Hi all… See you in Worcester on Friday! – BJ
Gov. Deval Patrick is featured speaker at Nov. 16 event
to promote civic engagement across the Commonwealth
More than 50 nonprofits, civic stakeholders collaborate to organize nonpartisan event
BOSTON — Governor Deval Patrick will be the featured speaker at the inaugural Massachusetts Civic Engagement Summit on Nov. 16, an all-day conference at the DCU Center , Worcester , organized through the united efforts of 50 nonprofit, civic and private-sector organizations to educate and mobilize citizens to support and improve communities through volunteerism, business, education and advocacy.
Governor Patrick is scheduled to speak at about 12:30 p.m. to more than 500 attendees from 70 different communities across the Commonwealth. He will be joined by Charlotte Golar-Richie, his senior advisor for federal, state and community relations.
According to a 2006 study by The National Conference on Citizenship, Massachusetts ranks 34th in the nation for volunteerism, and 16th in the nation for voter participation, reflecting a nationwide decrease in civic participation.
“We need to start seeing our stake in each other,” said Governor Patrick. “The Civic Engagement Summit is a powerful way to bring together leaders from every sector to promote civic involvement and identify ways we can strengthen our communities and the Commonwealth.”
In addition to Governor Patrick, Summit attendees will hear from a variety of plenary and workshop speakers. Main speakers include Tom Sander, executive director of the Saguaro Seminar: Civic Engagement in America project at Harvard University ’s Kennedy School of Government; Josh Kraft, Executive Director for Jordan Boys and Girls Club of Boston – Chelsea Clubhouse; Paul Epstein, co-founder of A Foundation to Be Named Later; and Greg McHale, founder and CEO of good2gether Inc.
Summit conference tracks focus on five key topics: volunteerism, business partnerships, lifetime citizenship, politics and policymaking, and social capital.
Lead sponsors for the Summit are State Street Corporation, Cisco, Boston Globe and Clark University . Secondary sponsors include AARP, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts , Boston Cares, The Boston Foundation, Bunker Hill Community College , Citizen Schools, Common Impact, Executive Service Corps., Fidelity Investments, Massachusetts Campus Compact, Social Capital Inc., and United Way .
For a list of the 50 nonprofit organizations that organized the Civic Engagement Summit, contact Chris McCue, 617-695-2438; cmccue@massmentors.org.
For more information about the event: http://www.commonimpact.org/civicsummit/index.asp
