Board Chair Christine Gillstrom Burgess shares “Why I Volunteer”

Christine Gillstrom Burgess of Dennis Port not only volunteers her time and talents as a member of Latham’s Board of Directors, she is also actively training and fundraising for the Last Gasp charity bike ride this month. Here, Chris shares “Why I Volunteer”:

“Friends and colleagues often ask me why I became involved with Latham Centers. Anyone who knows me would say that I am a wanderlust. For all of my adult life, I have traveled the world for my profession and always thought globally, welcoming every community as my possible future home. I always had one foot wherever I lived at the moment, but the other foot was always on the gangway of an airplane looking for that perfect place to belong. But something was always missing. It wasn’t until I moved to Cape Cod and then met Mark, the man that is now my husband, that I truly started to feel like I had found that home. And in settling here, I started appreciating the community that I found and looked for fulfillment more locally.

My good friend Brad Malo, a former Board member and former Chair of our Annual Golf Tournament here at Latham Centers, introduced me to this organization because I was looking to become more involved in my community and I was subsequently invited to join the Board of Directors. The more I learned about Latham, the more impressed I became with (1) Latham’s values, vision, and mission; (2) its leadership, including Anne McManus and the senior management team; (3) the staff’s commitment to providing a creative, positive and motivating environment for our students and residents; and finally (4) the students and residents themselves who thrive in this nurturing environment. I knew I wanted to advocate for and contribute to this organization. And so, here I am.”

Chris currently serves as Chair of the Latham Centers Board of Directors. In addition to her volunteer service as a board member for more than two years, Chris has been instrumental in Latham’s fundraising efforts. She will be riding in the Last Gasp 62-mile charity bike ride again this year as part of Team Latham. The Sandwich-to-Provincetown ride on Sunday, September 16th is put on by the Cape Cod Charitable FunRaisers, and every donation in honor of a member of Latham’s team will go to our Capital Campaign for the new Latham Community Center and is 100% tax deductible [Tax ID# 04-3274317]. Here’s how you can help Team Latham reach its $15,000 fundraising goal:

TO DONATE ONLINE: 1. Visit the Last Gasp donation web page HERE.

2. On Team Latham’s fundraising page, choose a Team Member to support and click on “Give Now”. A new page will appear.

3. Please fill out the amount and requested payment information. When finished, click on the green “Give” button at the bottom of the page to process your contribution. You will receive an email that will confirm your donation. Thank you for your support!

If you would prefer to donate with a check, please make the check payable to The Last Gasp, place it in a sealed envelope addressed to Latham Centers, Attn: Heather Kelsey, 14 Lots Hollow Rd., Orleans, MA 02653. Be sure to indicate which of our riders you wish to support.

Thank you, Chris, for your leadership, your volunteerism, and your fundraising in support of Latham Centers!