You can help her reach this amazing new target to fund ten children by donating today.
To read more about Victoria and her story, visit our Victoria’s Run page.

We share and embrace the Massachusetts 9/11 Fund’s themes of service, remembrance, and volunteerism, and are deeply grateful to have had our Annual Memories Walk selected as one of this year’s local “United We Serve” volunteer projects.

Anyone who would like to donate to the Mass 9/11 Fund can find their Memories Walk team at Firstgiving.com/childrensroom.

All proceeds will benefit the CEF Foundation which supports child water safety programs and Christians Angels.

On July 13, 2007 4-year-old Christian drowned at a local town-run camp. The family started a non-profit organization to provide life jackets and floating devices to all children at all camps, lakes, beaches and pools across the state of Massachusetts as well as passing Christians Law which requires all Massachusetts Town and City run camps to require children to wear USCG approved Life Jackets. Christians Angels provides financial assistance to families in need after the death of a child.

Please Contact the CEF Foundation if you would like to play or sponsor a hole:

Contact information:  781-835-5071 or 781-439-4067

Or visit:  www.ceffoundation.org to register or for more information.

Donations can be made to:
Christian E. Frechette Memorial Fund (Tax I.D. : 042-155-342)
P.O. Box 189
Fiskdale, MA 01518

The Cameron G. O’Connor Foundation
…. rippling effects ….
Presents an Evening to
~ LIVE ~LOVE~LAUGH~
Saturday, March 28, 2009
7:30pm – Midnight
Sons of Italy, 19 Prentiss Road, Arlington, MA  02474
Tickets:   $20.00
“The mission of the Cameron G. O’Connor Foundation is to sponsor programs that support the educational needs, athletic pursuits and emotional growth of the youth of our community.”

For more information visit the foundation’s website or email  cgofoundation@comcast.net.

“This was my great grandmother’s memory string,” Laura told Whiskers in a loud voice. “Then it was my grandmother’s, then my mother’s, and now it’s mine.”

Making a memory string is a way to remember family history, and that’s just what kids at The Children’s Room can do when they make one of their own.  Listening to the book being read aloud to them is just one way to get ideas for how to make a memory string. Children in our groups can also choose from a large donation of beads that have been collected for the launch of this special project, where kids can paint wooden beads or make beads out of clay, then add them to beads or buttons from home.

Christian’s Angels is a non-profit organization providing financial assistance to families in need after the death of a child.  Funds raised will also benefit the on-going water safety program of the CEF Foundation.

Friday, Februrary 13, 2009
6 pm to 11 pm
Location: Anthony’s of Malden
105 Canal Street, Malden, MA
Adults: $35 and children under 12 years: $20 (under 6 years of age, free)

The CEF foundation was created after the 2007 drowning death of 4 year old Christian. The CEF Foundation provides life jackets and flotation devices to all children at camps, lakes, beaches and town-run pools across Massachusetts. For more information and to learn more about the family’s efforts and advocacy around water safety, visit the CEF website at CEFfoundation.org.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009, 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm (Fee: $25, payable on-line or in person)
Location: The Children’s Room, 1210 Massachusetts Avenue, Arlington, MA
To register, email cshannon@childrensroom.org.  RSVPs are essential as space is limited to create an interactive experience.

Death is part of the natural cycle of life. Giving children the opportunity to develop and strengthen coping skills around death, dying and loss before experiencing a close personal loss empowers children to cope with future losses. We will provide the tools of language and strategies from a developmental perspective to help children to understand the feelings of grief, and how to commemorate and remember as we go on. Children need to understand that there is nothing too sad or too terrible to talk about with a trusted adult. There will be an opportunity to ask questions in this interactive presentation.

Thank you to everyone who volunteered and donated on this inspirational day.

The list of accomplishments is long:

• Built shelving for art supplies which we desperately needed so we could store all of the new donations we received.
• Built bookshelves for our new, growing library.  We are creating a sunny, cozy library nook for our families.
• Moved file cabinets into our new flexible workspace.  (No more looking for files in the freezing cold back hall).
• Sewed bags for our closing rock ceremony (very popular with the 11-13 year old set).  These pouches are special keepsakes for our families when they are done with our program.
• Built desks for our new workspace.  Now we can spread out our work.
• Assembled new office chairs.  Very comfortable.
• Fixed the wobbly pool tables!  Both of them!
• Built the bench for our garden.
• Moved all of our books from different parts of the house to our new library nook.  Lots of lifting involved in that!
• Sorted arts and crafts (mainly done by kids! “It was exhausting” one kid reported.  I hope they all slept well afterwards.)
• Cleaned the sand table and all the shelving and sorting those toys!  (Our youngest volunteer helped with that project)
• Moved heavy objects from one place to another!  Yes we can!  Now the air conditioners have been put away!
• Folded our art cards so we can give them out.
• Stuffed envelopes for our mailing to 300+ schools to spread the word about our trainings

And the entire house was left cleaner than when the day started.   We are so thankful.

Many, many people came by and donated ARTS & CRAFTS SUPPLIES.  Now we can get creative!

We were also a drop off point for donations for the local food pantry, and there were so many donations that it filled our front room. Thank you to all the volunteers who sorted and then transported the goods to the food pantry.