“A Place at the Table”, last night’s gala celebration at Gold Sponsor Cruiseport Gloucester to benefit Pathways children, was quite a well-attended and lively affair. Senator Bruce Tarr, auctioneer extraordinaire, obviously knew the crowd and worked it well, keeping the bids flying across the room in an exciting bidding frenzy that by the end of the evening raised (best guess doing the math in my head) over $100,000 for Pathways for Children. Gloucester High ROTC students, one of whom was also a Pathways kid, paraded the tables around the room so that bidders could see the pieces up close and from all angles. Some of the highest bid winning pieces were Jan Charles’ “A Very Good Year”, Ken Knowles’ “On Gloucester Harbor”, Chris Williams’ “Private School”, and going for over $7,000, Jeff Weaver’s “Island Life”.
The bidding centered around parsons tables turned into beautiful art pieces by well-known Cape Ann artists Joan Bediz, John Caggiano, Jan Charles, Kathy Connolly, Charlie Crowley & Claire Sanford, Charlesanna Detra, Loren Doucette, Rose-Marie Glen, Pam Hawkes, Mary Hughes & Caro-Gray Bosca, Ken Knowles, T.M. Nicholas, Jr., Sigrid Olsen, Stephanie Terelak, Jeff Weaver and Chris Williams. There were also uniquely painted and decorated boxes for a special silent auction, as well as a bold and colorful display of works by Pathways child artists.
Proceeds from the auction directly benefit the education programs of Pathways for Children, the leading provider of high quality early education and family support services on the North Shore. Pathways’ programs, which serve over 600 infant to adolescent children, strengthen families and build healthier communities. The mission of Pathways for Children is to serve the best interests of infant through adolescent children and their families – whether disadvantaged by circumstances or in search of opportunity – by delivering the empowering gift of quality educational, social development and support services that strengthen the family unit and the community.
To learn more about Pathways for Children, visit http://www.pw4c.org/.
E.J. Lefavour
Good Morning Gloucester 
Children
By Peter A. Todd
I hear the laughter of children at play
As the snow begins to fall to the ground
The sky covered with clouds of gray
Each morning as the birds make their sounds
The smile of each child’s face
Such a wonderful sight to see
Little girls with pretty pink lace
Little boys imagining what they want to be
Dreams of riches filling their heads
As they seem to grow before your eyes
Don’t let them fool you, they’re not easily led
For their wise as the eagle that fly
The young are our future rule
Teach them what is right
Encourage our young to stay in school
Through education they will reach greater heights
LikeLike
wonderful poem Peter.
LikeLike