Record year for Gifts of Hope

The Wayland-based charity started by Sudbury native Dan Olsen aims to create housing for families with cancer patients at Mass. General Hospital, who would otherwise have trouble affording the extended stay required for treatment.

From September through December of 2006, the charity’s first apartment near the hospital was occupied for 111 days by three families, with the result that these families were spared the expense of over $12,000 in lodging costs alone.

In addition to a few donors to our Gifts of Hope campaign who wished to remain anonymous, we gratefully received checks this year from the following local residents.

From left, Sudbury Town Crier editor Ben Smith, Martha Welsh, executive director of Christopher’s Haven, Michael Wyner, editor of The Wayland/Weston Town Crier, and Christopher’s Haven founder Dan Olsen.
(John Tarantino)

 From Sudbury: Mary and Bill Bradley, Anne and Richard Chabot, Betty Farmer, Robert and Kathleen Fitzgerald, Lorraine and George Fryklund, Sara and Peter Goodman, Richard and Yasuko Mattione, Jan and Joe Roller, Paul and Nancy Stager, Roger Van Duinen and Julie Cranston, Allan and Nadine Wallack, and Margaret Whittemore.

From Wayland: Hille and Wolfhard Kern, C. Marian MacDonald, Joseph and Alice Oshea, and Harold and Christina Veal.

From Weston: Barbara Elmes, Dr. Peter Ganz and Miriam Maslekoff Ganz, and William Oliver and Winifred Li.

In addition, we would like to note contributions from DeMartini Construction of Wayland, the Canadian American Club of Massachusetts, and the children in the BASE (before- and after-school enrichment) program at Claypit Hill School in Wayland, who held a craft/bake sale which raised $309.

We enjoy producing the stories that highlight a special local charity every year, and we are always overwhelmed by the response from our readers. Thank you for supporting a great cause!

Reprinted with permission from the Wayland Town Crier