On September, 22nd 125 volunteers
 from ARAMARK and City Year, gave East
 End House a fresh look. From 10am to
 3:30pm, the place was  swarming with
 volunteers who  painted walls and
 murals, cleaned the floors and the
 classrooms, built new shelves and
 benches and created a brand new
 backyard garden, which will allow us to
 plant more vegetables, flowers and
 herbs.
 

Volunteers from ARAMARK painting a new mural in the backyard.

"Cool!! Wow, look at that bumblebee!", says Simon, 4, one of East End House's preschool children,  "And there are four benches now. And the sandbox, it looks like the desert." Children - and staff - were obviously very happy and grateful for the volunteers' efforts.

"We work regularly with groups of volunteers including 10 to 60 people," said Michael Delia, CEO of East End House. "But having a group of 125 volunteers is amazing and the work they accomplished in such a short amount of time was a tremendous gift."

If you have not visited the renovated East End House, please come by. You will not be disappointed!

           Last year's volunteers packing up Thanksgiving baskets in the gym.

We need your help to make the Giveaway a success:

Last Year, East End House served over 700 kids whose family could not otherwise purchase toys for the holidays.  We have seen community needs grow, so this year we need your help more than ever to make the holidays festive for all in our community.

For information on donating or filling out an application to receive holiday assistance, please contact Chrissy at
chrissy@eastendhouse.org or Camille  at camille@eastendhouse.org or 617-876-4444.                                  Last year was our biggest Toy Drive ever.
                                                       Let's keep it up!

The Adopt-a-Family program gives donors a wish list from each family member so the entire family can have a good holiday. Last year, more than 38 neighborhood families, 67 children and 46 adults received holiday gifts, making winter time a little brighter.

Chrissy (chrissy@eastendhouse.org) or Camille (camille@eastendhouse.org) can provide you with more information. You may also call 617-876-4444.

The Cambridge Police Department, The CambridgeSide Galleria and East End House have the pleasure of inviting you to a free cruise!

Meet and chat with local police officers on a fun and informational tour of the Charles River!!! Meet at Sunset (6:00pm) on October 7th at the CambridgeSide Galleria, 1000 Cambridge Place, Cambridge.

On August, 25th, the participants of Youth Mentoring Program at East End House rolled to Sacco Bowl in Somerville for a few bowling games and had a fabulous time!

East End House also welcomed a new group of mentors for a day of training on September 15th. Another Mentoring 101 day is scheduled for October 6th. If you are interested in making a difference in the life of a young person through a mentoring relationship, please contact Emily at 617-876-4444 or emily@eastendhouse.org.

Graduating is a big deal at East End House, especially when it is your preschool graduation! We sent off our preschool grads to kindergarten in pomp and circumstance.

         
We are the 2009                We sang....                     ...got real diplomas!!...
Graduates...

....a yearbook...                ...were happy with            ...and we made our
                                      our friends...                      families proud of us!

The 2009 Graduation was our biggest ever: friends and families were on hand to applaud the 20 graduates, many of whom started in our toddler program when they were 15 months old. Each of the happy grads got a diploma, a yearbook and a backpack full of school supplies. To mark the occasion, East End House organized a backyard barbeque. For the preschool staff, bidding farewell to the graduates was a bittersweet moment: Camille Platt, the Child Care Director expressed the general feeling of the staff: "We wish them the best of luck, and will miss them a lot in our classrooms."

Discovering that the movie the Sunrise Club was planning on seeing at the Revere Cinemas on September 14th was canceled did not put our seniors in a bad mood: the manager and staff at Santorini's welcomed our large group with open-arms, offering free drinks with our meals.  Everyone enjoyed their meals, which were served in generous portions.  The atmosphere was fitting for the unseasonably warm day- the tall glass windows affording a scenic view of the ocean. The deception following the cancellation of the film turned into a pleasant culinary surprise!

 Despite the chilly weather, many people from East Cambridge
 and beyond came to Cambridge and Fulkerson Streets for
 an  afternoon of fun-filled activities and great food! All the
 proceeds of the food sales went to East End House, so
 thanks to everyone who purchased ribs, hot-dogs and
 hamburgers. Thank you to Bob Salines and everybody at
 Pugs for your tremendous support!!

We are looking for new staff dedicated to our mission of providing quality programs and services to the community. If you feel you have the skills and passion, send us a cover letter with your résumé. We are currently recruiting for the following job openings: