President's Letter from Mac

Good Day Phlock, I hope this finds you all well, healthy and happy. We all understand this has been a crazy year, so there is no need to dwell on it. Let’s look at all the positives that have come out of this pandemic filled few months. We were put on hold for a bit, but have come on strong this second half! We managed to get both socials in at the Kowloon and the Sea Ketch. We have also had 2 very very productive beach clean-ups at 2 popular locations, a healthy blood drive to help with fighting cancer, and our most popular - Socktoberfest! We collected over 300 pairs of socks for Operation Troop Support! Our raffle for Pennies For Postage was also a big hit, collecting over $450 for sending those boxes to our troops. The Halloween festivities and socially distant social at Percival Brewery were huge successes! We also were able to donate both our Nauti and Nice trees for the Boys and Girls Club - which we have been doing for over 10 years now. The last thing on our plate is Wreaths Across America - something we also have been doing for many, many years now. And I can’t thank Ray, the Veteran we worked with, enough for continuing on with us in this endeavor. Thank you to Toni and Kelly for starting us with Ray many years ago as we love to continue this tradition. It is a solemn early morning when we start out; but when we are finished and you see just how beautiful and peaceful a place this National Cemetery becomes, it is heartfelt. We do this to continue and honor the soldiers and veterans buried there. Some we know and most we don’t. They fought for the freedoms we all enjoy today. It is just a small token of our gratitude that we can contribute to make this world a better place. Though we have had to cancel our Club personal gathering and wreath laying ceremonies this year because of the weather, we still got to participate through Ray and enjoy all his pictures. It is always a beautiful site to see!!

I was asked by someone about volunteering and volunteerism. What does it mean? Why is it important? My answer is: history, thankfulness, and gratitude. History has been showing us that we are much better and stronger when we work together for a good cause! History has shown us all the little things we do to help our communities become a better place and we need to continue! There is much despair and hate taking over many aspects of our lives, so lets try to look at the bright side. A study was actually done by Harvard that stated, for a fact, that volunteering for an organization and helping others added years to people’s lives. By helping and being kind and lending a hand to someone less fortunate makes you feel better and live longer. “As little as 2 hours per week improves your sense of well being” - that is a quote from the study! I am so proud and grateful for each and every member of this Club; no matter how great or small, you all contribute in many ways to the success and longevity of our group. The accomplishments we have made in this crazy year have been giant steps for the charities we have helped. I am honored to say that the Parrot Head Club of Eastern Mass. has represented, helped, volunteered, given their time, and has even given blood to so many worthy causes. Thank you for all you have done. Honorably, respectfully and proud of all of you,

Donna “Mac” McCarthy President PHCoEM (2020-2022) Make someone smile today I wish you all the best for a happy, safe, healthy holiday season. Merry Christmas and best wishes for a much brighter New Year! Whatever, whoever, whichever you celebrate - please be safe, courteous, and kind this season.