Past Events -- Page 2
GHO is a grassroots organization whose members participate in various activities both locally and around the state. We have strong convictions as to issues that need to be addressed,
both political and social, and do our best to participate and try to make a difference.
AUGUST 8, 2009
Town Hall Meeting with Nikki Tsongas
Six members of GHO attended Congresswoman Nikki Tsongas' "Congress on Your Corner" event in Chelmsford, MA.....Unfortunately, even this location was too small to admit everyone, and we were very lucky that we were among the first five hundred to arrive.... more....
AUGUST 4, 2009
Movie Night: "Sick Around the World"
We all gathered at Demet's and Bill's house to watch the PBS documentary. Once the movie was over, we discussed briefly the health care reform proposed by the House and supported by the Obama administration. more.... Town Hall Meeting with Nikki Tsongas
Six members of GHO attended Congresswoman Nikki Tsongas' "Congress on Your Corner" event in Chelmsford, MA.....Unfortunately, even this location was too small to admit everyone, and we were very lucky that we were among the first five hundred to arrive.... more....
AUGUST 4, 2009
Movie Night: "Sick Around the World"
JULY 26, 2009
Phone Bank, Maine
A few of us got together at Demet's and Bill's house to make phone calls to voters on a phone list provided by OFA. We were to urge them to call their representatives, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, and convince them to vote for the Health Care Reform bill. Although we called everyone on the list, we made contact with only a few. ■
JULY 25, 2009
Health Care Reform Awareness & Service Event
We held a Health-care Reform Awareness and Service event on Saturday, July 25th from 10:00 AM to Noon at Haverhill's Farmers' Market, where we set up a table with educational materials and petitions. We had posters and held up signs to attract passers-by.
We talked with many people and found that most who stopped by to sign the postcard petitions were aware of the need for change. Some stopped by out of curiosity and ended up signing on the strength of our arguments. Of course, there were those who felt that we were on the wrong side of the issue. ■
JUNE 26, 2009
GHO's First Anniversary Celebration
We got together at Demet and Bill's house to celebrate our group's first anniversary. While many people joined together in various organizations to work for the election of President Obama only to disband or meet via e-mails, etc., we continued working together and growing since those heady days. more....
JUNE 20, 2009
Community Meal
We had lots of fun in preparing and serving a community meal in the basement dining room of the Universalist Unitatrian Church of Haverhill. We all came away feeling grateful for what we had and happy that we made a difference in some people's lives.
The main course itself was prepared at Demet's and Bill's house by our tireless Demet and some others. The turnout was good (see our pictures) and the food was delicious and well-appreciated. more....
MAY 31, 2009
Veterans Outreach Center Painting
We celebrated Memorial Day by doing something for the veterans who have served us so well. We scraped and painted the garage at the Outreach Center and did a terriffic job, as you can judge by the great pictures that were taken by Pam (Eva was in Poland). Each of us also brought some canned goods (especially peas, carrots and corn) as a donation to the Veterans Outreach Center to the site and stayed to help until the job was completed. Others who could not work were encouraged to drop by with some canned goods. more....
APRIL 26, 2009
Earth Day Community Service
A major part of our community service activity for April was a Clean-up Event at Winnekenni Castle between 9:00 AM and 12:00 noon followed by lunch from 12:00 and 12:30 PM and a Green Summit from 12:30 to 3:00 PM at the castle.
Green Summit at Winnekeni Castle
After lunch, we held our First Annual Green Summit at the Winnekenni Castle. It was a round table discussion of important enviromental issues and what is happening in the Greater Haverhill area in terms of conservation and green efforts.
For the Agenda for the Green Summit, please click here.
APRIL 25, 2009
City-wide Clean-up Event
We decided to participate in the city's spring cleanup day! We worked in the Winnekenni Basin to help our city SHINE!
The GHO members met at the tennis courts near the Winnekenni entrance on Saturday morning between 9 and 9:30 AM under the leadership of Dave Labonte, our team captain. For more details, click here.
MARCH 28, 2009
Mayor Designated Haverhill to Participate in Earth Hour
Mayor James J. Fiorentini announced that the city of Haverhill will participate in "Earth Hour" from 8:30 to 9:30 PM.
Earth Hour is the largest environmental event in the world. It is sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund. Individuals and cities throughout the world are urged to turn off their lights March 28 from 8:30 to 9:30 PM, to designate theirconcern for the environment. Last year, 36 million people participated.
Haverhill joined with international cities like Tokyo, New York and Mexico City and local cities like Newburyport in celebrating Earth Hour; and, by all counts, we were quite successful. ■
MARCH 1-24, 2009
Postcard Initiative
We participated a postcard initiative in support of Educational Funding Issues. Signing postcards gave a good showing of Haverhill residents who care about education funding issues. ■
MARCH 21, 2009
March Meeting Summary
Our March meeting was held at Doug and Pam's house. Although we had a rather ambitious agenda (see our February meeting summary), we ended up devoting most of our time to educational issues. With three educators, a very active parent, and the mayor present, we had quite a lively discussion. Although we talked about the president's education plans and state education issues, we spent most of our time conferring about the affect of the stimulus money on our local educational needs. We talked about the need for a more uniform curriculum and possible national teachers' certification. more....
MARCH 16, 2009
Pension Reform Letter Writing
In our meeting in February, we all agreed to participate in a letter-writing event to let our leaders at the State House know how we feel about Pension Reform. Most of us wrote a total of ten letters, including one to Governor Deval Patrick, to urge them to make desparately needed changes in the state pension laws when it comes to members of the legislature and other powerful people working for the State. There were those of us who sent e-mails and still others who did both. We hope that this activity has brought much-needed attention to the issue with a speedy reaction from our representatives on Beacon Hill. ■
MARCH 14, 2009
Event Supporting Ruth's House
For our Community Service activity for the month of March, we decided to support Ruth's House, a local, private, non-profit organization. We donated all kinds of needed items like clothing and household items. Unfortunately, due to today's economy, the need is great and we hope that everyone will continue to donate on their own. ■
FEBRUARY 28, 2009
February Meeting Summary
In our February meeting, held at Bill's and Demet's house, we gathered to share information about Obama’s Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan and discussed the new Budget for fiscal year 2010. We also discussed abuses of the Massachusetts Pension system by some elected officials and reviewed the draft letter that we are planning to send to State Representatives in support of the Pension Reform proposed by Governor Patrick and being developed by the House Special Committee on Pension. more....
FEBRUARY 15, 2009
Food Bank
In order to mark Presidents' Day weekend, we contributed to the Sacred Heart Church Food Bank in Bradford, MA. The event took place from 9am-12pm and from all accounts was very successful.
This is truly a remarkable organization. They serve 800 families a month and are the largest food bank in Haverhill. They are especially in need of paper goods (toilet paper, tissues) and jelly, although all nonperishable goods are needed and appreciated. It is hoped that members continue contributing whenever we can.
If you would like to have more information, please contact Doug Edison via E-mail or call him at 978-373-4737. ■
JANUARY 25, 2009
January Meeting Summary
We had our first post-inauguration meeting at Doug and Pam's house. We discussed donating nonperishable goods to the Sacred Heart Church Food Bank in Bradford, MA; inviting local political leaders to our meetings; and getting involved with the League of Women Voters. We also filled out a questionnaire about what we thought were the most pressing issues for us. Then, we broke up into small groups in which we chose one of those issues to discuss and share our resulting opinions with all the assembled members. We plan to concentrate on the issues chosen by our groups as themes for coming meetings. (To see some of our pictures, click here.)
JANUARY 19, 2009
Food and Necessities Drive
In accordance with President-elect Barack Obama's call to action, we held a food and necessities drive in Haverhill for the Emmaus House, a family emergency shelter located in at 150 How Street, Haverhill, MA. Drop off was at the Dunkin Donuts in Bradford at 12pm. Those of us, who could not make it to Dunkin Donuts, dropped off our donations directly at Emmaus House. The event was quite successful.
Since the need is great, it is hoped that members continue contributing whenever they can. ■
March Meeting Summary
Our March meeting was held at Doug and Pam's house. Although we had a rather ambitious agenda (see our February meeting summary), we ended up devoting most of our time to educational issues. With three educators, a very active parent, and the mayor present, we had quite a lively discussion. Although we talked about the president's education plans and state education issues, we spent most of our time conferring about the affect of the stimulus money on our local educational needs. We talked about the need for a more uniform curriculum and possible national teachers' certification. more....
MARCH 16, 2009
Pension Reform Letter Writing
In our meeting in February, we all agreed to participate in a letter-writing event to let our leaders at the State House know how we feel about Pension Reform. Most of us wrote a total of ten letters, including one to Governor Deval Patrick, to urge them to make desparately needed changes in the state pension laws when it comes to members of the legislature and other powerful people working for the State. There were those of us who sent e-mails and still others who did both. We hope that this activity has brought much-needed attention to the issue with a speedy reaction from our representatives on Beacon Hill. ■
MARCH 14, 2009
Event Supporting Ruth's House
For our Community Service activity for the month of March, we decided to support Ruth's House, a local, private, non-profit organization. We donated all kinds of needed items like clothing and household items. Unfortunately, due to today's economy, the need is great and we hope that everyone will continue to donate on their own. ■
FEBRUARY 28, 2009
February Meeting Summary
In our February meeting, held at Bill's and Demet's house, we gathered to share information about Obama’s Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan and discussed the new Budget for fiscal year 2010. We also discussed abuses of the Massachusetts Pension system by some elected officials and reviewed the draft letter that we are planning to send to State Representatives in support of the Pension Reform proposed by Governor Patrick and being developed by the House Special Committee on Pension. more....
FEBRUARY 15, 2009
Food Bank
In order to mark Presidents' Day weekend, we contributed to the Sacred Heart Church Food Bank in Bradford, MA. The event took place from 9am-12pm and from all accounts was very successful.
This is truly a remarkable organization. They serve 800 families a month and are the largest food bank in Haverhill. They are especially in need of paper goods (toilet paper, tissues) and jelly, although all nonperishable goods are needed and appreciated. It is hoped that members continue contributing whenever we can.
If you would like to have more information, please contact Doug Edison via E-mail or call him at 978-373-4737. ■
JANUARY 25, 2009
January Meeting Summary
We had our first post-inauguration meeting at Doug and Pam's house. We discussed donating nonperishable goods to the Sacred Heart Church Food Bank in Bradford, MA; inviting local political leaders to our meetings; and getting involved with the League of Women Voters. We also filled out a questionnaire about what we thought were the most pressing issues for us. Then, we broke up into small groups in which we chose one of those issues to discuss and share our resulting opinions with all the assembled members. We plan to concentrate on the issues chosen by our groups as themes for coming meetings. (To see some of our pictures, click here.)
JANUARY 19, 2009
Food and Necessities Drive
In accordance with President-elect Barack Obama's call to action, we held a food and necessities drive in Haverhill for the Emmaus House, a family emergency shelter located in at 150 How Street, Haverhill, MA. Drop off was at the Dunkin Donuts in Bradford at 12pm. Those of us, who could not make it to Dunkin Donuts, dropped off our donations directly at Emmaus House. The event was quite successful.
Since the need is great, it is hoped that members continue contributing whenever they can. ■
Coming Events
J uly 3, 2010
5:30 PM
Haverhill Celebrates
This year's Fourth of July celebration will be honoring our veterans at the Haverhill Stadium on Lincoln Avemue. Admission to the event will be $1.00 for everyone over six.
There will be plenty of food and activities for children of all ages. The evening will culminate in fireworks at 10:00 PM.
For more information, check out the Haverhill Gazette.
July 5, 2010
City-wide Curbside Single-Stream Recycling Begins in Haverhill
Put all your recyclables (paper, cardboard, plastic, and glass) into one container and all your other garbage into another.
J uly 3, 2010
5:30 PM
Haverhill Celebrates
This year's Fourth of July celebration will be honoring our veterans at the Haverhill Stadium on Lincoln Avemue. Admission to the event will be $1.00 for everyone over six.
There will be plenty of food and activities for children of all ages. The evening will culminate in fireworks at 10:00 PM.
For more information, check out the Haverhill Gazette.
July 5, 2010
City-wide Curbside Single-Stream Recycling Begins in Haverhill
Put all your recyclables (paper, cardboard, plastic, and glass) into one container and all your other garbage into another.
For more details, see the article in The Eagle Tribune or visit Team Haverhill.
July 18, 2010
11:00 AM - 5:00 PM
The Eve Rising 2010 Music Festival
The Eve Rising 2010 Festival is an all day, all women-in-music festival whose proceeds will benefit Emmaus House and the Lawrence YWCA. more....
"History suggests that unless a progressive president is able to mobilize widespread support for significant change in the country at large, it's not enough to have a congressional majority." -- Doris K. Goodwin
1 2