Mark Spencer took the floor to introduce another of this year's outstanding Citizens Who Care, Peg Campbell, who is Chair of the Andover Youth Foundation. Peg began by thanking the Club for the award. She said it was a wonderful highlight for her and her family to receive the recognition. It echoed the spirit of optimism that she is fostering with the Andover Youth Foundation.
Sixteen years ago there were three teenage suicides in Andover. The town management recognized that there needed to be a way to keep young people safe and engaged. They were able to receive a grant from the state to enable them to hire Bill Fahey as Youth Services Director. Peg said she has watched the program grow and flourish under his leadership.
The next big project is to get the Youth Center built. The AYF has raised 1.8M of the 5.5M needed to build the center. There was an original gift of 1.5M from Yvon Cormier and a grant of $500,000 from the state to be used for the infrastructure, but there is still a long way to go. At present AYF is asking the town to donate the land for the building.
The goal is to get more people involved in marketing and fundraising efforts. In the meantime, the house on Pearson Street recently purchased by the town is being rehabbed by the youth for their use. They currently have an art room and a computer room. This project has given kids an opportunity to connect to the community.
In order to get the project moving again, the Foundation has made the following decisions:
1. The Cormier Center will be a shared center - with youth, seniors and DCS having components that can be shared.
2. A time line of one year has been established in which to raise another 1M. Then a decision must be made as to how to proceed, i.e., whether to ask the public to fund it from borrowed money.
3. Need to define the space for all uses, i.e., store to sell made items, gym, kitchen, activity room, arts and crafts room, band practice room, dance studio, poetry room, space for fashion shows, etc. Shared time could be for older citizens to teach skills such as sewing and teens to teach them computer skills, etc.
It is obvious that Peg's enthusiasm and direction are having an impact on the efforts that have been so long in the making. Thank you, Peg and Bill, for keeping the faith!
The elite among us today included ADG Tom Elliott and Rotary Foundation District Chair Keith Harris. Also visiting were Danielle Perry from the Salem/Methuen club and Sally Fabian, owner of Serene Restaurant, guest of Richard Brenner.
With this reporter wielding the bag today, and her designated assistant scribe having missed Mrs. Palmer's penmanship lesson, any errors or omissions are purely the fault of said assistant scribe!
Paul Brown warned us that our bills will be coming out this week for the upcoming quarter. He encouraged us also to ante up the $100 for the Foundation when submitting our checks. Mark Spencer had several items of note, but the scribe's notes weren't legible, so apologies to Mark. Joan Johnson gave a happy five to celebrate her son's return home after six months of treatment for leukemia.