November 2010 Welcome Friends, On behalf of the ESAC Board of Directors and Staff, we are pleased to invite and welcome you to ESAC’s 15th Annual Taste of Jamaica Plain on Thursday, November 18, 2010 at Our Lady of Lebanon Cedars Hall, 61 Rockwood Street, Jamaica Plain at 6:30 p.m.. The “Taste” serves as ESAC’s signature annual fundraiser and we expect the tradition to carry on for many years to come. It’s an exciting community event where attendees have the opportunity to sample delectable cuisine from some of the best restaurants in the City. Some “dwellers from outside the City” last year said that “JP is now a new destination to come to dinner.” This is a very special year as we honor and celebrate six restaurants that have participated in the event for over 10 years. The honorees will receive a plaque at this year’s “Taste” as a token of our appreciation for their ongoing support. Our awardees are: 15 YEARS & PERFECT ATTENDANCE: Ban Chiang House, Bella Luna Restaurant, Dogwood Café, and JP Licks. 10 YEARS OR MORE: Bukhara Indian Bistro (13 years) and James’s Gate Restaurant & Pub. WE SALUTE & THANK YOU! ESAC is now entering into our 45th year. The Taste of JP is an important event that helps support our work particularly in these challenging social and economic times. Violence in the City is escalating with more than double the homicides at this time last year. People are struggling to hold onto their homes. We are grateful for the community support and the collaboration of the local restaurants and businesses especially our sponsors. We are filled with optimism as we move forward with your support. We are now in the process of preparing and positioning ourselves as we look forward to the new opportunities and challenges as the winds of change sweep the nation and affect our community. ESAC has always been an incubator for new ideas and developing resources to bring those ideas to fruition to serve the neediest and most vulnerable in our city. We are prepared to help homeowners sustain their homes through foreclosure prevention counseling and senior home repair. We are prepared to help the City’s most at-risk youth prepare for a productive, rewarding, and fulfilling life through our holistic approach in our GED Plus Program now offered at 5 sites: Dudley Square, Grove Hall, Sportsmen’s Tennis Club, Bromley-Heath and Egleston (ESAC offices). We continue to work to curb youth violence in our community. We are also prepared to help children and adults with asthma better manage their disease. We will continue to work for peace and harmony in our community by keeping memories alive of those that we have lost and the spirit of new growth through the Egleston Square Peace Garden. We are looking forward to our future together to serve and work with our community. Together we will continue to build on the ESAC foundation built over 40 years ago. Enjoy your evening and I look forward to meeting each and every one of you. Thank you for your support! Bill Minkle, |