Not too many organizations can claim a staff whose members were born in eight different decades. But North Shore Elder Services can!

This summer two high school interns have worked for the agency. Brittany Costigan, born in 1991, is a Danvers High School sophomore who has been immensely helpful in ensuring our numerous databases of names and addresses are accurate and up to date. Her attention to detail has been, as teenagers would say, "awesome."

Luisa Baez, a 2006 graduate of Salem High School and an entering college student at Marion Court in Swampscott, has been Rachel Kestner's indispensable assistant this summer. Rachel, as Communications and Development Specialist and Editor of The Shoreline and other NSES newsletters, regularly multi-tasks. Luisa assisted Rachel with numerous projects including working as a team member with other NSES staff on the Hazy Crazy Summer Days activities and conducting computer research about other agencies' websites. Luisa's services were made possible through a "First Jobs" grant from the North Shore Work Investment Board, a program designed to introduce teenagers to a real-world work environment.

Not to be outdone by the youngest members of our staff, one of our most experienced workers, Eleanor Goldberg, also made some special contributions this summer. Eleanor, who was born before the Great Depression and is our most tenured employee with 27 years of service, normally maintains all the agency's vendor contracts and personnel records. However, Eleanor became a "legislative agent" for us when she made her first-ever visit to the State House in July to lobby for the Equal Choice bill. She went to the offices of each of the state representatives from the North Shore to advocate for the legislation. Within weeks of her visit, the legislation passed! Not bad for a first-time effort.

At North Shore Elder Services, we value all our employees - whether on their first job or seasoned veterans - on account of their positive attitudes, strong work ethic, and commitment to the mission of responding to the needs of elders and their families with dignity and quality services.

With our drawing date of September 8th drawing near, consider this the LAST CALL FOR RED SOX RAFFLE TICKETS from North Shore Elder Services. Tickets run $1 a piece, $5 for 7 or $10 for 15 and are available at our office as well as the Councils on Aging in Danvers, Marblehead, Middleton, Peabody and Salem. Tickets can also be mailed out to you if you mail us a check in advance. All proceeds benefit the nutrition program at NSES.

The Grand Prize is a Red Sox Experience including two Grandstand tickets to see The Boston Red Sox take on the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on Tuesday, September 26, 2006. Transportation to and from the game and dinner for two is also included in this prize package. We also offer "nine innings" of runner up prizes:

Nine Red Sox Instant Lottery Tickets With one ticket to scratch off during each inning, watching the game just got a bit more interesting. In addition to traditional cash prizes, merchandise, tickets and trips, the Red Sox Instant Ticket features a "second chance" drawing in which one lucky player will win a pair of Red Sox season tickets for life.

Lobster Dinner Gift Basket Everything you need for the perfect lobster dinner packed inside a pot big enough to bring your sea bounty to a boil. Where to begin? Consult your "how to eat a lobster" plates, keep your butter dishes close, and choose from a variety of tools to get cracking. We even include lobster bibs and cloth napkins. A $25 gift certificate from Stop & Shop enables you to pick up live lobsters.

Complete Ice Cream Party Bucket We start with a roomy pastel tin and add a matching ceramic ice cream container nestled between four decorative ice cream dishes and an ice cream scoop. To top it off we include hot fudge, caramel, and marshmallow sauces, sprinkles and a gift certificate from Goodies Ice Cream.

$50 Phantom Gourmet Gift Card Use this gift card at your choice of over 100 restaurants in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

Other prizes include your choice of T-shirt or baseball hat from The Inspired Gift and gift certificates to Uno's Chicago Grille, Kelly's Roast Beef and Sylvan Street Grill.