Fall Newsletter: Sarah Burrell, Development Associate 

Summer at the Mary Lyon Foundation has been anything but sleepy! While students enjoyed their break and teachers recharged their batteries, we seized the moment to play musical chairs with our office space. In true small-but-mighty team fashion, we packed up our entire operation and migrated to a bigger, and more well suited classroom space that fits our growing needs.  

Moving is always a lot of effort, but there’s something energizing about a fresh space and newly organized filing cabinets. Plus, our timing couldn’t have been better—the week we settled into our new space, we welcomed our fantastic new Program Director, Liza Manchester. Her warmth, enthusiasm, and expertise are already making a huge difference. 

This summer also brought some fun local partnerships. Flood Water Brewery in Shelburne Falls created a special beer called “The Green Purse” in honor of Mary Lyon’s iconic green velvet purse she was known to carry, donating $2 from each sale. We’re so grateful for that creative collaboration—cheers to community spirit! Meanwhile, the Franklin Community Co-op generously included us in their Round Up Program during July and August, and we’re incredibly thankful to every cashier and customer who participated in that fundraising effort. 

One of our most recent collaborations is with Joy Sullivan of Enjoy, who not only ran a round-up campaign in August but also is donating $5 from each sale of her beautiful tote bags. The best part? One of the bag’s pantone colors happens to be “Lyons Blue”—clearly meant to be! 

As we gear up for the new school year with backpack donations to disperse and prepare for our big Resource Fair on September 17th, we’re feeling that familiar fall energy. With our four-year campaign in its final stretch, the support from donors like you continues to move us forward—and sometimes moves me to happy tears. 

Your generosity, no matter the amount, helps us serve our students, families, and educators who need our support now more than ever.