President's Letter 

Dear Friends,

Gathering Change, Inc. continues to be humbled by the outpouring of support from the youngest among us. Next week, 500 students at the E. Ethel Little School in North Reading will begin to collect spare change for their neighborhood food pantry. In addition to making posters, the second graders are busy learning the song "Hero" by Mariah Carey which they will sing in order to inspire their classmates. 

The lyrics say: "if you look inside your heart you don't have to be afraid of what you are...There's an answer if you reach into your soul and the sorrow that you know will melt away, and then a hero comes along with the strength to carry on and you cast your fears aside and you know you can survive, so when you feel like hope is gone look inside you and be strong and you'll finally see the truth, that a hero lies in you."

The lesson is that we all, no matter what our age, stand in our own light to help each other. Change starts from within and it is that change of heart, that feeling of hope that supports our neighbors and our selves.

I applaud all the "Heroes" of Gathering Change, Inc. In the words of the late Christopher Reeve "A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to preserve and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles."

Thank you for your continued support!

Sincerely yours,

Dorothy Goodwin

President