Colorful enamel tiles—5 rows of 14 each—adorn a wall at the John F. Kennedy Elementary School. The whimsical mural is a testament to the dedication of dozens of students in grades 4-8 and their art teacher—and the Duhamel Education Initiative, which funded it.

"My goal was to create an enduring work of art for the school that would give all participants a sense of belonging," said arts education teacher Barbara Marder. "The students felt a great sense of pride in their creative work."

The mural may seem like a relatively small project—like many of the programs that Duhamel funds. But at the heart of this cheerful artwork and the dedicated group of volunteers that funded it is the belief that every little bit helps.

"We founded this group in honor of our friend Paul Duhamel, and he did a lot a really good things for the City, but he did them quietly. He was a humble guy," said June Pietrantoni, President of the Duhamel Education Initiative. "We're just trying to carry on the good work that he did."

"But you know," she added. "We started this 15 years ago, and we're still going, but we could really use some new blood."

On a mission to keep students in school

Paul Duhamel was a long-time Somerville resident, public servant, and Clergyman, who was very active in the community, founding several organizations and serving on the Somerville School Committee for a number of years. After his passing, his friends and family founded the initiative in 1996 to honor his legacy.

Since that time, the group has worked very closely with school administrators and teachers to forge a strategy to prevent students from dropping out.

"This isn't about us at all. We aren't doing the programs; we're doing the funding for them. We need their help," said Pietrantoni. "So if they see new ways to do new things to engage kids, if it's something that we can do, that's what we want to do."

Raising money the old-fashioned way—in the community

Duhamel raises money the old-fashioned way, through four annual community fundraisers including a walk-a-thon. The annual Ham and Bean Supper, held last weekend, is a yearly highlight. It's tradition for the city's aldermen to don aprons and serve the meal.

"Trying to raise more money is a constant issue for us," said Pietrantoni. "Amongst the board, we do not have people who are really skilled or really gifted in grant writing and so we have sought the help of other folks, but most of that is costly."

Their efforts add up. This year alone, Duhamel has provided eight teachers in the district with "mini-grants" to help pay for art projects, textbooks, student awards luncheons and other projects.

More than $50,000 raised for the schools

The group also sponsors an after-school program at the Healey School for third-grade students and recently donated $2,500 to the school system to help students pay for summer school classes. Over the course of 15 years, the Duhamel Education Initiative has raised more than $50,000 for the schools. The group sees every bit of their efforts as contributing to keeping kids inspired to learn and stay in school.

"Duhamel takes the long view in their drop-out prevention strategies," said Somerville Public Schools Public Information Coordinator Gretchen Kinder, on behalf of Superintendent Tony Pierantozzi. "With this broad approach to drop-out prevention, Duhamel grants are supporting creative approaches to fostering the conditions that promote student aspirations."

New members are welcome

The Duhamel Initiative is run solely by volunteers, who organize the fundraisers and work with school personnel to craft grant-making priorities. New members are welcome.

"We are always looking for people to come, especially people who have a passion for the topic. That's the real thing. People who really care about the idea that it's really, really important for kids to stay in school," says Pietrantoni.

"One of [Paul's] big interests was a concern with education, kids completing their education and not dropping out of school," says Pietrantoni. "Although we are small, we are trying to do our part and as I say, we're inspired by Paul Duhamel, who's been gone 15 years and who was a very quiet person, but a very effective person with a big voice. Not loud, just big."

If you are interested in becoming involved with the Duhamel Education Initiative please contact June Pietrantoni at 617-591- 9944.