Press Releases


SEEAL Partner Planning and 10-year Celebration

Released: September 12, 2007

Save the Date for the Southeastern Environmental Education Alliance’s (SEEAL) 2nd Annual, “Partner Planning and 10-year Celebration” on Thursday, September 27, at the UMass Dartmouth Center for University and School Partnerships (CUSP) in Fairhaven. SEEAL is a program of the Community Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts (CFSEMA) whose mission is to improve environmental awareness and stewardship in Southeastern Massachusetts. The collaborative is open to any individual or organization that shares this goal.

The celebration will begin with registration at 12:30 p.m., and will be followed with planning, presentations and grant-writing workshops. Lunch will be provided. CFSEMA President Craig J. Dutra will introduce the event. Attendees will give a brief introduction of their respective organizations before the main presentation begins. Then, guests will hear from a distinguished panel made up of: Marybeth Campbell from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative (MTC), Jane Peirce from the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), Lucy Edmondson from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Bradie Metheny, liaison for the National Institute of Health (NIH) and involved in K-12 Science & Math Education Outreach. The panel will discuss state and federal grant opportunities and priorities for Southeastern Massachusetts collaborative stewardship education and initiatives.
Beginning at 5 p.m., the group will reconvene for a sunset cruise on the research and education vessel, Enviro-Lab, docked at the Pope’s Island Marina. The cruise will include dinner, drinks and live music.

“There are so many sustainability collaborative planning and initiatives in our region,” said SEEAL Coordinator Jennifer Marshall. “It will be great to see these planners and project leaders all in one room and then learn how SEEAL can help fund some of these initiatives. Last year’s event was a success with 43 attendees – we are happy to take this year’s event to the next level and expect 100 attendees or more. Half of the meeting will involve planning and reorganizing while the rest will be reserved for celebrating SEEAL’s tenth year.”

The event is open to the public with a suggested minimum fee of $10. Event organizers include Jennifer Marshall, SEEAL Coordinator, and members of the SEEAL Board: Shelli Perry, of the Westport River Watershed Alliance, Jack Crowley of the UMass Dartmouth Center for University and School Partnerships, Joe Yarmac, from Fairhaven High School, Bob Rocha from the Whaling Museum, and Diane Berube, member of Friends of Buttonwood and Operation CleanSweep. The event is possible thanks to our sponsors, Solar Wrights; CHANGE; Buzzards Bay Brewery; the Westport Rivers Winery; Domino’s Pizza and Shaw’s Supermarket.

For over a decade, SEEAL has acted as an umbrella organization, applying for and providing over $1 million in grants to local non-profits and organizations that provide environmental education, outreach and mitigation in Southeastern Massachusetts, including almost 100 current partners such as The Trustees of Reservations, Lloyd Center for the Environment, the Coalition for Buzzards Bay and the Mass Audubon Allen’s Pond Wildlife Sanctuary.

The panel presentation on “State and Federal Grant Opportunities for Collaborative Sustainability Initiatives” presented by DEP, EPA and MTC representatives is scheduled for 1:30-3:00 p.m., followed by Grant-Writing Workshop Sessions from 3:15-4:15 p.m. To attend the event, please RSVP to Jennifer Marshall at (508) 493-4343, jmarshall@seeal.org, by September 25th.


About the Community Foundation

Since 1995, area residents have been turning to the Community Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts to make their philanthropic giving as effective as possible. CFSEMA is a public charity serving thousands of people who share a common concern – improving the quality of life in Southeastern Massachusetts. To date, the Community Foundation has assets of more than $15 million and has distributed over $5 million from 108 funds to humanitarian, educational and cultural organizations in the region. More information about the Foundation can be found at www.cfsema.org; for information about SEEAL go to www.cfsema.org/programs_services/seeal.htm.