Serve-A-Thon helps in many ways
Sufficient finances often times are necessary to establish or sustain a thriving, enduring, and successful operation. Two special Christian-based ministries in the New Bedford, MA area — the Salvation Army and Mobile Ministries — fit this category. Their general mission is to serve others, transform broken lives, and generate real hope. Their financial need has inspired a group of us to come alongside to help. There are many approaches to raising funds. Our team, called Lift-in-Love, will partake in a fund-raising instrument called a Serve-A-Thon.
While others choose approaches like walk-a-thons and bike-a-thons, a Serve-A-Thon is a proven fun-raising, fund-raising, friend-raising investment on the part of those who participate. Choose one of the five Lift-in-Love service projects (YMCA Farm in Dartmouth, Veteran’s Park in Fairhaven, Gifts to Give in Acushnet, Wilks Library & McCoy Field in New Bedford) or initiate a service that you can perform on the Serve-A-Thon date of September 8, 2018.
Here is a quick four-step guide toward understanding how it works.
1. Fill out a Sponsor Pledge Sheet that lists the location, service activity, hours you plan to serve, your name (Server) address, and phone number. Forms are available on line or at the Salvation Amy (619 Purchase Street in New Bedford).
2. Find Sponsors who would be willing to pledge money for your service. Have the sponsors fill out a line on the pledge sheet. Thank and collect from people (at this time) who are willing to trust you to complete your service. Money must be returned if your service is not performed.
3. Perform your service during the time promised.
4. Collect your remaining pledges from your sponsors. You must turn in all collected money and sponsor sheets to the Salvation Army on or before September 15, 2018.
Beyond the Lift-in-Love projects, we are unlimited as to what service one could choose: Singing to someone, entertaining somehow, organizing something, cleaning something, improving something, saving something, or moving something only begin the possibilities.
Potential sponsors are family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, businesses, corporations, people you have sponsored in the past, friends of friends, or yourself.
Please note that it takes committed, competent, and honest work on the part of participants for any Serve-A-Thon to be truly fruitful. You can serve too. Please call 508-264-8211 or 508 998-1120 and we’ll sign you up!
May this message inspire you to visit http://www.lift-in-love.org/ for full details, project locations, forms, sponsors, and much more!
Sincerely, Steven J. Bouley, Fairhaven
Fairhaven should vote again on marijuana
Fairhaven Citizens, Voters, and Parents
I am writing this letter to inform you of the facts related to the issue of retail sales of recreational marijuana in Fairhaven.
The Selectmen have bandied this issue back and forth with some obvious degree of confusion. At the present time, the retail sale of recreational marijuana in Fairhaven has been approved by the Selectmen, and the responsibility for formulating the appropriate regulations related to its sale and allowed usages has fallen to the Planning Board.
While the prevailing thought is because the Town voted for legalization of recreational marijuana and the permitting of retail sales statewide in 2016 the matter of the retail sale of marijuana in Fairhaven is settled. I disagree with and challenge this position. It has even been noted by the Selectmen that much more information is now available to the public that was not available or understood at the time of the vote.
Even though the Town did support the statewide proposal, the Town did not vote specifically to allow retail sales within Fairhaven. It is for this reason that I am urging the Selectmen to put the question of whether to allow retail sales of marijuana in Fairhaven on the ballot this fall, giving the citizens in town the opportunity to revisit the marijuana legalization question specifically as it relates to the permitting of the retail sale of recreational marijuana in Fairhaven.
There are a myriad of reasons why we should not allow retail sales and related recreational marijuana businesses in Fairhaven. One has to ask, who really benefits from recreational marijuana retail sales? The existence of recreational marijuana retail shops and services put our youth at risk. Age limits are farcical. Age restrictions exist on alcohol, yet we cannot deny that a teen-age drinking problem exists. Other issues like the fact that home delivery could be allowed makes access akin to ordering pizza.
As all of us have become more fully aware of the various possible marijuana business enterprises and regulations embodied in the state legislation legalizing marijuana and its sale, the voters should be given the opportunity to re-vote specifically on issues related to the existence of recreational marijuana enterprises in Fairhaven. The legislation itself embodies a provision and process for doing so.
There is a Selectmen’s meeting to review the retail sales issue tentatively scheduled for September 10, 2018. It is my understanding that various boards will be invited to attend and that there will be an opportunity for the public who wish to address the issue to do so.
The Selectmen and any individuals, boards, or committees that support retail sales of marijuana in Town have to answer two questions.
1. How does the retail sale of marijuana in Fairhaven enhance the quality of life in Fairhaven?
2. What is inherently wrong with giving the voters a specific opportunity to vote on the issue permitting retail sales in town as provided for in the legislation itself.
This is an issue that will affect the quality of life in our town well into the future.
I urge the voters, citizens and parents of Fairhaven to request the Selectmen to put the question of permitting retail sales of marijuana in the town of Fairhaven on the ballot this fall.
Respectfully , Bernard F Roderick, Fairhaven
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