We firmly believe that good work begets
good work, that community building creates
healthy kids and families and that the opposite
is also true. When we watch our neighbors
take time out of their lives for others,
we know ours is a grateful and gracious
community. When we read and listen to the
hand-wringing and otherwise kvetching at
Town Meeting and the Letters section of
this paper, we know there is real place
for private initiative and public service.
Take a walk around our beautiful town and
you’ll see traces of the Revolutionary past
that reminds us who we are and how we get
things done. The Family Fund tries in its
own way to also embody this true spirit
of Marblehead: a can-do attitude fueled
by a vocal community that works best when
it works together.
Look beyond our borders to the South to
see how invaluable the acts of committed
citizens can be. But even in a community
as blessed as ours, we still need the volunteer,
the private, not-for-profit groups that
keep them busy, and the generous citizens
that support them.
Help us to celebrate the spirit of Marblehead
and Marbleheaders. Support the charitable
and community organizations in our town
and the people who make them happen. After
all, it takes a town!
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