Early in the morning on Saturday January 5th with a team of of 13 men Principal Mathews arrived at Salvation Army Chelsea loaded with tools and all the materials ready to do a transformation..
Captain Isael Gonzalez, the Pastor of Salvation Army remarks, how excited he was to see a team of professionals lawyers, teachers, principals, and investors who unselfishly dedicated their time accomplishing major repairs.
The day started at 7:00 a.m. shopping for needed items at Home Depot and ended about 5:30 p.m.
Captain Brenda Gonzalez expressed, the highlight for the weekend for her was the fact that some of Principal Mathews’s friends traveled from different states to celebrate his birthday in a very unusual way. His friends are Kevin Qazilbash (Lawrence Principal), Evan MacAlew (Somerville Teacher), Josh Bowman (Lawyer),Drew Kodjak (Environmental lawyer), Bill O’Flanagan (Retired Principal), Mike Sabin (Waltham Principa), Seth Alexander (investing), Tom Nolan (investing), Alexlander Mathews (CHS Principal Chelsea), Bouke Noordji, Steven Cornielsen, Mark Nichols, and Dave Daglio.
They demonstrated humility and willingness to serve without any fanfare. They really wanted to give back to the community using their own resources and skills. They hired a local contractor to replace and install carpet in the front office. They replaced ceiling tiles in the kitchen and high ceiling tiles at the gym door exit. They painted the kids club classrooms and the hallways. They sanded and ceiled the wood rails along the stairway and replaced the baseboard trims.
When the kids arrived, they were so excited and happy to see the big change in their newly painted classrooms. Principal Mathews and team of friends, including the Salvation Army congregation, the Chelsea Interfaith Alliance and the entire community say Happy, Happy Birthday to you. Thank you very much for giving back to the community on your special day.