June 2008
We have a long tradition of good citizenship here in Hingham. Countless volunteer hours are spent making calls, duking it out at meetings, crafting reports-people doing the work that keeps our town and our schools topnotch. We are fortunate in our forefathers/mothers and in our current neighbors, here in Hingham.
I have the privilege of working with some of these talented neighbors and am always amazed at the level of professionalism that people bring to the Foundation. Clever, skilled people like Carol O’Neill, our graphic designer, like Mike Koonce, our treasurer, and like Amy Farrell, our archivist-all are retiring this year and will be missed. Thanks to them and to many others over the years, the work goes on.
The Foundation, this year, broke some important records. Close to $130,000 was awarded in grants, up from $90,000 last year. We launched a new initiative, targeting local businesses (especially) as donors with our Get SMART Campaign which seeks to raise money for 50 SMART Boards, requested by teachers. That campaign is building momentum. It is a time of growth for us but the level of commitment and of professionalism is not new-that has been there since 1992. We hope that others will follow and build upon our work. There is reason to hope.
Though Entertaining for Education was again successful and continues as our primary fundraiser, the October Phonathon was especially noteworthy in that more people were called and more people donated than ever before. Hingham high students carry this event-raising the money for their schools and learning skills that will allow them to carry on our work someday. That is another way to measure success-the passing on of civic values and skills-and we are as proud of that as we are of the fundraising.
To all of our many supporters, we thank you for your generosity and for the example that you set for all of our children.
Oh! There is still time to make a contribution to the Get SMART Campaign…
Elaine Hoey Gomez, President