Greetings!
I trust you’re enjoying the warmer weather that has finally arrived and seems like it’s going to stay. For me, it’s the early summer birdsong in the mornings that bouys my sense of hope. What lifts your spirits this time of year?
Here at Helping Our Women, the Annual Gathering is an energizing evening of hope so I hope you’ll join us next Tuesday, June 9. This year we will celebrate the completion of the second round of Peer Wellness Coach training — a group of 10 volunteers have completed 20 hours of online training and 20 hours of practice homework to prepare to offer free 1:1 support on whatever goal, issue, or concern the women we serve may be facing. We will also honor HOW’s Volunteer of the Year, Joan Pellissier, and Jacqui Beebe, Eastham’s Town Manager who is this year’s recipient of the Betty Villari Community Service Award that goes to someone who shows dedicated commitment, energy, and kindness in service to the Outer Cape.
At the Annual Gathering, you’ll also get a chance to meet our new Client Services Director, Maria Brennan who starts next week and brings deep human service and nonprofit management experience to benefit the women we serve and to support continuous improvement across our direct client service programs.
Another springtime sign of hope comes from our Program Manager, Pam Mahoney. From January through April, women on the Outer Cape gathered 418 times in our health & wellness programs — for connection, for support, and for community. And of those 418 moments of connection, more than half came from community members who joined us for wellness, learning, and support — a reminder that HOW’s health & wellness programs are open to all women and strengthen the whole community, not only the client members we serve.
I hope to see you on June 9 or at one of our upcoming programs described below!
With gratitude,
Gwynne