Patti Morin is the founder and president of Project Ellie, which evolved organically after her youngest daughter, Ellie, accidentally overdosed in 2011. She lives in Boston with her husband Scott. Her two other children, Matt and Katie, and her granddaughters, Willa and Sadie, are the brightest lights of her life.

Patti has spent her career as an educator, both as an adjunct professor at UMass Lowell and as a high school English teacher at Wolfson High School in Jacksonville, Florida, and at Pelham High School in Pelham, NH. At Pelham High School she was awarded “Teacher of the Year” in 2015. Patti knows she learned as many lessons in the classroom as she taught, and believes that one of the most important is that treating all people with respect and dignity is our greatest and most noble calling as human beings.

Since leaving the classroom and starting Project Ellie, Patti has also become very involved in volunteering at Pine Street Inn, Boston’s largest homeless services provider. Here she is a member of the InnCouncil, which is a group of volunteers who raise awareness of the needs and issues facing homeless men and women in Greater Boston, and participates in activities and events that have a positive impact homeless peoples’ lives. Patti can also frequently be seen on the streets of Boston with a backpack filled with gift cards and other items for folks experiencing homelessness who she meets. Patti is deeply thankful for her beloved Board members, who have helped Project Ellie evolve and grow.