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ABOUT US

In 1995 Kathleen McNeil, currently the Godmothers’ St. Vincent’s Liaison, happened onto the St. Vincent’s property while out for a walk. As she was being shown around what was at the time, Timothy Murphy School campus, by the principal, her background as a nurse and as an advocate for disabled children helped her to see into the needs of the boys. She quickly signed on as an assistant teacher at the school. Kathy soon realized that the boys without parental support were missing things that other children have – birthday parties, field trips, social guidance. She arranged her first birthday party in one of the classrooms and enlisted her friends to help. Word of mouth drew dozens of others. By 1996, the “Mothers’ Club” officially became The Godmothers. The Godmothers’ first fundraiser was a Bingo Luncheon for the original members and their friends. Today, they hold the same bingo luncheon in May for over 300 attendees and have added the Annual PumpkinPatch and the Marin Valentine Ball to their list of fundraising events.

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Through their fundraising and donations over the years, the Godmothers have provided such things as:

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  • Designing, furnishing and staffing a Library with wall-to-wall books, a display quilt the boys made, and stuffed animals to hold while they read.

  • Renovating an unused storage room to create a new state-of-the-art Computer Lab.

  • Transforming an abandoned classroom into a Life Skills Center where Godmother volunteers teach the boys five basic life skills of Business, Health, Social Skills, General Knowledge, and Independent Living that would normally be learned in a family environment

  • Supporting the Merit Program which rewards good behavior with watches, sports equipment and trips to the movies, plus much, much more

  • Transforming a vacant room into the Merit Store where boys can purchase items ranging from art supplies to MP-3 players with points earned through good behavior.

  • Purchasing all shoes, personal clothing, school uniforms, eyeglasses, etc. for the boys including part-time work clothing requirements.

  • Purchasing and maintaining vans for transporting the boys to school events and extracurricular activities.

  • A long list of extras to enrich the boys' school life such as occasional trips to the Marin Symphony, dinners out, 2 yearly $30 gift certificates to each boy to buy books, a sail on the bay, an ice cream social and an annual “goody bag” of toys and personal supplies.

  • Personal Christmas presents in December delivered by and opened with Santa.

Some Godmothers have also become surrogate parents, attending each boy’s annual consultation with the Marin County Office of Education. Other Godmothers help with holiday parties and art projects – making pillows, bookmarks, and calendars.

 


The Godmothers have been the benefactor of:

  • Marin Valentine’s Ball, 2001-2018 (present)

  • Center for Volunteer & Nonprofit Leadership in Marin, Heart Tug Award, 2004-2010

  • Nominee for Hearts of Marin Award for Achievement in Nonprofit Excellence, 2004-2010

  • Elks Club Allensby Trust Grant recipient

  • Marin Charitable Grant recipient

  • Marin Founders Celebration, Founder Honoree, 2016

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Board of Directors

  • President / St. Vincent Liaison - Kathy McNeil

  • Vice-President - Daria Doherty

  • Director - Donna Boyd

  • Finance - Debbie Campas

  • News Letter - Colette Perachiotti

  • Development - Susan Upshaw

  • Tech Coordinator - Allison Park

  • Life Skills - Elena Cahill

  • Junior Godmothers - Nina LoCoco and Jocelyn Muelrath

  • Recording Secretary - Trudy Costes

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Committee Chairpersons

  • Bingo - Godmothers Committee

  • Christmas Tree Fundraiser at St. Vincent's Church - Junior Godmothers

  • Class Parties - Becky Arrigo, Cathy Stone, Kaiser Permanente Managers

  • Communications and Godmother Emails - Elysia Scott

  • Finance Committee - Donna Boyd, Kathy McNeil, Daria Doherty, Julie Perachiotti, Patti LaPerriere

  • From the Heart - Elena Cahill and Katherine Fong

  • Hearing & Eye Exams - Cathy Stone

  • Holiday Card - Julie Perachiotti

  • Library - Sue Silveira, Janis Giampaoli, Nancy Morais

  • Lower Life Skills - Elena Cahill

  • Upper Life Skills - Donna Boyd

  • Member Notifications - Elysia Scott

  • Merit Store - Trudy Costes, Pat Grotins

  • Newsletter - Iliana Milan

  • Pumpkin Patch - Daria Doherty, Janice Wanigatunga

  • Run for Shoes - Junior Godmothers

  • Sunshine - Susie Alvarado

  • Uniforms / Vinnie's Closet - Mary Lyons, Pat Grotins, Beth Kuhn, Dobbie Quinones

  • Valentine Ball - Marcia Lloyd, Carol Roeder, Kathy McNeil, Paula Sauve, Pat Brown, Stephanie Roeder, Sheila Bertram, Terry Nevin, Sara Henry, Diane Freeman

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The Godmothers have been featured in:

• Students Run for shoes at Marinwood's Timothy Murphy School

• Pumpkin Pickers Probe San Rafael Plot

• Godmothers Raise Big Bucks for Timothy Murphy School

• Valentines Ball to Help Local Nonprofits

• Julie Perachiotti is Marin-Volunteer of the Week for Dec 24, 2011

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