Misstropolis

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

Year of Living Generously

by Robin Hauck

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What a year. In 2007 Misstropolis explored the vast, diverse horizon of charitable organizations in Boston and Beyond, and profiled some of the most inspirational people we’ve ever met.

We launched in March with a story about three amazing women turning grief into action for Dana Farber’s Great Chefs Cooking for a Cure event. Nanci Gelb, Terri Tsagaris and Kelly Sohn will always hold a special place in our hearts.

This year the Friends of Dana Farber present Chefs Cooking for Hope on Thursday, March 6. For more info or to purchase tickets click here.

In April Misstropolis participated in the inaugural Step It Up 07 day of activism, a single day of national awareness raising about global warming and climate change. In October, Brooke Muggia followed up with Is September the New August, a sobering look at the future of a world altered forever by our wreckless actions through the eyes of our children. Richard Berkowitz and Hadley Sharples Berkowitz contributed a profound piece on Darfur, in advance of the Boston Night to Save Darfur event.

Ming Tsai of Blue Ginger contributed a beautiful personal account of his experience doing aid work following Hurricane Katrina for his charitable organization Chefs for Humanity. We spoke with people walking to benefit Cystic Fibrosis research including Bob Coughlin who raised over $100,000 in one year, in support of his son and other sufferers of the disease.

Culture Editor Susan Graage profiled Risa Aronson who went to the Ukraine to visit her son in the Peace Corps and brought with her the equipment, passion and expertise to start the Risa Aronson Chernechya Fitness Initiative teaching women about how to bring exercise into their lives. Margie Woolf Pascetta told the story of her experience raising a child with severe autism and the organization Autism Speaks in Autism Speaks and She Listens, and Executive Editor Andrea Pyenson alerted us to the warning signs of an often misunderstood disease in Learning to Recognize Childhood Diabetes.

We put lip balms in the goodie bags at the Emerald Necklace Conservancy luncheon and supported Yoga Hope at the Saluting the Spirit event at the Sports Club LA. We fell in love with companion dog Howard when writing about NEADS, Dogs for Deaf and Disabled Americans, and the unstoppable Jill Vialet, founder of Sports4Kids and the leader of the nation’s largest initiative to save recess in public schools.

Hadley Berkowitz reminded us that it only takes a little to make a huge difference when you support an organization like Heifer International, and how can we ever thank Blair Van Brunt enough for sharing the story of her daughter’s wish granted by the Make a Wish Foundation, culminating in her meeting and singing for Kelly Clarkson?

Misstropolis thanks all the people who work so hard to keep these organizations alive, and the generous supporters who contribute their time, their money and their spirit to make these stories possible.

“No one has ever become poor by giving.” Anne Frank

Cover photo: Robin Hauck, Lisa Schwarz and Carolyn Pastore at the Emerald Necklace Conservancy Luncheon.