Dear Newton Community -
 
As many of you know, Jeff Beatrice, a gifted coach and father of eleven, died unexpectedly last month.  He leaves behind his wife, Elinor, and seven children within the Newton Public Schools ranging from a kindergartener to a senior in high school. With Jeff's passing, a huge void was left financially for the family.  Not surprisingly, the Newton community has rallied to support this family in a myriad of ways.   In an effort to streamline these efforts a group of concerned citizens has pledged to work together to find ways to support the Beatrice Family Fund.   Our hope is that our collective efforts will allow the family to remain together in their home.
 
To that end, we have developed a number of ways that the greater Newton community can help in our efforts.   
 
1.    Financial donations can be sent to:
       The Beatrice Family Fund
       c/o The Village Bank
       307 Auburn Street
       Auburndale, MA 02466
 
2.    To help Elinor and the family with meals and other tasks please visit   http://www.lotsahelpinghands.com/c/619171/login/ 
There are a number of upcoming fundraisers including:

Newton Elks Fund-raiser: The Newton Elks is hosting a fund-raiser for the Beatrice Family Fund on Saturday, November 14 from 7pm-12 midnight.  There will be food, a disc jockey and a cash bar, as well as a raffle for Patriots-Jets game and other silent auction/raffle items.   Tickets are $25 (adults only).   It will be held at Newton Lodge of Elks,  429 Centre Street, NewtonMA.   To purchase tickets to this event, contact John Davis at:   617-435-1791 or Johnnyrotten1@comcast.net.
 
Patriots Raffle Tickets:  In addition to the event, John Davis has offered his tickets for the Patriots-Jets game on November 22nd. We're selling 500 raffle tickets at $25.00 each. We need both buyers and sellers. The drawing is Saturday, November 14th  at the Newton Elks Lodge, 429 Center Street. You don't have to be present to win.  We need help selling the Pats-Jets raffle tickets. Please contact Matt Kenslea at:  mkenslea@harvardbusiness.org.
 
Veterans Day Event: There will be Sports-a-Thon event at Ablemarle field on Veterans' Day, Nov. 11th from 10:00 am - 4:00 pm where softball, baseball, Pop Warner and some basketball teams will play and contribute funds to the Beatrice Family Fund.  IF YOU CAN (and kids are welcome) VOLUNTEER TO HELP, please contact--Amy McMahon at amymcm@rcn.com or call: 617-527-1404.  Volunteers are needed in concessions, trash pick up, and clean up at the end of the event.  We also need more food donations for concessions: baked goods, fruit, granola and cereal bars, juice.   Can you help?  If so, contact:  Nina Levin at nina.levin@rcn.com.
 
 
Anyone interested in helping with fund-raising, please contact:  Amy McMahon (amymcm@rcn.com ), Katie Slocum (kathry@slocum.com ), Meryl Appelbaum (mitchelappelbaum@comcast.net ) or Tracy Clark (samalama@rcn.com ) with your ideas and contact info. 
 
Share The Beatrice Family story with friends and family (every amount will make a difference).
 
For more information about this family please visit our website at www.beatricefamilyfund.com.
 
Thank you for your support.  It is times like these that we all feel so fortunate to live in such an amazing community.
 
Best,
 
The Beatrice Family Steering Committee