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Four-year-old Tenzin Ghapontsang of Somerville got a balloon sword from street performer Stephen Uys in Boston last week. (Erik Jacobs for The Boston Globe) |
Globe North People
Gloucester woman honored for work in Haiti
When Sarah Hackett of Gloucester retired in 1993, she went to Haiti to volunteer at St. Boniface Hospital.
Realizing how desperate the living conditions were, especially for women caught in poverty, she founded Haiti Projects Inc. with the aim of empowering women to take charge of their lives.
Hackett raised funds to establish a family health clinic, launched a knitting and embroidery cooperative and found an American market for the cooperative’s goods, created a community library, and established a scholarship fund for children who otherwise would be unable to attend school.
Now more than 80 years old, she still travels to Haiti regularly to work with the women.
For her efforts, Hackett recently received a 2009 Espiritu Award from the Isabel Allende Foundation. The foundation honors Allende’s daughter, Paula Frias, who died from an illness in 1992 at age 28. Frias worked as a volunteer in poor areas of Venezuela and Spain, using her skills as an educator and psychologist.
FREE HOPE TONIGHT: “Hope: Getting Through Hard Times’’ is the theme of North Shore Community College’s 24th Forum on Tolerance, being held tonight on the college’s Lynn campus.
Panelists from more than 15 state and community agencies will share information to help people deal with the tough economy, including services and resources for unemployment and jobs; transitional assistance; physical and mental health management; debt relief; and legal services.
Information on North Shore Community College enrollment and admissions services, disability information, and more also will be available.
The free event is from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the Lynn campus gymnasium, 300 Broad St. Call 781-593-6722, ext. 6688, or visit www.northshore.edu.
TEENS, PART TWO: Anthony Wolf, author of “Get Out of My Life, but First Could You Drive Me and Cheryl to the Mall? A Parent’s Guide to the New Teenager,’’ speaks tonight at Masconomet Regional High School, 20 Endicott Road in Topsfield.
Published in 1991, the first edition of “Get Out of My Life’’ sold more than 300,000 copies. Realizing much has changed in the world, Wolf recently published a revised edition to address issues such as the latest recreational drugs, increased sexual activity at younger ages, and the Internet.
His local presentation tonight will focus on the challenges of raising preteens and teens.
Wolf, whose adolescent psychology practice is based in Suffield, Conn., is known for his ability to describe what goes on in real people’s homes with real children, in a humorous and nonjudgmental style. He also shares helpful and practical advice for parenting.
The free event, presented by the Tri-Town Council, begins at 7 p.m.
WHO’S WHAT WHERE: Dan W. Butin of Beverly has been named dean of the new school of education at Merrimack College in North Andover. He will lead efforts to identify and address the needs of school districts in Massachusetts while promoting excellence in teaching, scholarship, and community service. He also will explore partnerships with school superintendents in the Merrimack Valley and with institutions of higher education, and lead an educational conference on preparing teachers for the future at Merrimack in April. Butin has a doctorate in social foundations of education from the University of Virginia, and is the author of more than 50 books, articles, and book chapters. . . Stephen D. Immerman has been named the new president of Montserrat College of Art in Beverly. He received a unanimous vote of the college’s board of trustees following a six-month nationwide search. Immerman’s career in education spans more than 30 years, and he is arriving at Montserrat from a post in the resource development, academics, and student affairs division at MIT.
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