Volunteering

I finally heard back from Ethos about volunteering with old people. They suggested Ruth from Roxbury as their most in need client but again, once I accepted the offer she was  uncontactable. This could  mean that everything is well with Ruth but could also have more negative implications as she could have been waiting for up to six months for urgent financial assistance.

Anyway, next on the list is Richard from Blue Hill Avenue. Interesting I was reading an article on this area in the excellent local free listings paper The Boston Phoenix which described the problems festering in this neighbourhood. Regular readers will remember the Mattapan murders in which four people including a 2 year old were shot dead recently but this is just the headline grabbing incident among many shootings in the area.

In fact a look at the Boston Murder Map illustrates the cluster of shootings that blight the area. For those of you unfamiliar with Boston's geography then just find the centre of the area with the greatest density of red dots and you'll find Blue Hill Avenue.

So next week I'll be off to visit Richard who's blind and lives in a sheltered housing development. I'll be sure to take along my BlackBerry and will be uploading the best shots just as soon as I make good my escape.