NAHANT — Nancy Whitman ate lunch with 150 elementary-school-aged girls at her Nahant Road home overlooking the ocean on Friday.
When Whitman, a retired Massachusetts Institute of Technology librarian, moved to Nahant, she began volunteering and reading books to the children at Girls Inc. of Lynn. She felt they needed to take more outings to get out of the city and began inviting the girls to her ocean-front home for a day of lunch and swimming.
It started 15 years ago with 40 girls and has since grown to be an event that about 150 girls look forward to each summer.
“I was a volunteer at Girls Inc. at the time and I thought ‘it’s summer, it would be nice for the kids to get out to the beach,” Whitman said. “The first time with 40 girls — we thought that was a lot. Then one year a second bus showed up and we all trembled. This year, we have three buses. But they’re all such darling children. They’re wonderful.”
With the help of the Nahant Woman’s Club, donations from Old Neighborhood Foods and a few local businesses, chef Gail Wilkerson served 900 hotdogs Friday afternoon.
“The first year I did it myself with one other person,” said Whitman. “We cooked hamburgers. But today — that would be too many burgers.”
Whitman’s hospitality doesn’t go unnoticed.
“She’s a really nice person,” said Yenelis Reyes, 7, who first visited Whitman’s home in 2015.
While most of the girls were excited about the food and the swimming, others were taking it all in.
“The view is perfection,” said Donna Song, as she waited in line for a second hotdog.
Whitman’s daughter, Nancy Maddocks, said she wasn’t surprised when she learned her mother was inviting children into her home by the dozen.
“My mom is always looking for good causes and trying to shake up the town to get on board,” Maddocks said. “She has been trying to get more people in town involved and now they are. She loves it.”
“Girls Inc. of Lynn is grateful to Nancy and now the Nahant Woman’s Club for hosting the girls,” said executive director Deb Ansourlian. “They love this annual tradition. Nancy’s home provides a beautiful backdrop for these girls.”
