AMESBURY — School committees are facing tight budgets these days, but Cathy Toomey was ahead of the curve in recognizing the need for citizen involvement in financial matters. About a decade ago she led a team that created the Hall of Honor of the Amesbury Educational Foundation, Inc., which funds special projects that can complement the school budget.
Actually, Toomey has been in a leadership role in Amesbury on numerous fronts. She has been a co-chair of the Woodsom Farm Festival, as well as an incorporator for the Provident Bank. She is a past president of the local Rotary Club, has served on the strategic planning committee for the Amesbury schools and is on the board of directors for the Pettengill House. Toomey has also mentored a teen from Harbor Schools and she reads one day a week to a first-grade child.
"Amesbury is a great community and I enjoy being active in it," said Toomey, a native of Reading who came here in 1975. "The work with the educational foundation has been very rewarding because in addition to funding projects, we bring successful alums and educators back to talk with current students.
"It's important to show that many former Amesbury students have become very successful when they got out into the world."
Toomey is the oldest of six children, five of whom were girls. She attended Westfield State College and bought her first house when she was just 21. That transaction helped launch her into her "day job." She is a Realtor and part-owner of Stone Ridge Properties, and much of her considerable vocational energy is directed at matching sellers with buyers in an ever-changing market.
She has worked in a half-dozen agencies over the years, and on two occasions, she was named Realtor of the year by the Greater Newburyport Association of Realtors.
In 1997, Stone Ridge Properties opened an office in Amesbury, and Cathy became one of the five owners of the company.
"I've always enjoyed selling here," said Toomey. "Of course, the field itself has its ups and downs. This is my third recession, and we're all adjusting and waiting for conditions to improve."
Charlie Cullen, who heads the Provident Bank in Amesbury, said, "Cathy is the go-to Realtor in Amesbury, a true professional. She's an opinionated, compassionate and philanthropic leader who really inspires people. Our community is better because of her."
Joan Miller, president of the Amesbury Educational Foundation, said, "Cathy literally knows everyone in town. I couldn't ask for a more dedicated, compassionate or giving person to serve on our board of directors.
"I think giving to others is built into Cathy's DNA. She is an amazing asset to the Amesbury community."
Toomey said that an achievement she is particularly proud of is the Hall of Honor at the Educational Foundation. The foundation itself was founded in the early '80s, and Toomey helped out about a decade ago by leading an initiative to create the Hall of Honor. She is now a board member.
She said the organization gives from $25,000 to $35,000 per year to Amesbury schools. Money raised goes into a fund to which teachers apply. Grants can result in new initiatives.
In recent years, the fund helped acquire a seismograph for youngsters that has enabled them to follow changes in the earth — including the recent earthquakes in Japan. Funds also have been used to renovate the greenhouse at Cashman School and to buy playground equipment for Amesbury Elementary.
"We recognize good teachers and alums, and we make grant money available for new programs," said Toomey, who herself has two adult children. "The foundation has enabled residents to get involved and do their part to invigorate the schools."
(The Amesbury Educational Foundation's ninth Hall of Honor Ceremony and Banquet is Friday, May 6 at 6 p.m. at St. Joseph's Hall. Those to be honored are Deborah Smith, executive director of the Pettengill House in Salisbury; Jay Gould ('71), founder of the Flatbread Co.; and Luke Parkin ('97), a world-class piano player and recording artist.)
On a resume replete with examples of giving, perhaps Toomey's most remarkable gesture was donating a kidney to her son, Sean, in 2003.
"When it's your child, there are no decisions to be made," she said. "Anything that you're capable of doing, you will." Sean has since received a second kidney and is living in good health with his wife in Amesbury.
"I come from a big family where we all helped each other," Toomey said. "I often think that my worst day is so much better than most of the world's best day, so helping out has always seemed the right thing to do."
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