Melissa Chappell
March 4, 2009
In the past week or two, I've ventured beyond the normal day-to-day scope of my work, which usually consists of grant writing, reports to churches and foundations, and helping to manage our cemetery re-beautification project at Codman Burying Ground. Here is the latest on those experiences:
(1) Weekend Service Retreat~ I helped Keith, Emily and David host a weekend service retreat as we welcomed Bedford Community Church to Dorchester. Their youth group energetically helped us do some demolition inside of a local church-owned home and sort donations. Throughout the weekend I was part of a simulation game we call "Star Power," great discussion, some card-playing, and a 13 girl sleepover!
(2) Homework Center~ Yesterday I filled in at our Homework Center with kids from our neighborhood. We ate snack together and worked on math and reading. It was a successful afternoon because everyone finished their homework by the end of the day!
February 5, 2009
A few things I am thankful for:
• We're excited to report that we received the most annual grant income ever last year! Pray for us as we continue to wisely seek funding for our programs in the current economy.
• Heading towards spring! Boston winters are a tad cold and snowy for my taste, and I'm glad that the shortest days of the year are behind us now. With each passing day the sun sets later!
• Visitors! So many fantastic friends have made the trek north to visit me. My friend Stacy visited over Martin Luther King weekend to get a glimpse of Boston in winter. I'm so thankful for this encouragement.
• Community! I am glad to enter the new year with a supportive community through work, church, and other local friends.
January 20, 2009
I had a new Boston/New England experience the other day: snowshoeing! A friend of mine came over the long weekend to check out Boston in the winter. We packed a lot into the weekend: seeing downtown, going to Salem (MA), New Hampshire and Maine, and snowshoeing in a foot of powder through the hills of Stoneham. We were exhausted by the end of the weekend- especially from the snow shoveling. At the beginning of the weekend my friend's quote was, "I can't wait to try shoveling!" and by the end it was something more along the lines of "I can't wait to get back to Virginia Beach!"
At BP we are busy finishing up an annual report that we will soon share. Our service-learning team also hosted our first weekend service retreat of the year this past weekend with a women's group from Medway, MA. Already those of us who weren't here over the weekend have noticed how beautifully clean and organized our kitchen is. Thanks, Medway!
December 12, 2008
Today was our annual preparation day for the Starlight Ministries Christmas Banquet. Starlight's slogan is "taking church to the streets," and many volunteers who come to serve with The Boston Project have the opportunity to spend time down at the Boston Common with Starlight staff who share food, ugly quilts (sleeping bags), and coffee with anyone who is homeless in the area. Massive amounts of food are prepared for the banquet, and so our entire staff devotes the day to food preparation, making casseroles, turkeys, and tons of other dishes to serve. Tomorrow is the big day!
October 21, 2008
Today we were excited to be listed on the front page of Boston.com (the online version of The Boston Globe) as a featured charitable cause for donations for our Ugly Quilts.
The Boston Project involves volunteers in making Ugly Quilts, which are homemade sleeping bags for those homeless. We use recycled fabrics and distribute the sleeping bags free to people who are cold on the streets of Boston.
We've often hosted Ugly Quilt making projects with groups of teenagers who come to serve with us for a week during the summer, and have recently begun training other groups to make them. All the finished quilts are distributed through Starlight Ministries, an organization that provides them to those homeless throughout the year, along with clothing, food, and company.
The response has been fantastic. We're expecting two loads of donations this week, and we're thankful for the generous response. To learn more, visit: Ugly Quilts
September 5, 2008
Just like so many people along the East Coast, we're keeping an eye on the hurricane. We had planned a Neighborhood Bash for this Saturday, but are postponing it because of the weather. Our Bash is going to celebrate the different cultures in our neighborhood and have games and food and other activities in the site of our future park. Instead, we're all planning to stay inside tomorrow as the rain moves through!
May 28, 2008
This June (coming in just a few short days) will be an exciting time in Boston. Our summer staff is heading in starting this weekend with the arrival of 2 program directors for our Summer Missions Program and ending a week later with the arrival of a dozen more staff! We're finalizing the preparations and details to welcome this group to Boston and gear up for the summer ahead.
April 16, 2008
Today was the first day that, as we walked to work, we were able to go without coats! The transition from winter to spring has finally come around, and we're in full planning mode for our summer programming. With the warmer weather, more people are out on our local streets, and it's fun to return to more active outdoor events. Yesterday Katie and the little kids were out in our future park playing with the parachute! We're excited for all the spring and summer will bring.
March 17, 2008
I have to admit, I miss having a spring break! Although we thankfully still get a taste of spring break because over the weeks of March 10 and 17, we host about 75-80 college students for week-long trips. The groups have been busy moving furniture, going to different community-based organizations and volunteering with children & youth programs (including our own). Thanks to students from Calvin, Crichton, Georgia Southern, and Boston University!
Also, this past Saturday was busy, as everyone on our staff was engaged with different volunteers or groups- Katie and Paul with a church group, Liz with a local college team, me with Boston Trinity students and adults and adults from Park Street's Crosswalk, and the rest of our staff welcoming students from Georgia Southern. Stay tuned for pictures!
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