2023-24 Board, Partners, & Volunteers
BOARD
Vickie Dawson has been Clothing Connection clerk since 2017 and is co-chair of our Salem High School program. She has lived in Salem since 1995. All of her children are attending or have gone through the Salem school system. One is still in the school system, at the high school. Vickie subbed in the elementary schools for a couple of years. Currently she is very active in several community organizations.
Jenni Espinal works as Family Engagement Facilitator at Saltonstall School and is the Family Engagement/City Connects Representative on the Clothing Connection Board, which she’s served on since 2021. Jenni works very closely with the multilingual families at Saltonstall School. She has a son at Salem High School. Jenni is also part of the Salem District Family Counsel and the Salem High Music Boosters, and works as a tour guide at The House of the Seven Gables.
Beth Forrestal is a co-founder (2016) and current co-president (outreach and fundraising) of the Clothing Connection. Beth also runs our volunteer program and our Facebook page. She has two freshmen, one at Salem Academy Charter School and one at Mount Holyoke. Beth works for the City of Salem Department of Planning and Community Development and volunteers for the Salem Literary Festival. When not working or volunteering, Beth enjoys cooking, listening to podcasts, and beating her family at Scrabble.
Arielle Gronner has served as treasurer of the Clothing Connection since the 2018-2019 school year and has lived in Salem since 2007. Her daughter attended Carlton Elementary School and Collins Middle School, and currently attends Salem High School. She works for an arts management agency based in Marblehead.
Colette Loux is a co-founder (2016) and current co-president (clothing) of the Clothing Connection, and serves as the school liaison for all elementary schools as well as Collins Middle School and New Liberty Innovation School. She is the primary contact for our school partners from pre-K through middle school. A Salem native and Salem State graduate, Colette has two children, one at Saltonstall and one at Salem High School. 2016-present
SPS PARTNERS
We are thankful to all the staff from these SPS schools for partnering with us!
Bates Elementary School, Bentley Academy Innovation School, Carlton Innovation School, Collins Middle School, the Early Childhood Center, the Homeless Education Coordinator, Horace Mann Laboratory School, New Liberty Innovation School, Salem High School, Salem Prep High School, Saltonstall School, and Witchcraft Heights Elementary School.
VOLUNTEER STAFF
Susanna Baird is a co-founder of the Clothing Connection and manages the organization’s storehouse and website, writes grants, and serves as liaison for Salem Prep High School. Susanna has a child at Salem High School and another who attended Salem Academy Charter School and is now at Clark University. She works as a writer/editor and volunteers with the Salem Literary Festival.
Catherine Bertrand is the office administrator at First Church in Salem, where the Clothing Connection storehouse is housed, and since 2021 has served as a liaison between the church and the nonprofit. Catherine’s child attends Collins Middle School.
Tracy Czahor, who’s been with the Clothing Connection since 2017, helps organize our storehouse and manages the Clothing Connection Closet at the Early Childhood Center, where she works as a paraprofessional. She has children at Saltonstall School, Salem Academy Charter School, and Essex Northshore Agricultural and Technical School.
Gina Grinarml, who’s helped the Clothing Connection since 2020, is head of the swim program at the Salem YMCA, as well as a Pilates and fitness instructor and Head Coach of the Salem YMCA Swim Team. Her daughter attends Carlton Innovation School and her son attends Salem Academy Charter School.
Yvonne Jones has been the Clothing Connection’s Purchasing Chair since 2022, and is a part-time online tutor for Salem Public Schools. A Salem native, Yvonne attended the Bentley Elementary School, Middle School East (now Saltonstall), and Salem High. She lives in Salem with her family, including a son and daughter at Salem High School.
Kendra LeFleur has been a member of the Clothing Connection team since 2017. She’s the Academic Coordinator of Teaching and Learning at Endicott College and lives in Salem with her husband and their three children, all former Carlton students. One graduated from and another attends Salem High School and one graduated from Essex Northshore Agricultural and Technical School.
Jean Marie Procious has been co-chair of our Salem High School program since 2022 and is Executive Director of the Salem Athenaeum. She lives in Salem with her family, including a child at Bates Elementary and another at Salem High School.
2023-2024 VOLUNTEER CREW
We are so grateful to our regular volunteers, who sort clothes, host fundraisers, staff fundraisers, and more. Help us out! Email info@clothingconnection.org to join our volunteer list.
Tom Czahor • Brian Dawson • Kim Falchek • Jeff Fox • Jessica Fox • Lori Hart • Bethann Jellison • Jean Karam • Joe Loux • Amjed McDonnell • Roberta Perlman • Cynthia Robinson • Julie Rose • Elizabeth Sweetman • Rich Thornett • Marlene Warner