Dear Fellows, Friends & Supporters,

It is hard to believe, but we are entering the fall season and we are excited to have our full corps of 36 Fellows serving throughout the state! Fall is a busy time of year for the Fellowship as we will be visiting all 35 of our sites and heading to the Berkshires for our annual Fall Retreat. The Fellows are already off to a strong start and we are looking forward to seeing what they accomplish this year.
 

In response to the challenges with funding for AmeriCorps this past year, we are working hard to identify innovative ways to consistently present the case for National Service. Our Advisory Board and Northeastern University are helping us make this happen. If you would like to join these efforts, please let us know.
 

We wish you all a great start to the fall season!
 

Best,

Kori Redepenning, Director

Colleen Holohan, Member Development Manager

On Friday, July 29th, 37 Fellows were honored for completing a year of service at a graduation ceremony at the Moakley Federal Courthouse. Over 120 friends, family members and supporters came to celebrate the impact that each Fellow made during their time with MPF. A highlight of the event was when the Fellows were presented with an official citation from Senator Scott Brown, presented by Maria Coakley. A heartfelt thank you to Senator Brown and Maria Coakley for their support!

In the course of the year, Fellows were able to make a big difference in the lives of Massachusetts youth. Specifically,

• 475 new afterschool projects/programs were created that served 2,936 young people
• 378 new mentor/mentee matches created, and 198 matches supported
• 138 new education & outreach tools impacted 7,571 young people
• 621 youth leaders initiated 233 community projects & presentations
• 1,810 volunteers contributed 17,470 hours of service

Overall, Fellows contributed 71,342 hours of service.

Post graduation, Fellows are embarking on a number of new adventures including a second year of service with MPF, graduate work, and continuing to work in the non-profit sector. Congrats to Class XII!

On August 2nd, the Massachusetts Promise Fellowship welcomed Class XIII with a three-day residential orientation at Northeastern University led by Fellowship staff and five new Senior Fellows.
 

Fellows received training on AmeriCorps and the world of National Service and had their first opportunity to begin networking with each other and learning about the resources each of their host site organizations has to offer. MPF Alumni shared their leadership throughout the orientation as workshop facilitators, speakers, and panelists.  Class XII Alumni Lucia Flores, Meridith Hyres, and Kerri Foley presented an interactive workshop on leadership styles. More Class XII Alums, Simona Lang, Rantimi Oluwasegun, and Hatsie Haley presented a "Living on the Stipend" panel. A dinner in Chinatown with the Fellowship Advisory Board gave Fellows the opportunity to meet and get acquainted with several Board members and learn about their careers and backgrounds. A highlight of orientation was the first ever youth planned and facilitated workshop at Fellow Orientation on community asset mapping led by community organizers from Fellowship host site, Sociedad Latina. Class XIII Fellow, Ashley Lesperance said, "I loved seeing youth from a Fellowship host site, how incredible they were and that they were supported by the Fellow Alum working with them. I thought that was a great perspective to give incoming Fellows."

Orientation ended with a networking reception with Fellowship Alumni attended by over 15 Alums who got to know Class XIII and shared their wisdom from their year of service and beyond. Class XI & XII Alum, Sonal Dhingra addressed the new Fellows and unveiled a video legacy from Class XII who shared well wishes to the group. Fellows left orientation energized and excited for their year of service!

The City of Brockton Mayor's Office has been hosting a Fellow since 1999. The third Fellow to serve in Brockton, Heather Arrighi, served for two years and at the completion of her second year of service, was presented with the key to the city.  Today, Heather is still serving Brockton as the Partnership Liaison/Pathways Developer for Brockton Public Schools.
 

After Heather, the City of Brockton has been fortunate to continue hosting Fellows to ensure that the youth of Brockton are provided the Five Promises.  "The Promise Fellow position plays a vital part in helping engage young people in programs and activities and connect them with resources while building leaders," said Koren Cappiello, Director of Social and Community Services for the Office of the Mayor.  "Having a dedicated volunteer who is passionate about "service" allows for better collaboration between the city and partner agencies and organizations and helps our youth become better prepared for their futures."