Beverly Children's Learning Center's 40th anniversary celebration raises $25,000 for children's education & care

Beverly Children’s Learning Center’s 40th anniversary celebration raises $25,000 for children’s education & care

More than 100 guests came out to toast the Beverly Children’s Learning Center’s 40 years of providing education, care and community to hundreds of area children.  The 40th anniversary celebration, held at the Danversport Yacht Club, raised nearly $25,000 to support the non-profit center’s services to children ages 1 month to 13 years. 

Event sponsorships totaled $15,000 with Leslie Ray Insurance, People’s United Bank, an anonymous donor, and the Schlein Family of Beverly donating $1,000 each as Gold level sponsors. Silver sponsors donated $500 and included the Beverly Athletic Club; Beverly Cooperative Bank; Beverly Rotary; Brian Murphy Design; Callahan, Dewan & Murphy; Eastern Bank; Glovsky & Glovsky and Prevare, LLC.

Founding Member Janet Schlein of Beverly and North Shore United Way Executive Director Margo Casey were honored for their lifelong advocacy for and work with children, as well as their strong support of the Beverly Children’s Learning Center.  The guests, which included the Schlein family and friends, former BCLC board members, current board and staff, sponsors and elected officials, all gave Mrs. Schlein a standing ovation after her speech about the history of the Beverly Children’s Learning Center. Margo Casey explained why the North Shore United Way provides significant funding each year to BCLC for program enrichment and health and fitness activities.

More about the BCLC 40th anniversary honorees

Janet Schlein has been a respected community leader since she, her husband Herb and their children moved to Beverly in 1964.  Not only was she a founding member of the Beverly Children’s Learning Center, she served for many years as President of the Beverly League of Women Voters.  Mrs. Schlein worked as a librarian for the Beverly Public Schools for 30 years, starting with what were then 12 elementary schools and finishing her career at Memorial Middle School. According to her son Rob Schlein, people often say to his son and daughter, “I love your grandmother.”

Mrs. Schlein met her husband Herb when they were both in college after World War II, she at Simmons College and he at Harvard. They were married in 1952 and had two children, Rob and Marilyn. Mrs. Schlein supported the family by working at the Boston Public Library while Mr. Schlein got his Ph.D. at Boston University. In December 2012, Mr. and Mrs. Schlein made a $100,000 gift to BCLC.  Mr. Schlein died in March, but according to their son Robert Schlein, their major gift to support BCLC “really lit up his final few months.”  Mrs. Schlein is an active member of Temple Ahavat Achim in Gloucester and has four grandchildren – Ally, Corey, Maxine and Nate, all of Beverly.

Margo Casey is Executive Director of the North Shore United Way, which raises more than $1.2 million annually to support community impact grants focused on youth and child development, financial stability and health. NSUW grants this year support 32,000 people with 40 programs focused on Children and Families (including BCLC), Health and the Basics of housing and sustainable employment. Under Ms. Casey’s leadership, NSUW launched Women in Action initiative in 2012 to support healthy eating and physical activity for underserved youth and their families. Ms. Casey founded the North Shore Non Profit CEO Alliance and serves on the North Shore Chamber Board of Directors.

Ms. Casey has had a long and successful history in human services. She began her career working in residential programs for children, followed by nine years in state government, as an Assistant Commissioner for the Department of Youth Services and Deputy Commissioner for the Office for Children. Ms. Casey also served for eight years as Executive Director of the domestic violence program HAWC in Salem.