On behalf of the Northborough Education Foundation

On behalf of the Northborough Education Foundation (NEF), I would like to extend a wealth of gratitude to the Northborough community at large, and, in particular, the businesses of Northboro Local First (NLF) for helping to make our first annual Applefest Gala such a rousing success.

The idea for the Gala was first conceived about 8 months ago when four women—Julie Booras and Kim Reed of NLF and Susan Ogar and myself from NEF—met over coffee to talk about how our two organizations might work together. When the idea of a party got tossed around, we envisioned a night where people of all ages and stages, from all over the community, would come together to mingle, dance, and celebrate on a crisp fall night in a beautiful, elegant, outdoor setting.

That’s exactly how it turned out.

On top of that, we raised over $12,000 in support of our Northborough K-12 schools—and we introduced to many, the wonderful organization that is NLF.

For those of you who don’t know the Northborough Local First story yet, NLF is a collaborative effort by local, independent small business owners whose mission is to help build & maintain a vibrant local economy. They are currently over 60 members strong and growing rapidly.

These members all pitched in with generosity and enthusiasm to help make this event such a success. They gave their time, their influence and their products—from cider donuts and decor, to the amazing contents for our Mystery Basket fundraiser, to almost every single item on the auction tables.

It is my sincere hope that you will all repay the favor by remembering to support our local businesses and shop local. Did you know that each dollar you spend at independent businesses returns three times more money to your local economy than one spent at a chain and hundreds of times more than buying from an online mega-retailer?? Shop local, and we all reap the benefits.

For a complete listing of all the NLF members, and a great resource to have in your back pocket, pick up a copy of the hot-off-the-presses “Local Guide to Northboro” next time you see one at a local business. This is a great resource for discovering everything that our little town has to offer.

Finally, I would like to give a quick shout out to the women of the 2015 Applefest Gala Committee, who gave so much of their time, energy and creative talents to bring this event to life: Kim Reed (The Purple Rose), Sue Ogar (Just So Designs), Jen Briggs Jenkins (J. Briggs & Co.), Linda Bock (Beezers), Cindy Jennings and Vasavi Prinz. It is a team of women that I would work with any day, anywhere, on any project.

Thanks again for your support, and I look forward to seeing you at next year’s Gala!

Warm regards,

Marile Borden
President
Northborough Education Foundation

p.s. If you would like to learn more about the Northborough Education Foundation and have any time to give to our growing organization, please join us for an open meeting on Tuesday, September 29th at 7:15 PM in the Melican Middle School Library. We would welcome your support.