On Thursday afternoon, July 24, 1997. Kim Havensfrom Montgomery Meeting and Events was present.
We discussed the future of the site and what
involvement Peary Alumni might take.
First, the site plans have not yet gone through their final approval stage. That has to be approved before any construction can take place. Second, they have raised a little more than one third of the required funding, and are working hard to secure the rest. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
That is where I stepped in. I proposed verbally, that the Peary Alumni could ban together and raise some money for site. In exchange we could receive a plaque of recognition, dedicating the area we secure for funding.
Since we do not officially have an alumni association, I represented myself as a member of the non-profit group called Human Opportunities through Physical Education, Inc. (HOPE). This organization was created by three Peary Grads from the class of 1980. Bill Pizzano (my brother), Kevin Sweeney, and Terry Kernan. They asked me, Sue Kenison Ager (76), Lisa Caroglanian Dorazio (77), and Karen Kushner (82) to assist. Sue, Lisa, and I became board members while working with the organization, along with Bill, Kevin, and Terry. The goal was to use Peary as the facility to house our programs designed to help those with physical and developmental disabilities. We wanted to create opportunities for the achievement of human potential. (We believed there was HOPE for Peary.)
HOPE has some wonderful ideas and programs for the community, and since it is already an established 501(c)3 registered organization in Maryland, I felt more comfortable moving forward with my ideas. I feel you would support them too. (For more information about HOPE, Inc., send me a message.)
Through the auspices of HOPE, I can forge ahead with a couple of ideas. First, begin working on a 5K race to be held annually at the facility and call it the "Robert E. Peary 5K Race." The race will be held in the spring. Second, begin to form an alumni association. Third, begin raising monies for a construction project. (My idea would be for the track, but there may already be a sponsor for that, so we will have to choose a portion of the facility to raise money for.)
I will need volunteers to assist me with this major undertaking. Let me know if you want to help out, and possibly in what area(s). We can start with a banquet planned, tentatively for October 20th at Silo Inn, to raise seed money to begin funding the race and other projects. [NOTE: Fundraising Banquet was cancelled]
The Hebrew Academy is very receptive, at this point, to our involvement. I feel we can form a great and lasting bond with them. They may even consider the idea I gave them to allow us to have an annual "Homecoming Dance" if our partnership can be strong enough. (I think it will!)
