Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: South Shore Stars getting ready for their fifth annual Eat Drink Model fundraisers. Coming up Tuesday, June 17, 5 to 8, on the boardwalk at Marina Bay here in Quincy. And here to tell us a little bit more about South Shore Stars and about this event, please welcome Dr. Jen Curtis and also Denise Hajar is here. So, ladies, thanks for coming over. Great to talk.
[00:00:20] Speaker B: Thank you for having us.
[00:00:21] Speaker C: Yeah, thank you for having us. We're excited.
[00:00:22] Speaker A: Yeah. This is going to be a fun event. So let's hope the weather cooperates.
[00:00:26] Speaker C: Fantastic.
[00:00:27] Speaker A: We're all saying good thoughts for that evening as well. But I thought, Jen, for folks who might not be familiar, what is South Shore Stars?
[00:00:36] Speaker C: Sure. So South Shore Stars, it's an educational nonprofit.
We have multiple locations and today we're here to talk about our Quincy locations. So we do have, we have schools in Quincy, Randolph and in Weymouth, but in Quincy, we have a preschool program that is fully enrolled with fabulous kiddos and families, all predominantly from the Quincy neighborhood that's surrounds that school area. And then we also have after school programs on Rawson Road and then in the Broad Meadows in the middle school. And we collaborate with Quincy Public Schools for some of our programming as well. So we're an educational nonprofit that was started back in 1970 by Rosemary Wahlberg.
Yeah, Rosemary and a group of dedicated moms and other people wanted to have a place to have their children go that they felt as though was rich educationally and also safe. And they wanted to go back to work. And during that time frame, it was kind of hard to have that mix.
So she decided she was just going to open up her own place to make sure that happened and happened in the way that she wanted it to happen.
[00:01:47] Speaker A: Sure.
[00:01:48] Speaker C: And it's expanded since then and, you know, many, many years. And we really do what we refer to as wraparound services, helping not just the child or the student that's coming to us, but the entire family and making sure we support that family so they can thrive and, and really give back to the communities where they're living.
[00:02:07] Speaker B: And I think it's more so needed today than ever. Just when you see how many families are in need and they want to do their own thing and contribute, South Shore Stars is a huge contribution to allow them to do that.
[00:02:25] Speaker A: Sure. So two parents. Two parents working, right?
[00:02:27] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:02:28] Speaker A: So what do I do with the kids? Right. So here's an opportunity for them as well.
About what? Age range, Birth.
[00:02:35] Speaker C: All the way up to high school.
[00:02:36] Speaker A: Oh, really?
[00:02:36] Speaker C: Yeah. We have programming that runs at a full gamut and we serve over 1200 children every year.
It's a very big program. And we work with the Office of Early Education and Care. We work with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. We work with the Department of Children and Families.
We have a lot of different contracts and different ways to support families that may have some higher needs.
And again, we have educators that are working with our kids. We also have social workers. We refer to them as family support clinicians. And then we have a lot of. We have a lot of staff that actually come back to us that actually are students that came through the program, the alumni giving back, especially in our summer programs.
[00:03:20] Speaker A: Is that right?
[00:03:20] Speaker C: Yeah, because we have our typical school year programs after school, and then the preschool runs year round, but we also have all sorts of summer offerings as well.
[00:03:29] Speaker A: All right, so how is, like, South Shore Stars different from, say, a Head Start program?
Or is it different?
[00:03:36] Speaker C: It's different. It's a different source of funding.
[00:03:38] Speaker A: Oh, I see.
[00:03:38] Speaker C: Okay. Yeah, it's definitely. It's a different source of funding. Head Start is the federal Head Start program.
Our programs offer some very similar type of services. It's just a different funding mechanism, but we do some of the exact same programming. And again, we're birthed all the way up to high school. Head Start is the earlier end of things.
We just run the full age gamut.
[00:04:01] Speaker A: Okay, and how is Southern Stars funded then?
[00:04:04] Speaker C: So. Great question. So frequently it is funded through some of our state contracts.
Sometimes it is funded through. We have a partnership with United Way. We have a United Way affiliation.
And they. They have a partnership with us because of our Quincy locations.
[00:04:22] Speaker A: Is that right?
[00:04:22] Speaker C: Yeah, specifically because of Quincy, because Quincy is considered one of their gateway communities.
And so they work with us for our programming that's in Quincy. And then also our funding is thanks to fabulous people like Denise and all the fundraising that happens.
And we wouldn't be able to do the programming without that fundraising support.
[00:04:44] Speaker B: And because Quincy is growing. I mean, it's just growing rapidly with families of diverse backgrounds.
[00:04:51] Speaker A: True.
[00:04:51] Speaker B: This is where South Shore Stars is perfect.
And constant funding is going to be always needed for bigger. For small programs, for their larger programs. And so it's important that, you know, local, like businesses like myself who attach to a good program like South Shore Stars wants to help, because then they know where the money is directly going to go. It's not going to a government, and then they're going to disperse the money. It's going right to them. And for me, that was always important.
[00:05:30] Speaker A: Why are you so passionate about this.
[00:05:32] Speaker B: I've always done my fundraisers for children, women's charities, always have, because they are in need so much.
I know there's so many organizations that need money, but they have such big wheels turning. And South Shore stars and the likes of South Shore stars, their wheels are smaller. So they need the help of local businesses to back them, to give them the programs that are needed so these kids can thrive and become good young adults. And that to me is very important. I have always said that giving back should be the norm and not the exception. And for me, it started when I was younger for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Danny Thomas, going from house to house. And then I went on to raise a lot of money for them. And then when I moved to Quincy, I just wanted to be local and say, okay, where can I put my value?
And I'm very happy to find South.
[00:06:34] Speaker A: Show Stars, 5th annual event this year. So how did it all get started?
[00:06:39] Speaker B: So just meeting with. I'm fortunate to have an incredible relationship with Karen Smizer, who's their director of philanthropic. And we have such a great passion relationship. We go way back to St. Jude days and we just know how it all works and we can rely on each other easily and just know what needs to get done. So Karen was just thrilled when I said I'd like to do something for them. And that's how it all started.
[00:07:12] Speaker A: And being in the fashion world.
[00:07:14] Speaker B: Yeah, that was a fashion show. Yes. So the idea of the fashion show and this year we're going to have several of the young children model with the grown up models. But the people, it started just like being outdoors. This is an outdoor event.
It's a beautiful day. It is summer solstice, so you can be out later with the sun still being out.
It's a fun time.
Yes. Serious business is getting done, but it's not like having a serious dinner indoors with speeches and stuff. People get this and so the people come, they socialize, they're having a good time, they're having a wonderful dinner.
You know, there's silent auction, live auctions, raffles.
And then the fashion show is the. Is the main star. And these models who have been with me for. Since I started my own business, the audience knows them and they love them and they're interactive. The models are interactive with the audience. And the music.
Oh, no, the. It's just great. Lots of high energy.
And so the collection that I show is from my store. And that's just the entertainment part for them to partake in. Knowing why they all know why they're there. And in the end, hopefully, they'll want to give back in a good way.
[00:08:35] Speaker A: Sure. You started this during the pandemic.
[00:08:38] Speaker B: I did. I know. Lucky me. But you know what? It was good because I had to shut down my businesses. I pivoted to making masks, thousands of masks for the first responders. And I donated everything in the beginning because there was nothing.
[00:08:52] Speaker A: It was crazy.
[00:08:53] Speaker B: And when the word got out, they would come and I would hand them a couple of dozen, and I'd just say, go. And then I started charging so I could make more.
And they just came, so many from everywhere, hospitals, everything.
And they remembered me, and they said, we'll come support you when you reopen. And they did, and they didn't disappoint. Point.
[00:09:13] Speaker A: Wow. Well, that's a great story.
[00:09:14] Speaker B: It is a good story.
[00:09:15] Speaker A: Yeah, absolutely. Do you have any sense for how much the event has raised over the past five years?
[00:09:20] Speaker B: Oh, you know, my doing this event every year, I'm going to say, is several hundred thousands of dollars. Yes.
[00:09:27] Speaker A: For a grassroots effort.
[00:09:28] Speaker B: Right. And it's, you know, it's not. The ticket price is not the expensive part. The ticket price is, you know, you get your dinner, your wine, your dessert, you know, all of that. It's really. I want them to have the extra funds to bid on the silent auction, the live auction, the raffles, become a sponsor. That's what I want them to hopefully do.
[00:09:48] Speaker A: Okay, well, seeing as you're talking about it, what are some of the items that'll be up for auction on the raffles?
[00:09:53] Speaker B: We have, of course, a children's basket full of children's goodies, books and blankets and toys and nautical sweaters.
We'll have a day of beauty. We'll have some sports packages, restaurant packages, a wine basket, gift items from my husband runs. We have an Italian cafe. There'll be a basket full of that.
A basket from my clothing boutique with gift certificates. My gift shop, Marina Bay Living, because we also sell Quincy for 100. We're the only one in the area that does that. And it's all authentic. We've only used local companies to make our products, so everything is local.
So we'll have that. There'll be about a dozen different items.
[00:10:37] Speaker C: I think we might even have a guitar signed by Taylor Swift.
[00:10:40] Speaker B: Well, there you go. So that alone, that's way past.
[00:10:44] Speaker A: Don't bury the lead.
[00:10:45] Speaker B: That's the lead.
[00:10:47] Speaker A: A Taylor Swift song.
[00:10:48] Speaker C: We might have one of those.
[00:10:49] Speaker A: Is that right?
[00:10:51] Speaker C: Yeah, very. A generous person donated that to Us and I know we've been saving it specifically for this event because we know how, what a wonderful event it is and how well attended it is. And we're excited to be able to do that.
[00:11:05] Speaker B: You know, the boardwalk is such a gift because it overlooks the skyline of Boston, all the boats.
And it's for me, the perfect backdrop to do an event like this.
[00:11:16] Speaker A: Talk about a Runway, right?
[00:11:18] Speaker B: That's why the models love it because they get to walk along, you know. Yeah. Really strut and they love it.
[00:11:24] Speaker A: So who are the models? Who are these folks?
[00:11:25] Speaker B: You know, they've been with me since they were youngins. I call them youngins. A lot of them now are mothers themselves.
They get it. That's why I like using them. They get having children trying to work and deal with their own say, okay, what am I going to do with my child after school? So when they hear, they know I do this, right away, they're on board.
[00:11:46] Speaker A: We'll get back. Yeah.
[00:11:47] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:11:47] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:11:48] Speaker B: You know, they come from all backgrounds, all diversities, which the audience also loves. They're not just one look. It's all different.
[00:11:56] Speaker A: And you mentioned some youngsters modeling this year.
[00:11:59] Speaker B: Yes. So we're going to have six, several young boys and girls modeling with the models. And they're going to be all dressed in, you know, the sweaters that I carry at Marina Bay Living that are all hand loomed and they'll be, you know, nautical sweaters, Marina Bay Living sweatshirts. But they'll be great. They steal the show when they come out.
[00:12:18] Speaker A: I'm sure.
[00:12:18] Speaker B: Trust me.
[00:12:19] Speaker A: Yeah, I'm sure.
[00:12:19] Speaker C: I'm excited.
[00:12:20] Speaker A: Is there live entertainment in addition to the fashion show?
[00:12:24] Speaker B: So we have the most fabulous dj. Her name is Denise La Carruba.
She's been with me since I started my career, but she's a professional dj. She does the Museum of Fine Arts. She does.
She used to do the all over the country. She travels. But she does my year, my event year after year. She's just, she gets the audience going. She gets them ready, she gets their attention.
She knows how to point out what the audience needs to pay attention to.
And she's, she's a firecracker. I love her, just love her energy.
[00:13:03] Speaker A: Sounds like a lot of fun. Yes, absolutely.
So tickets, how does that happen? You know, how many folks are you expecting to attend?
[00:13:12] Speaker B: So our goal every year is 300. That's like really the max that we can do because we want to control it properly.
We've had more and more, you know, we learned a lesson. So we just stick to 300, 250 to 300.
They can go to www.southshorestars.org and they can walk through it. And I think you can tell them about all the different options.
[00:13:40] Speaker C: So if they go right onto our website. So it is the www.southshorestars.org.
when you get on that site, you'll see all of our different programs that we offer at Quincy. But if you go to events, you'll see this event right on there. You can click right on the button, you can purchase tickets, you can learn a little bit more about the event and just what's planned for that evening and how exciting it's going to be.
[00:14:07] Speaker B: And if you want to become a sponsor, still opportunities.
[00:14:09] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:14:10] Speaker B: Or if you can't make it but still want to donate, all those things are available.
[00:14:14] Speaker A: Okay. All right. And Jen, the funds raised from this event, are they geared to any specific program at South Sure Stars?
[00:14:20] Speaker C: They're geared towards all of our programs in Quincy and to support the work that we're currently doing there for our preschool age students and then the children that are in our after school programs and then our summer program.
We have a really robust summer program every year. So all of the funds will support all of the children from Quincy that come to those different offerings that we have and the staff that we have. And I really, I cannot thank you, Denise, enough and her committee that has done this amazing work. We are just so honored to be the recipient of this year's. All the donations and all the work that's going into this event and our families. I will tell you, just like you said, this is a, it's a community coming together, supporting one another. And I think it just puts such a good message out there for our kids, our families and our staff to see the impact that can happen when we all come together to support everyone in Quincy, you know, as a whole.
[00:15:17] Speaker B: And we have to do this now. We have to continue to do this.
[00:15:20] Speaker A: Is this the main event, main fundraiser for South Shore Stars?
[00:15:22] Speaker C: This is our main spring fundraiser, yes.
[00:15:24] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:15:24] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:15:25] Speaker A: How long have you yourself been involved with South Shore Stars?
[00:15:28] Speaker C: So I've been at south shore stars for four years, coming from 26 years in public education.
[00:15:33] Speaker A: Oh, really?
[00:15:34] Speaker C: Yeah. I'm a former school superintendent.
[00:15:36] Speaker A: Where?
[00:15:36] Speaker C: In Weymouth Public Schools.
[00:15:38] Speaker A: Oh, right, Right down.
[00:15:39] Speaker C: Right. Yes. But I do have to put my plug in. Worked at the Quincy Y for many, many years.
And then I also, you know, in my current job and prior job, collaborate with Quincy Public Schools. So Quincy is an amazing city.
And just like as I said, our programs that are here, they are flourishing because of the support that we see from our typical funders, the contracts we have, but the community itself. And we wouldn't be able to survive or thrive without that support.
[00:16:11] Speaker A: Yeah. Now, can any family participate in Social Stars?
[00:16:15] Speaker C: Absolutely. Anyone? Yeah. If you just go on to socialstars.org you can see all the information about enrollment.
Definitely. If you're interested in summer programming, do it today.
Get on board quick summer drive. Those fill up fast.
But we're also. We're enrolling for any of our open seats for the fall.
[00:16:34] Speaker A: Okay. All right. And is financing available? How does that.
[00:16:37] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:16:37] Speaker C: Is there support depending upon what economic background you might be bringing to the table and things like that, we definitely have different support that we can provide as well. And like I said before, it's not even. It's not just about that school day, the after school, the semi program. It's about working with the entire family.
And I'm also proud to say, as you said with the models, our staff is extremely diverse. So we have multiple languages that are spoken.
[00:17:05] Speaker A: I was gonna ask about that.
[00:17:06] Speaker C: Which allows accessibility for all families, you know, in Quincy.
[00:17:10] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:17:11] Speaker C: Because we see there's multiple languages, and that's something I think, to be, you know, excited about and something that we really want to celebrate.
And I'm so excited to even say that my staff is. Many, many members of my staff are multilingual.
[00:17:25] Speaker B: So, you know, what South Shore Stars brings to the table is also a safe place, a trust that the families have because they're handing over their children.
And to me, that's like a huge honor and responsibility.
So that's why these programs are so important, because day upon day, families are leaving their children with somebody.
[00:17:51] Speaker A: Right. The programs in Quincy, are they all located within a public school or.
[00:17:56] Speaker C: No, no, we have our own facilities.
[00:17:59] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:17:59] Speaker C: Yeah. So we are on. We're on Rawson Road. Our preschool is right around the corner from Rawson Road. And then we also. We're in the Broadmeadows school.
[00:18:08] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:18:08] Speaker C: But yeah, new we're in. We have our own facilities that we own.
[00:18:11] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:18:11] Speaker C: We have facilities that we rent. And then we also work with the public schools to be within the public school schools as well.
[00:18:16] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:18:16] Speaker C: And we also transport the children.
[00:18:18] Speaker A: I was going to. You're reading my mind here.
It's okay. Please talk about the transport. Well, it's a big factor.
[00:18:25] Speaker C: It is a huge factor. A lot of times families, like you said, they want to go somewhere where they feel safe. And that they trust the staff that they're leaving their children with.
But it's sometimes. How do I get them there?
[00:18:38] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:18:38] Speaker C: And we do offer transportation.
[00:18:39] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:18:40] Speaker C: Which is huge.
[00:18:41] Speaker B: All of this costs money.
[00:18:42] Speaker A: Oh, for sure.
[00:18:43] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:18:43] Speaker B: We do this. That's why we do this.
[00:18:45] Speaker A: Yep. Absolutely. Any volunteer opportunities at South Shore Stars?
[00:18:49] Speaker C: There's always volunteer opportunities. So again, if you go to SouthShoreStars.org you'll see some different.
There's links right there for volunteer opportunities.
[00:18:56] Speaker A: Okay, all right, great. And you mentioned that alumni come back. They do for this event. But other events as well, alumni come.
[00:19:04] Speaker C: Back to even work with us.
[00:19:05] Speaker A: Oh, no kidding.
[00:19:06] Speaker C: Which is wonderful.
[00:19:06] Speaker A: So are there employment opportunities?
[00:19:08] Speaker C: There's also employment opportunities. So definitely go online. Right. To the website and then you can see all the different employment opportunities. Yeah. We're always hiring because we're growing and we're expanding and we're trying to meet the needs that we're seeing in Quincy. Sometimes there aren't enough openings for families to have places for their children to go.
So we do try to expand and grow based upon the needs and the requirements. So we're always looking for new staff as we're growing.
[00:19:32] Speaker A: Okay. All right. But again, the main event is the fifth annual Eat Drink Model fundraiser. Tuesday, June 17, 5 to 8pm Marina Bay Boardwalk and Victory Road. We do have to say there's a rain date. We hope we don't need it. But it's the following day, right?
[00:19:47] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:19:48] Speaker A: Okay. June 18th benefit and Quincy Star's early education and after school program. So this is specifically a Quincy centered event. Yeah, this is all about the programs in Quincy. Anything else we should add?
[00:20:01] Speaker B: Just come ready to have a lot of fun that night. Walk away happy and saying, oh my God, I want to come again. Yeah, that's always the goal.
[00:20:09] Speaker A: What happens to the fashions that after.
[00:20:11] Speaker B: They'Re all at my store and if someone wants to go shopping, we'll be open.
But it's so the fact that it's still light out, people don't have to get nervous about going home in the dark.
[00:20:23] Speaker A: Oh, no. Eight o' clock. You'll be bright. Bright.
[00:20:25] Speaker B: And that's what is also another important factor.
[00:20:29] Speaker C: So come ready for fun. Fabulous fashion and knowing that you're making a difference in the life of a child that's living right here in Quincy.
[00:20:36] Speaker A: Absolutely. Thank you both. Really appreciate it. You're very welcome.
[00:20:38] Speaker B: Thank you for having us.
[00:20:39] Speaker A: It's our pleasure. Hopefully it helps get the word out for you.
[00:20:42] Speaker C: We appreciate that.
[00:20:43] Speaker A: And thanks for watching us here. At AM Quincy. I'm Joe Catalano. See you next time.
