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In This Issue:
BWHer Does Her Part to Help Dozens of Children Succeed
Thanks, in no small part, to the vision and hard work of long-time BWHer Jeanette Merren, children in Dorchester and the surrounding communities have a fun, educational, safe place to go after school: the Greenwood Shalom Program at Greenwood Memorial United Methodist Church.
Merren, who works weekends in BWH’s Chemistry Lab, first heard her “call to serve” following hurricane Mitchell, which hit her native land of Honduras in October 1999. Actively organizing donations and support through her local church, Merren was later nominated as chair of the Greenwood Outreach Committee and focused her efforts on children in the community.
“Through my involvement in my own children’s schools and as a member of the citywide Parent Council, I knew there was a great need for quality children’s programs in the area,” said Merren.
“I understand first-hand the difficulties many parents face when locating a safe, educational environment for their kids to go after school,” added Merren, who has four children of her own.
Working closely with Greenwood’s previous Pastor Marcelle Dotson and current Pastor Alex Musoke, Merren began applying for grants to get the program up and running. She also appealed to her coworkers in the BWH Chemistry Lab, who personally donated money as well as paper, pencils, pencil sharpens and various other supplies to the program.
“I have been a part of the BWH family for 28 years,” said Merren, whose mother, two sisters, aunt and cousin also work at the hospital. “It is truly a wonderful, diverse place to work, as is evident in the support I have received from my amazing colleagues.”
While she spends her weekends working at BWH, she has devoted her weekdays over the last five years to orchestrating a structured and nurturing environment for the children enrolled in the Greenwood Sha-lom Program. Merren’s devotion to the program, and her relentless grant-writing have been pivotal in keeping the program afloat and thriving.
During its preliminary years, Merren coordinated and ran what was then called the Victory Generation After-School Program with the help of site coordinator Tanna Preston, engaging teachers from the Boston Public Schools, parents and volunteers from the community. The program recently became incorporated and now employs 11 full-time staff members, including several high school students, who serve as assistants.
“By bringing in high school students to work, it really empowers them, teaching them about responsibility, while getting them involved in the community,” said Merren. “Many of the students work with us for multiple years, which is so important, as the children benefit from consistent contact with these role models.”
With homework at the center of the program’s curriculum, staff help children, ages 5 to 14, complete their schoolwork, maintaining detailed homework logs that are later shared with parents and teachers. The children also participate in arts and crafts and music activities and have the opportunity to spend time on computers with Internet access.
“We can make a difference and contribute to the success of these kids by working with them at their own level,” said Merren. “The children need to know that with hard work, they can truly be anything they want to be.”
For the first time this summer, Greenwood Shalom is also hosting a 10-week summer camp, run by Primrose Raphael and Wendolyn Holder, to compliment its after-school program. Campers have enjoyed educational field trips such as visits to the local library, Aquarium, Franklin Park Zoo and even the BWH Chemistry Lab, with Supervisor Christine Grudzien conducting the tour. “We took a trip to WBZ-TV 4, where a cameraman talked to the kids about his job and toured them around the news station. It was really wonderful to see their interest and excitement,” added Merren.
Merren, who has recently transitioned into more of a fundraising role and raised $66,000 in grants this year alone, attributes the success of the Greenwood Shalom Program in part to the tremendous support of her colleagues at BWH. “From donating supplies to sponsoring children, who could not afford tuition to attend camp this summer, I’m so thankful for all of the help my fellow hospital employees have given to the program,” she said.
The Greenwood Shalom Program was recently highlighted on “Keeping Kids on Track,” which aired on WCBV-TV 5 in June.
For more information on how to volunteer, make a donation, sponsor a child or be a guest speaker, contact Merren at 617-282-1464.