September 2019 Newsletter
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Thank you for reading our Fall Newsletter,
As Boston residents know, the first weekend in September is not to be taken lightly, as more than 140,000 students move into Boston. This year, it was a big day for Wily Scholars as well. Wily staff were circulating around the city helping our Scholars move into new apartments and dorm rooms.
It occurred to me that move-in day is part of what makes the Wily Network special. At this point in our journey, I can't say exactly what the “secret sauce” is, but there are certainly poignant moments when you drive a student to a new school, help move a Scholar into a new room, or drop off a desk lamp while you’re out running errands. There's something meaningful for our Scholars in just
having someone there,
whether to carry boxes, make the bed, share a snack, or just sympathize as they navigate a complicated day (and I’m not just talking about the traffic).
As always, thank you for being part of our pack. It is an honor to work with all of you to help our Scholars thrive.
Best,
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Judi Alperin King
Founder and Executive Director
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Move-In Day
Move-in day was a success for all of the Wily Scholars! Over the past few weeks, Wily coaches and staff helped Scholars move furniture, haul bags, and set up dorms and apartments. Wily coaches and staff work with our Scholars to cope with the difficult feelings that may arise during these
emotionally laden
experiences, and help them feel supported and cared for at the start of their fall semester.
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Welcome Back Care Package Events
Thank you to all of the volunteers who contributed to our Welcome Back care packages! A special thank you to our care package chairs: Kathy Alperin, Anne Cadigan, Kristie Dean at
The Soul Project
(
@thesoulprojectstories
)
and Wendy Scoppa at Sunovion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Our Scholars love receiving the baskets filled with dorm room supplies, personal items, and gift cards to welcome them back to school!
"Thank you so much for your back-to-school care package. Your kind words and gifts filled me with immense happiness and excitement for this fall semester. I am so grateful to have such caring and generous people in my life!" - Wily Scholar
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Scholar Summer Photos
Our students were incredibly busy this summer! They worked at internships, jobs & co-ops, traveled across the country and
around the
world, and enjoyed their time off from classes. Watch this
video
to see photos from their summer activities!
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Wily Pack Activities
Even with all the traveling, working, and general busyness, Scholars and staff still found time to gather as a pack! Scholars saw
Great Bear Rainforest
in IMAX at the Museum of Science and dined out at
Toscanini’s
. Two Scholars and one of our recent graduates joined Director of Programming Bonnie Yezukevich for a discussion at Northeastern Crossing focused on providing financial assistance for first-generation college students (organized by
The Letters Foundation
and
The Learning By Giving Foundation
).
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Restaurant Program
This summer our Scholars were treated to a night out at
The Local
in Wellesley. Thank you to
The Local
for supporting Wily Scholars again this year!
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39 Scholars Funded and Counting!
We are closing in on our goal for 2019! With 39 of our Scholars fully funded by our
Fund-A-Scholar
program, as well as grants and individual donations still coming in, we hope to reach our goal of 50 Scholars funded by 2020! Thank you to all of our supporters!
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100 Women Who Care of Needham
A special thank you to Ellen Volpe and the
100 Women of Needham
, who over the summer collectively donated $10,000 to the Wily Network (100 women donated $100 each).
Your generous donation will help us continue expanding our program this coming year!
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Boston College Class of 1989 Fundraiser
Thank you to
May Herr (BC '89)
for spearheading the BC Class of 1989 fundraiser in memory of Liz Hughes Beck - raising
$7,605
for Wily in two weeks! Inspired by other '89 classmates who grew up in the foster care system, May took it upon herself to run this fundraiser in support of our Wily Scholars. Thank you to everyone who supported May's fundraiser!
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Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
Earlier this month, Wily staff participated in a DEI training facilitated by
Aba Taylor,
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Consultant & Facilitator
.
The training was a first step in an ongoing journey to understand the importance of DEI in our personal lives and the workplace. We were challenged to address our own biases, think critically, and look at ways to implement this work here at Wily.
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Board Meeting Coaches Panel
At our September 9th Board Meeting, Wily staff and board members were treated a “Coaching Panel” about the program side of Wily. Advisory Council member Sheila Murphy moderated a panel discussion with Director of Coaching Kat Castañeda MacDonald and Clinical Scholar Coaches Madjeen Lorthe and Susan Goldscheid. Board members and staff gained a deeper understanding of the difficulties Wily Scholars face.
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Over the past few months, new staff and board members have joined the pack! Please welcome our new clinical Scholar coaches,
Bianca Blakesley
and
Madjeen Lorthe
. Bianca joins us from the Simmons Counseling Center, where she worked on improving access...
read more here
.
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Get Involved in Our Networking Program
We have begun to connect individual volunteers with Scholars through our Networking Program. Please contac
t
Ashley Linell
to learn more about Networking at Wily.
Below is a quote from one our Scholars who has already made a connection:
“It's so great to e-meet you! Judi told me just a slice of the amazing work you have accomplished for yourself and I was both intrigued and inspired! I wish I heard of more women coming from challenging situations who rise to success like yourself. You truly inspire me to push through the grit and keep fighting for my goals! I would be so grateful and honored for the opportunity to meet with you...”
- Wily Scholar
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Easy Clicks
- Support our Wily Scholars by fulfilling Wily’s Back-To-School wishlists on Amazon
- Show extra support by using Amazon Smile and setting your charity to the Wily Network!
- Host a gift card party for the holidays with friends and family!
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Fall "Intro to Wily" Event
Thank you to our hosts
Kim and Greg Pappas & Pam and Andy Martin
for introducing Wily to an engaged and enthusiastic group at an Intro to Wily event at the Weston Golf Club. Guests were inspired by board member Kim's speech about why Wily resonates with her. They were also moved by the dialogue between
Kyla Truman
, an MIT graduate who shared her story about attending college without a safety net, and Judi who explained how Wily steps in to provide the necessary support to our Scholars.
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Shopping Events
Please save the date for these upcoming holiday shopping events to benefit Wily!
Thank you to Juju and Lyn Evans for supporting our work.
- Juju, 82 Thoreau Street, Concord on Nov. 6th
- Lyn Evans, 32 Church Street, Wellesley on Nov. 21st
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Save the Date!
Join us on February 4, 2020 for our annual speaker series featuring Steve Pemberton,
author of
A Chance in the World
.
Listen to Steve share his story about growing up in the foster care system and how he ultimately found his purpose and identity.
Location TBD.
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We rely on the strength of our Wily Network pack.
Please consider making a gift!
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Help us grow our network Please SHARE our story!
#theWilyNetwork
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