Vermont Public Radio

VPR Commentary

http://www.vpr.net/flash/audio_player/audio_player.php?id=26444

The Times Argus

http://www.timesargus.com/article/20081112/NEWS01/811120351

The Burlington Free Press

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081011/OPINION/81011005/1006

So I have to admit this was one of those days I began to wonder, for
several different reasons, if I ever should have gotten involved in this
Burton snowboard issue to begin with, and taken the stand I did. Then I
got to my desk at the end of the day and played this voice msg which
someone had left:

“Mr. Redmond, I don’t know you, but I wanted to thank you because I read
in the paper that you stood up and took a stand against the Burton
snowboards that they have out this year that are about self-mutilation
and Playboy. I wanted to thank you, because I think this is disgusting
and gross and I was glad you were able to express things that I could
not express. I do self-harm, and I don’t think that it is something to
be out in the open, not a light subject, and not to be made fun of. I
want to say you are very brave and thank you very much for taking a
stand.”

And when I heard that, I knew that I had in fact done the right thing
after all.

WCAX news came to Spectrum’s thanksgiving dinner, which was held at Nectars in Burlington, VT

Read The Story.

Thanks to all the staff who helped pulled this together -Mark

Our development director, Joan White, put out a request to a company called Grabber Warmers to give us free hand warmers for the homeless teens we will be encountering this winter. Here is the reply she received:

“Per your request for in-kind product donation, I am pleased to send you 120 GRABBER Hand Warmers to distribute as needed this winter. Here at Grabber Warmers, our involvement in event sponsorship and donations follows our concept of “Sharing the Warmth.”

“Sharing the Warmth” reaches beyond the obvious relation to our warmer products. A deeper message lies in the feelings associated with warmth like nurturing, comforting and caring. We believe in creating a correlation with the warmth our products provide and our passion for supporting various causes that produce positive results for all parties involved.

We receive many requests and while we may not able to accommodate them all, we are happy to help your organization this season. Shipment should arrive by the end of next week. Happy Holidays!”

Stephanie Feyen

Thanks to the generousity of community members, donors, the Alpine Shop, and Bolton Valley Ski Resort our youth will be hitting the slopes. Read the article printed in yesterday’s Times Argus

This past January, New England Cable News did a story about our work with homeless teens. It was really well done and well received. And today, nine months later, an anonymous donation of $10,000 arrives in the mail, from someone who has a bank account in Boston. Whoever that was, thank you so much for your generosity. We have so many kids coming to us for help now that it is getting colder, every donation will be put to good use, you can be assured of that.

I wasn’t there, but this past Sunday, the pastor of the church where my wife and I attend, Fr. Charlie Ranges, announced from the pulpit that “I have lost my wallet, I am praying to St. Anthony to find it, and if I do, any money in there will be donated to Spectrum.” (In Catholic tradition, St. Anthony is the saint you pray to in order to find something lost.)

Fr. Charlie later went into the dumpster behind the church, found his wallet in there, and Spectrum is now wealthier by $141.

Thank you Fr. Charlie!