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January 29, 2009

Possible Dream: Huge shoes to 'walk' downtown

More than 120 people attended the second annual Possible Dreams community event on Monday night, Jan. 26, at Northern Essex Community College, where two major initiatives were unveiled.

The first was a citywide mentoring network that will link Haverhill's public schools, four youth-serving agencies (YMCA, YWCA, Boys and Girls Club, and Girls, Inc.), Team Haverhill and the United Way in a coordinated community campaign.

According to Team Haverhill's Julie DeRoche, an educator and one of the project creators, adults in the community can do a lot to make children feel that they are important and valued members of their city.

DeRoche urged participants and especially the business community to open their doors to a young person. Even a one-day exposure to a job could open a career path for a young person, she said.

Girls Inc. Executive Director Nancy Adams praised the mentoring program, saying she has welcomed 11 students from Zion Bible College to her agency this year to work with the girls.

She said the focus on young people can only help Girls Inc. and the other organizations in the city that provide needed services to children and young adults.

"The timing is great because January is National Mentoring Month, and President Obama is one of the headliners for that volunteer recruitment campaign," DeRoche said. Team Haverhill embraced President Barack Obama's call for service in this year's Possible Dreams event as it rallied new and longtime residents to participate in their community.

Many public officials were present, along with 15 new residents of Haverhill.

The second big initiative rolled out last night was the "Soles of Haverhill" public art festival—called a "Shoe-la-bration," which the organization hopes will to become a regular event in the city's cultural life. Inspired by Boston's "Cow Parade," and New Hampshire's "Moose Parade," Haverhill's event will feature giant, fiberglass shoe forms embellished by selected artists with unique surface designs.

Strategically placed around the downtown streetscape, the shoes will be sponsored by individual business and organizations, then auctioned at a gala event at the Buttonwoods Museum.

Alongside the public art component, Team Haverhill will also launch a community history project called "Shoes and the Soul of Haverhill," examining the long-term impact of the shoe industry on the city's character and spirit. The entire initiative with be sponsored by the Soles of Haverhill Committee, a subcommittee of the Greater Haverhill Chamber of Commerce.

Other initiatives featured at the meeting included playground renovation, more downtown murals produced in co-operation with Discovery Club afterschool program, continued promotion of Single-Stream Recycling, and a new round of candidate forums before the upcoming elections.

Durign the special "World Cafe" roundtable discussions, ideas ranged from building a downtown playground for the children of new residents in the heart of the city to an effort to clean up and eliminate graffiti.

Last year, a similar-sized group participated in this lively, rotating conversation format that fosters new relationships, civic networking, and shared goals; because environmental concerns surfaced strongly in last year's event, Team Haverhill responded with a major new recycling initiative, in partnership with the Mayor's Recycling Committee and the Haverhill Environmental League.

This year, the World Café conversation surfaced community interest in such ideas as revamping the Farmer's Market, creating more Community Gardens, establishing a Haverhill Independent Film Festival, creating a more central and visible Visitors Center, and providing an organized welcome to new community residents.

Members of the public who would like to learn more about Team Haverhill's initiatives for 2009 are invited to attend the group's Feb. 9 meeting, which takes place at 7 p.m. in the Pentucket Bank Community Room.

Team Haverhill is an independent, nonpartisan, civic-action group dedicated to making Haverhill a better place to live, work and play.

You can learn more about this organization at www.teamhaverhill.com.

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