LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT

Dear Friend of NEAT:

I’m a real home-town boy.

Liberty Street was my childhood home and now here I am, back in my old neighborhood — a homeowner, parent of twins, Macdonough School PTA member, soccer coach, Parent Leadership Training Institute (PLTI) graduate, and the newly elected president of NEAT.

The North End is special in so many ways. I am one of its biggest cheerleaders and one of its sharpest critics. The neighborhood is unique in Middletown with its rich histories of the immigrant and newcomer experiences, its tapestry of backgrounds, its village-like character.

The neighborhood’s problems are not unique; they are those that impact dense urban neighborhoods throughout the world. They are problems that can be solved by linking arms, joining hearts and minds, and building the neighborhood’s self-esteem and reputation one small, positive step at a time.

I made a conscious decision to raise my family in the neighborhood in which I grew up; I have made a conscious decision to make it a better neighborhood.

NEAT has, in its12 years, restored both the heart and the will of the North End. First in the deteriorated neighborhood east of Main Street, now in every corner of the North End, the organization has reached out, identified common concerns, and helped the neighborhood focus its attention. The North End is on the move, connecting its resident leaders to each other, welcoming newcomers, and like me, helping old timers know it’s a new and better day in the neighborhood. NEAT’s office is on Main Street but its true presence is in its people.

This neighborhood needs NEAT and it needs you. Your generous donation will help NEAT continue its work. Your dollars are spent frugally. Investing in NEAT is a way to reduce the dollars spent upon municipal expenses that are incurred in a neighborhood that is marginalized. A healthy neighborhood is cheaper to operate and we need your help to restore the neighborhood’s health.

I choose to live in the North End and I’m going to make the neighborhood better. Please join me and all of us at NEAT who are fighting the good fight for a noble neighborhood.

Sincerely yours,

Ed Corvo

NEAT President