Horseshoe crabs, Artists and Hotrods- Fundraiser for Latham Kids

On August 7 in Palmer, MA, the Milltown Returns Car Show will be taking place. Local artist Greg Vaughan, owner of Vaughan Art, has gathered other artists from around the country to try their hand on a unique canvas- a horseshoe crab shell.

This prehistoric, and rare, species of crab is found on Cape Cod and Mr. Vaughan has been collecting and painting on their shells for the last few years. He wanted to involve other artists in fundraising for Latham students. All money raised at the Milltown auction will go to our arts and music program.

If you are interested in bidding on a crab before August 7 or donating to this fundraising drive, you can contact Greg through his website www.vaughanarts.com. 

"Not only must we be good, but we must also be good for something." 

~Henry David Thoreau

Related Posts:

Meet Our Financial Dept.

A Message From The Director of Finance

Latham Profiles: Carol Sullivan

LATHAM PROFILES: Carol Sullivan

Latham Profile for: Carol Sullivan
Executive Assistant for Latham Centers

Picture a Juggler! That’s me! Hi, I’m the Executive Assistant for Latham Centers and I have been working here for going on 12 years. My job requires lots of multitasking. There is always a variety of work to do; it’s fun, exciting and sometimes crazy-making, but never boring. I enjoy my work and the people I work with.

One of my responsibilities is in development and fundraising. Did you know that there have been 31 foundations that have given to Latham over the 12 years that I have been working here! That’s amazing! We also have more than 400 faithful and generous individuals, companies and organizations that have given over the years to our bi-annual appeals. Newsletters are sent out twice a year to keep everyone up-to-date on what is happening at the school and in adult services. We recently joined Network for Good, an online marketing and fundraising company. On our website, there’s a convenient Sign-Up button to receive our online communications and you can now easily and securely donate to Latham using the Donate Now button.

Right now I’m working on an upcoming fundraiser in October. We’re having our First Annual Latham Centers Charity Golf Classic. You can find out all about it on our website. If you’re a golfer, you can download the registration form; or if you would like to sponsor the event, the sponsorship forms are available too.

My other responsibilities include all Board of Directors activities, correspondence with donors and managing the donor database, foundation proposals, worker’s compensation claims reporting and processing, just to name a few. I also have the pleasure of working with some of the individuals who have part-time jobs in the office or help me with special projects, and although I don’t work with them every day (I admire those who do), I am proud of the work I do and feel that it impacts their lives for the better, making my job very fulfilling.

Carol Sullivan

"The only gift is a portion of thyself."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Related Posts:
Message From Executive Director Anne McManus about Summertide
Special Olympics Fundraising Pays Off
LATHAM PROFILES: Holly Hanlon

A Message From Executive Director Anne McManus About Summertide

Please help us make this summer extra special for our students. As kids, we all loved SUMMER VACATION! We remember it as a time of infinite possibilities for fun and adventure. The desire to make summer special and meaningful for our students is foremost on our minds.

Since we work with special needs children 365 days a year providing intensive treatment and special education services, our job is especially challenging. So in 2002, we created Summertide, an eight-week summer enrichment program designed to give our students a variety of vibrant and highly stimulating experiences that are both educational and fun.

Summertide’s structure helps us meet our students’ academic requirements at the same time giving them unique and exciting opportunities to interact and enjoy their summer environment. Community outings, for instance, take place on a much more frequent basis than is possible during the regular school year. Offered throughout the summer are:

Clubs: arts and crafts, pottery, drama and dance, computer, reading, video and photography, hiking and sports.

Activities: yoga, swimming, ball games, whale watches, biking and bowling.

Field Trips: Museum of Natural History, National Seashore, Heritage Village, Barnstable County Fair, Cape Cod Museum of Arts, Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra, Boston Museum of Science, New England Aquarium and the Newport Mansions.

Summertide also helps instill in our students:

• The importance of caring for the environment

• Understanding the history of the area and its cultural resources

• The possibilities for part-time employment in the community with area businesses

• The opportunities for volunteerism

Summertide has provided our students with another lens through which to view and interact with their community, and also for the community to view and interact with our students.

At the end of the summer we celebrate! The students share their experiences with fellow students, teachers and staff. The children love Summertide , as evidenced by the decline in behavioral issues overall throughout the summer.

The additional staffing and activities has helped make Summertide a positive experience for our students and is so important to their growth and development. Our budget this year is $35,000. We ask you to partner with us by making a donation specifically toward Summertide’s enrichment activities and field trips.

We hope you will help us to continue offering this exceptional program to our students; and help them have a summer full of fun and adventure!

To donate, please CLICK HERE.

"Not only must we be good, but we must also be good for something."
~Henry David Thoreau

Related Posts:
Summertide News 2009
End of Summer Celebration!
From The Children's Program, An Outing to Krista Kay's!

Meet Our Financial Department

My name is Patricia (Pat) Hallahan and I am the Director of Finance. When last we spoke I shared some facts about finances at Latham Centers. I would like to share some other facts about Latham Center’s clients and students.


Did you know that Latham Centers Inc has clients and students as far away as France? Yes, Latham Center’s adult program has a young man from France. In addition, we have students from Alaska, Virginia, Connecticut, New York, New Hampshire and Vermont. You may ask why. It is because the best place for a PWS student or adult is Latham Centers. This brings in much needed funds to Massachusetts by way of the employees that we hire and the state taxes they pay. Not to mention monies they spend on living. Latham Centers is the largest employer on the lower Cape. We have over 200 employees who work here and most live on the Cape helping the local economy. We are glad to do our part.

Hi, my name is Beverly and I work in the Business Office with Jean and Lula. Our office overlooks the campus and one of the fun aspects of working at Latham is watching the students play outdoors. In the summer with the windows open, we can hear them singing along with their Ipods. Another fun aspect is attending graduation ceremonies where many of our talented students sing, dance or play an instrument. The students also put on various shows during the year where their talents are showcased. We are impressed that these students care enough about others to have a bake sale to raise money for Special Olympics and recently collected canned goods for a local food pantry.

"Teamwork divides the task and multiplies the success. "
~Author Unknown

Related Posts:
Crazy Hat Day a Huge Hit!
Two Honored at DMR Recognition Breakfast
Nauset and Racepoint Classes Host Independence House Guest

A Message From The Director of Finance

My name is Patricia (Pat) Hallahan and I am the Director of Finance at Latham Centers. Did you know that for every one dollar that Latham spends, 85 cents of it goes for payroll and fringe benefits? That does not leave much money for mortgage, food, utilities, school books, computers, and recreation just to name a few expenses.

Latham Centers is not like other schools that receive endowment funds to help them when things get tough, like it is now. Latham has no endowment and what we receive from the state and local governments is all that we have to spend. The state also controls our tuition rates so we can not raise them when our costs increase. If the state cuts payments which is what happened this past year, we need to find other ways to cover costs which have only increased for ourselves and for the staff who work here. It is not easy to manage the cash flow at Latham, but due to our great staff and supportive parents, we have managed. We don’t just want to cover our costs but continue to provide our kids with increasingly enriched programming and decent facilities for them to live and learn in.

This is where you come in. We need your support to help us meet the challenge of providing quality programming for kids who are restricted from so many of life’s activities. Please consider making a donation to help us fund our ongoing capital projects, enhance our PWS programming, or to simply provide an individual youth who has few funds of their own for their personal needs and/or recreation (such as horseback riding, skiing, or a gym membership).

Latham is a private, non profit, 501c 3 charitable organization. If you would like to make a donation to help us in our mission, please send it to:

Latham Centers Inc.,
1646 Main Street,
Brewster, MA 02631.

Any donation will make a huge difference in the lives of these kids. Thank you for your support!

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."
~Winston Churchill