Dear QARI Friends, Partners and
Supporters,
After 12 years, I will step down this
fall as Executive Director of Quincy Asian Resources (QARI). Serving
at QARI has been an amazingly rewarding experience for me. However,
the time has come for my next challenge. I plan to explore new directions
in a leadership, development or advocacy role while continuing to serve the
community.
I am grateful to the board of directors, staff members, government and
community partners, funders, and volunteers—past and present—all of whom
have helped to make my time at QARI fulfilling and successful as we built
an organization to serve Quincy’s Asian community.
We should all be proud that since 2004, we have grown QARI from its humble
beginnings into the “go to place” for serving newcomers on the South Shore.
I will miss seeing the many people who come to QARI on a daily basis
to learn, to get involved, to help others, and to contribute toward
building a stronger community. After starting with a pilot English class
in 2005, we now have 185 students studying English in the largest program
on the South Shore. Our information and referral services started in 2003
on Wednesday afternoons; we now serve community members throughout the week
both at 1509 Hancock and out in the community. 12 high school
students organized the first career conference “Discovering Unique Careers
“in 2005, we now have more than 350 members of the QARI Youth ServiceCorps
serving the community and finding their passion. A small after school tutoring
program for immigrants started in 2007, we now have an amazing mentoring
program pairing high school mentors with immigrant middle school students
in two Quincy schools.
I also have enjoyed the many community events and civic activities over the
years, the opportunity to work with so many committed volunteers to plan
and organize 25 festivals, 10 banquets (including a New Year Banquet), 3
candidate forums and of course many opportunities to gather to eat!
All of this and more would not have happened without the energy and
commitment of our volunteers, staff, partners and board. I will
always treasure the shared experiences and friendships of the last 12
years.
While I am sad to be leaving QARI, I fully intend to stay involved in our
community and look forward to great things from the organization and those
it serves. The Board will conduct the search for a new Executive
Director and we have a strong team in place to ensure continuity in our
services to the community. I will work closely with them during the
transition. I look forward to staying touch with all of you.
John Brothers
Executive Director
|
沒有留言:
發佈留言