The Marblehead Chamber of Commerce Welcomes The Newcomers and Natives Club Photo attached: NAN Members and Chamber representatives l. to r. (front row) Pat Richwagen, Dee Vigneron, Ann Marie Casey, Karyn Zion, NAN President Erica Marinelli (with Scissors), Mona Hersey, Lena Robinson, Karen Blackstone, Betsy Burke Jacobson l. to r. (back row) Brian LeClair, Ben McKnight, Gloria Bakst The Marblehead Chamber of Commerce is pleased to welcome new member Newcomers and Natives (NAN) at a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on Wednesday, January 2, 2008 at the Abbot Public Library. NAN is a not-for-profit organization linking residents of Marblehead, Swampscott and surrounding communities with each other for social and business purposes.  "We are thrilled to have joined the Chamber of Commerce," said NAN President Erica Marinelli, "Now each NAN member will have the tremendous benefits offered by the Chamber." Originally founded to offer locals the opportunity to connect with others in their communities, NAN's mission has expanded in recent years to include community outreach efforts, such as its fundraising drives and support for Community of Friends. Additionally, multiple business partnerships have formed through connections established during social networking within NAN.

Newcomers and Natives Club Teams with Community of Friends’ Stocking Drive Dec 2007 The true spirit of this glorious Holiday season is giving and sharing, and who better deserves a stocking full of books, toys, school supplies pajamas, hats and mittens than children who have nothing! Who better to share it with than old and new friends as well as likeminded philanthropists? For the second consecutive year Newcomers and Natives Club (NAN) helped raise donations for Community of Friends’ (CoF) 5th Annual Holiday Stocking Drive which filled stockings for needy children in the local community. This year’s NAN fundraiser was a BYOB held at a member’s home in Swampscott on December 6th at 7:30PM. Members picked out tags to sponsor children’s stockings at the party. They were given an oversized, handmade stocking where a tag containing the child’s first name, age, gender and clothing sizes was provided so the sponsor could fill the stocking with appropriate gifts. Many families sponsored children of the same gender and age as their own children creating a heartfelt bond between the sponsored child and the donors. Community of Friends is a volunteer-based non-profit organization based in Marblehead. Their mission is to provide practical necessities and enriching experiences to the local community. Earlier this fall, CoF, with the help of NAN, provided filled backpacks to children who otherwise would not have had basic school supplies or a bag in which to carry them. According to Marblehead's John Wilder, head of CoF, “Sponsoring a child is a terrific way to teach your children about the joys and rewards of philanthropy at a young age.” Both he and his wife, Kathy, have propelled CoF from an organization that delivered 97 stockings to needy children in 2003, to one that delivered 500 in 2006. You can learn more by visiting www.communityoffriends.org