I got a phone call in April 1989 from a friend who was the food and beverage director at New England Culinary Institute's Inn at Essex looking for a director of catering.  Quite frankly, I was not sure which side of Vermont bordered New Hampshire.  When I came to visit and interview for the position, it was love at first sight.  The human scale and the quality of life in Vermont have always been attractive.  About two months after that call I was packing my bags to begin a new chapter in my culinary career having worked as a chef in the Philadelphia restaurant scene. 

 

I remember my friends being stunned about this decision asking me why are you leaving and for all places, Vermont.  I said to them I was not really sure why but felt that I would find out when I got there. 

 

Can you briefly describe Good News Garage and your latest venture with NeighborKeepers?

I switched careers at 40 as the chef at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Montpelier to work for Chittenden Community Action having never worked in the social service sector before.  One day I met Debra, a single mother on public assistance, who was in tears because she just bought a used car and the brakes failed before she got home.  The used car dealer refused to fix the car or refund her.  Her story moved me and inspired the idea of the Good News Garage which solicits donated vehicles, repairs them with a guarantee, and provides them to people like Debra for a nominal cost.  On July 1, 1996 the garage started up with a $35,000 grant and grew into a $1.2M operation.    

 

At the end of the day it was about the kids.  How could they know their future story if all they knew was poverty?  So, I started NeighborKeepers in 2006 to engage the community to serve and support our neighbors in need of resources, meaning, and friends.

 

How do these organizations help you fulfill your personal mission?

My core values of truth and justice were shaped by my experiences of racism and my pursuit for social justice during the 1960's in York, PA.  Back then there was a clear sense of community.  You knew who to look out for and where to find support.  We did not have the plethora of social service organizations in the non-profit and public sector.  We had each other and believed that whatever affects one directly affects us all indirectly as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said. 

 

I have learned in my work that people don't wake up and want to be poor.  Instead, there are systems and policies in place that act as barriers for people who struggle with a lack of resources.  When it is all said and done, we want the same things so we can provide for our families and become a part of community. 

 

You're starting a tutoring program to help schoolchildren with math.  How will that work and do you need volunteers?

We are all given opportunities to make a difference and those opportunities are called days.  We get them one at a time with no guarantee for tomorrow.  I met a couple who had lived in Winooski for more than 20 years and was moved by their story for the need of math tutoring.  The Winooski Schools have some of the lowest math New England Common Assessments Program test scores.  So, NeighborKeepers is planning to pilot a math mentoring program in partnership with the school district and St. Michael's College.  Our focus will be English Language Learning families and not only engage the 2^nd or 3^rd graders but the entire family with a team of two graduate students and a trained math mentor.  We are looking for volunteers who can make math fun while encouraging the child to see their world through the lens of math.