A Letter from Executive Director, Deb Ansourlian

December 9, 2009

Last week at dinner, an acquaintance asked me why I've stayed at Cooper for eight years. I told her not a day goes by that I am not grateful for the life I have. I have been fortunate and blessed in my life – I had good parents, spent summers in the fresh air, received a good education, and I am loved. And I will admit I probably think about my good fortune more then most people, because everyday I see children who are not as fortunate and blessed as I am. The kids I see everyday come from poverty; they not only live in neighborhoods with violence, they are often witnesses to violence. They attend schools that are not always well resourced, and sometimes, they are not loved by the people who should love them the most.

I am driven by the inequity of this. I want the kids at Cooper to have what I had. I want them to have carefree summers. I want their lives to be filled with laughter. I want them to have a good education and to have careers they are passionate about. I want them to be loved.

I thought back to a day this summer when I arrived at our summer camp at Hale Reservation in Westwood with an agenda and a list of things that had to be accomplished. I had exactly one hour, and then I had to get back to the city for a meeting. When I arrived at Camp on that hot afternoon, I found everyone on the beach. As I watched the kids and counselors in the water-laughing, shouting, splashing, jumping, and diving, I was reminded that there is so much in life that many of us take for granted - a good education, apple picking trips, music classes, trips to museums, and the sheer joy of swimming in a lake on an August afternoon.

To a passerby, they were just seeing a bunch of city kids in the lake. But I saw 8-year-old Miguel who had been recently removed from his home and placed in foster care. I saw 6-year-old Samuel who has a learning disability, and a father who is not ready to accept the help his son needs. I saw Bonita whose 15 year old sister is pregnant. And in that moment, I thought about all of you - our supporters and donors. I wished you could have been standing on the beach that hot August day to see what your generosity has given to the kids at Cooper- the gift of joy, the gift of belonging, the gift of childhood.

Sincerely,

Deb Ansourlian
Executive Director