Page 10 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, MAy 13, 2022 Big Sister Boston President & CEO Deb Re Announces Retirement B OSTON – After 16 years at the helm, Big Sister Boston’s President & CEO Deborah Re announced she’s stepping down from her role at the end of this year. Through a video message to friends, donors, and supporters of Big Sister Boston, Re made her announcement highlighting her pride in the organization’s innovative programming and ability to serve over 20,000 girls during her tenure. Under Re’s leadership, Big Sister Boston has been recognized by the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, the Massachusetts Conference for Women, and the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network. In 2020, 2019, and 2017, the organization received the Quality Award from Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA), as well as the 2015 national Agency of the Year for its substantial growth in the number of children served, quality and length of mentoring relationships, and increased fundraising. Re was an appointed member of the City of Boston’s Women’s Commission advising former Mayor Martin J. Walsh and has served as a member of Governor Charlie Baker’s transition team. Additionally, Re has received the Pinnacle Award Hall Rentals Available Excellent rates Call 781-324-9570 from the Chamber of Commerce and has been recognized as a one of Boston Business Journal’s “Women of Influence.” She has received awards from numerous organizations including the Lewis Family Foundation. “Throughout her remarkable career, I’ve admired Deb for leading with integrity and authenticity. Big Sister Boston wouldn’t be what it is today without her leadership and deep commitment to helping girls thrive,” said Melissa MacDonnell, President, Liberty Mutual Foundation and Vice President, Community Investments at Liberty Mutual Insurance. “I want to personally thank her for always putting the needs of the girls first and for changing so many lives for the better.” “All of us at Big Sister Boston are grateful to Deb for her passion, leadership, and unwavering focus on our mission to ignite girls’ passion and power to succeed through positive mentoring relationships,” said Big Sister Boston Board Chair Carey Cort. “We’re excited to build upon her legacy of an organization uniquely positioned to tap into and nurture the vast potential that is the girls and young women of Greater Boston. The stage is set for a new leader to shepherd the organization into the next decade; to continue to forge strong connections in the community and partnerships that will benefit Greater Boston’s girls for years to come.” The organization has retained Koya Partners to lead the search for their next President & CEO. Re will continue to lead Big Sister Boston through the remainder of 2022, and the organization plans to celebrate her 16 years of leadership at their annual gala, Big in Boston, in October. About Big Sister Association of Greater Boston Big Sister Association of Greater Boston ignites girls’ passion and power to succeed through positive mentoring relationships with women and enrichment programs that support girls’ healthy development. Since 1951, Big Sister Boston has focused on meeting the unique needs of girls by providing them with the guidance, care, and support of a Big Sister. Today, the organization serves nearly 2,500 women and girls throughout Greater Boston through professionally supported one-to-one mentoring relationships and enrichment activities that address the social-emotional development of girls ages 7 – 24. Big Sister Boston is the only independently supported agency within the Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBA) nationwide network to solely serve girls and women and was recognized by BBBSA’s Leadership Council as the 2015 National Agency of the Year. For more information, please visit www.bigsister.org or follow @bigsisterboston on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. DEA Recognizes First Ever National Fentanyl Awareness Day W ASHINGTON – In an effort to save lives, DEA is proud to join “Song for Charlie” and many of our valued public health, non-profit, and law enforcement partners in recognizing the first ever National Fentanyl Awareness Day. This day is an effort to educate individuals around the dangerous threat that fentanyl poses to the safety, health, and national security of the American people. To mark National Fentanyl Awareness Day, DEA released a video announcement from DEA Administrator Anne Milgram stressing the dangers of fentanyl and the need for urgent action. “Fentanyl is killing Americans at unprecedented rates,” said Milgram. “On this first-ever National Fentanyl Awareness Day, please help save lives by making sure you talk with your friends and family about the dangers of this deadly drug.” Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is approximately 50 times more potent than heroin and 100 times more potent than morphine. It is inexpensive, widely available, and highly addictive. Drug traffickers are increasingly mixing fentanyl with other illicit drugs—in powder and pill form—to drive addiction and create repeat customers. Many people who are overdosing and dying don’t even know that they are taking fentanyl. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that in the United States, nearly 107,000 people died as the result of a drug overdose in the 12-month period ending November 2021. Sixty-six percent of overdose deaths involved synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. DEA has created a special exhibit for its museum, The Faces of Fentanyl, to commemorate the lives lost from fentanyl poisoning. If you would like to submit a photo of a loved one lost to fentanyl, please submit their name and photo to fentanylawareness@dea. gov, or post a photo and their name to social media using the hashtag #NationalFentanylAwarenessDay. For more information on the dangers of fentanyl, visit www. DEA.gov/fentanylawareness.
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