Patricia S. Willian

"The school feels like a family," says Patti Willian, Friends' founding member and chairman."We

Patti Willian, Friends' founding member and chairman. ?

"The school feels like a family," says Patti Willian, Friends' founding member and chairman.
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founding member and Chairman Patti Willian. Donors reaching out to students
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said Patti Willian, The Friends of Hadley chairman.

Through interviews with key individuals such as Mary Babson, Jennifer Weaver and Patti Willian, we highlight the ongoing efforts of the Board of Trustees, the Woman's Board, the Friends of Hadley and other important volunteer groups.
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Reflecting this human touch, Patti Willian refers to the Friends as a "fairy godmother" to students.

This issue of Insights also shows how corporate donors can contribute through the innovative use of new technology.For example, Bank of America plans to install 7,000 "talking ATMs" throughout the nation by the end of 2005.By incorporating voice synthesis technology, these machines allow blind and visually impaired people to conduct personal banking transactions independently.This is a bold step that will positively impact many lives.

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Chairperson and founder Patricia "Patti" Willian says the group serves as sort of a "fairy godmother" to students, providing gifts that fulfill various needs.Yet, the Friends have no membership dues or official by-laws and meet only on an informal basis.Members make individual monetary contributions, which are used to purchase those gifts.So the group does its good deeds quietly.

"The Friends were organized in 1974 and began meeting as the `Hadley Has Beens,'" Patti reflects."At that time, our group included former members of Hadley's Junior Auxiliary. (Membership in the Junior Auxiliary automatically terminated on one's 40th birthday.) As the group grew in size, the name was changed to `The Friends of Hadley School' and in 1977 we opened a bank account."The group now has about 40 members.

Patti has been a true friend to Hadley and its students for years.
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Patti contacts members to raise money, then contacts Family Education instructors to determine a need.In fact, one of Patti's missions is to spread the good news about this program.
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What's more, Patti noticed an especially strong involvement and positive response among Friends to the essay contest.In fact, one member contributed more than her usual annual donation because of the contest."The fact that we had such a good response to the essay contest indicates the deep loyalty within the Friends."

Encouraged by this renewed spirit, Patti foresees more significant contributions by the Friends of Hadley in the near future.

Patricia S. Willian