On the snowy Monday of Dec. 16, the BAPA staff started the day with this wonderful email from neighborhood resident Barbara Gyarmathy:
“I just want to let you know how awesome I think BAPA is. When I was traveling south down Western on Saturday during your Cookie Crawl, I was treated to the sight of so many people walking down the street in groups of ladies and in family units with the kids, all clutching their golden tins to collect their treats at local businesses. It looked like a wholesome picture from the cover of an old Saturday Evening Post magazine. It made me so proud of the neighborhood I live in and of BAPA. It struck me that BAPA is like the string of the necklace that holds the pearls together: One without the other would not have the same value. I would imagine there are many more people like me who appreciate beyond measure what you do.”
Wow!
Barbara’s note came as our staff was tying up BAPA’s last event of 2019 and thrilled with another chance to bring together neighborhood residents and businesses (check out the Cookie Crawl photo gallery at Beverly Area Planning Association on Facebook!). We work hard on behalf of the neighborhood, and it’s really nice to get such a heartfelt affirmation from a neighbor.
As we look forward to 2020, BAPA’s staff, leaders and volunteers are more committed than ever to serving our neighbors with meaningful, effective programs and events that make all of us proud of Beverly/Morgan Park. We’ll be expanding our communications, popping up our special events, and building on the recent work we’ve done refocusing our committees on education, housing and economic development. We’ll be enriching programs that welcome new neighbors, promote local businesses, and connect area residents to important resources. It looks like it’s going to be a great new year!
BAPA’s motto – and our job — is Love Where You Live. Thank you to all of our neighbors who support our work as members, donors, volunteers and – like Barbara – cheerleaders.
Sad News
At the end of 2019, our community lost a great friend with the passing of Lorraine Stanton. Lorraine and Pat Stanton created a legacy of community activism that now spans three generations. In her 60 years as a Beverly/Morgan Park neighbor, Lorraine fostered a stronger community by helping to found and sustain the Beverly Arts Center and the Catholic Youth Ministry Center, and in helping to shape BAPA and the welcoming neighborhood we have today. Lorraine received lifetime achievement awards from BAPA and the Beverly Arts Center, but those recognitions are small thanks for the huge contributions she has made to our community. The staff and leaders at BAPA will miss our friend, Lorraine.
