CTI's 7th Annual "Key West" Carnival Fundraiser
to Prevent Homelessness
A SINCERE
THANK YOU!
This year's 7th Annual "Key West" Carnival Fundraiser to Prevent Homelessness was a great success thanks to our terrific co-chairs Lowell Mayor Edward "Bud" Caulfield and Vice Mayor Rita Mercier and a TEAM of very dedicated board members, CTI employees and community partners. We raised approximately $60,000 for the SHIFT Homelessness Prevention program, threw a fun tropical party for 500 of our friends and supporters and generated awareness about homelessness in the Merrimack Valley.
Very Special Thanks To:
Co-chairs – Mayor Bud Caulfield and Vice Mayor Rita Mercier for their leadership, fundraising, promotion and tireless advocacy for the homeless.
Board of Directors for their stewardship and success in raising over $12,000. Special thanks to Rita O'Brien Dee (our top ticket seller), Marie Sweeney, Marty Conway and Glenn Goldman for their extraordinary fundraising efforts.
Merrimack Valley Regional Network Partners - Phil Laverriere, Exec. Dir., Chick Lopiano, Asst. Exec. Dir. and Rick Robichaud, CFO - Greater Lawrence Community Action Council; John Cuneo, Exec. Dir., Community Action, Inc. and Bob Mazzone, Exec. Dir., Amesbury and Merrimac Regional Housing Authorities - for their support and partnership.
Our Sponsors - Over 160 business, faith and community sponsors (a full listing and description of special donations appears on our website www.comteam.org).
Planning Committee –This team of CTI Board members, staff and Enterprise Bank employees worked hard these past three months raising funds and promoting and shaping the event – Board members Marie Sweeney and Rita O’Brien Dee; CTI staff Dave Ouellette, Ed Cameron, Brent Rourke, Kelli Fish, Kelli Porcaro, Connie Martin, Curtis Walters, Sharon Shelton, Linda Bloomgren, Kathleen Mulligan, Gene Cordes, Karen Frederick; and Enterprise Bank employees Cheryl Callahan, Matt Fitzpatrick, Kelly Rys and Jamie O’Hearn.
Sales Advisory Committee– This dedicated group of volunteers from the business community collectively raised $20,000 – CTI Board members Glenn Goldman (Sr. VP, Lowell Five Cent Savings), Jim Milinazzo, (VP, Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union) and Vice Mayor Rita Mercier; Mayor Bud Caulfield, Matt Fitzpatrick (VP, Enterprise Bank); Peter Lally (Director, Lowell Memorial Auditorium); Sharon Shelton; Ken Masson; Kevin Willett (CFO, Washington Savings Bank); and Attorney Tami Dristiliaris.
YouthBuild Team - Kelli Fish and the Youth Build team including staff John Graham, Ray Diecidue, Mike Colby, Kelly Porcaro and Jose Negron and the students of YouthBuild who erected their "tiki huts" and "tropical pergolas" and provided extensive help setting up and taking down decorations, props and banners. Special thanks to YB student Ryan Plummer who was our life-sized “parrot” greeting guests!
Youth Programs Team - Curtis Walters and the Youth Programs team who managed and ran the Silent and Live Auctions (over 60 items), raising $5,000 - Carlos Mendonca, Kari Walters, Isaias Rodriquez and Modesto Cruz, Liz Rendon, Saul Rodriquez, Estefany Galindo, Roberto Pagan, Rachel Hebert, Bona Poun, and Scott Hoffman.
Senior Corps Team - Linda Bloomgren and the Senior Corps Volunteers who helped set up, greet guests with leis & flowers, run our raffles and sell tropical merchandise (raising $2,800) - Barbara Dickinson, Blanche Pappas, Carleen Gavin, Claire Trongone, Claudette Cotto, Donna Houston, Frances Busby, Frances Duxbury, Jane Canter, Jeannine Donohoe, Joan Butler, Joyce Beniot, Jude MacNeil, Kathleen Hodge, Kendra Reynolds, Lea Schaefer, Lee Knust, Lorraine Bergeron, Patricia Driscoll, Paul Krenitsky, Rita Villandry, Shirley Kiernan, Stella Diamantopoulos, Monica Gagne
Maintenance Team - Jorge Cruz and Justin Norman who worked tirelessly for three days to gather, transport, set up and take down all our decorations.
Other Staff Contributors - A special thank you to Chris Defeo and Debra Enman for coordinating our Carnival and Triple Play ticket sales, top staff ticket sellers Dave Ouellette and Julie Salois, Brian Yates for soliciting special donations, Susan Powers for decorating Silent Auction baskets, and Cathy Callahan for designing/decorating the tropical pergolas; Ed London who photographed the event; and Charlene Urbanek for all her support; the staffs of WIC, Fiscal, HCEC, Community Resources and Child & Family Services for silent auction donations; and the following volunteers (in addition to many cited above) who helped set up and take down the decorations and props at the auditorium - Darlene Simon, Pinkham Bouasri, Penny Judd, Eileen Healey, Jeslie Rodriquez, Fernanda Faria, Christina Santos-Gordon, Deb Crispo, Bob Tremblay, YouthBuild staff and students, Youth Programs staff, Dave Balch, Karen Frederick, Peter Cicco, Rita OBrien Dee, Avi Glaser, Jane Benfey, Curtis Walters, Linda Bloomgren, Jason Chiesa, and Joan and Rick Aseltine.
And finally, but in no way least, THANK YOU for participating by buying tickets, attending the event and helping us celebrate!
Note - If we have inadvertently omitted your name, please let me know and we will update this letter.
Sincerely,
Sharon Shelton
