The Sponsorship Committee has secured all 30 sponsorships that were needed to insure the success of CHAIRS for CHILDREN. Chair Sponsors include many businesses, individuals and organizations from the Cape Ann community (see list at left). TD Banknorth, Varian Semiconductor Equipment and the Gloucester Daily Times have all signed on as lead sponsors for this event.

“Chairs for Children offers a unique opportunity to support a creative, comprehensive event involving area artists, Pathways parents, children, and staff,” states Joanne Sullivan, Assistant VP of Community Relations for TD Banknorth. “TD Banknorth is proud to sponsor an event that will benefit the families and communities that rely on Pathways for Children for a wide range of excellent services.” As the Silent Auction and Children’s Chairs Sponsor, TD Banknorth will display the ten youth chairs throughout Cape Ann over the summer of 2006. (Photo left to right: Pathways President and CEO, Sue Todd, Joanne Sullivan of TD Banknorth, and Stevie Neal, CHAIRS for CHILDREN Chairperson with one of the event youth chairs)

Many Artists have begun to pick their chairs up and work their magic to create some very special pieces of art for our community fundraising endeavor. We are grateful for their participation and are hoping some of them will share photos of their works in progress!

Upon the suggestion of our PR firm, McDougall and Duvall advertising, artist Oliver Balf agreed to finish his chair well ahead of schedule. Working to tie Lobster Landings 2004 to our current event, CHAIRS for CHILDREN, Ollie created a chair featuring a lobster and other sea creatures (see photo above).

Scott Masi of Chairman of the Board Furniture Co. delivered the chairs to Pathways for Children in early February. The chairs are treated with an outdoor primer and ready for the artists to begin their designs.

Children from Pathways enjoyed being the first to test the chairs as they were brought into the building (see photo above). For more photos and highlights, be sure visit the Pathways for Children website at www.pw4c.org and follow the link at the top of the page to CHAIRS for CHILDREN.

Since 1967, Pathways for Children has been a leader in early education and child care programs on local, state and national levels, bringing together children from all walks of life to learn the values of community, respect, and education.

The Pathways Mission: To help children discover their potential and grow into confident and empowered adults who contribute to the well-being of the community. Pathways fulfils its mission by providing high quality, affordable and comprehensive care, education, recreation and other support services for children and their families.

Pathways serves over 400 children from the Cape Ann area, including Ipswich, Essex, Gloucester, Rockport and Manchester.

Our Programs Include: Young Families Initiative, Head Start, Family Child Care, School-Age Care, Project Success and Social Services Department.

Programs are located at 29 Emerson Avenue, Fuller School, Rockport School, and Gloucester High School.

The CHAIRS for CHILDREN event directly supports Pathways programs and the children and families who benefit from our services.

To learn more about Pathways for Children, visit our website at www.pw4c.org.