To read the full article: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/03/31/business/christine-morin-cradles-crayons/
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Christine Morin, the new chief executive of Cradles to Crayons. Credit: Chris Morris
MARCH 31, 2025 – Christine Morin has traded in her trail maps and hiking boots for kids’ clothes and school backpacks.
The former chief operating officer at the Trustees of Reservations left the land conservation group several weeks ago to lead Newton-based nonprofit Cradles to Crayons (C2C). As its chief executive, Morin will try to grow deeper roots in the five US metro areas where it operates while expanding its mission of providing high-quality clothes and other supplies to children in new cities.
C2C estimates 20 million US kids deal with clothing insecurity. Addressing that is a daunting task. Morin says she’s ready for the challenge.
Morin takes over for founder Lynn Margherio, who stepped down after more than two decades. Over time, Margherio expanded C2C into the Philadelphia and Chicago metro areas, by opening warehouses, and then in New York City and San Francisco, by launching an online platform that allows people to donate clothes directly to local social service providers. Now, Morin will chart a course for more growth at the donor-funded organization, which employs 107 people and has a $20 million annual budget.
Before joining the Trustees, Morin worked for 15 years at City Year, the Boston-based educational nonprofit.
“I’ve always held a deep commitment for supporting the success of young people and doing anything we can to remove barriers so they can thrive,” Morin said. That means “making sure every kid is proud of who they are and dreaming big of what they want to become.”
While considering the C2C opportunity, Morin volunteered at its “Giving Factory” in Newton. Spending that time with strangers packing donated clothes left an impression.
“There was a sense of joy and connection and empathy,” Morin said. “I walked out feeling, ‘This is it.’ This is putting all of the pieces together in terms of my passion.”
Board chair Dean Athanasia said Morin stood out because of her experience running and expanding nonprofit operations.
“We have such a strong foundation with Cradles to Crayons. We thought she could take it to the next level,” said Athanasia, president of regional banking for Bank of America. “She’s got the personality, the relationship skills, [and] she’s got some great experience that married well with everything we need to accomplish.”
