East Boston Community Soup Kitchen
For many years, Sandra Nijjar made it a habit to help homeless folks wherever she encountered them, offering food, blankets, and other necessities. Her maternal grandparents in El Salvador had raised her to help others, and after moving to East Boston in 1999, she could see the extensive need in her own new neighborhood. There were often resources for families with children, she noticed, but middle-aged adults living on their own in the streets, with mental health and substance use disorders, had fewer places to turn. “So I started asking around among neighbors, to see if there was anything more we could do,” Sandra says. “But no one had time. No one could take responsibility, and neither could I.” Raising two children with her husband, along with a full-time state job, left only a few hours for Sandra to devote to the community. But in 2016, she and 300 others were laid off in a major downsizing. “One morning soon after, my husband and I were walking our dogs, and we came across a homeless friend,” she recounts. “We helped him with a little money, but as we were walking away, I told my husband, I want to do more than this. I’ve been wanting to create a space people can come and get more help. He replied, ‘Well, maybe now is the time to do it.’” In May 2016, Sandra reached out to Pastor Don Nanstad at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church and asked to use their space for a community meeting. Roughly two dozen neighbors came — some only to oppose the idea, saying the homeless were all addicts who wanted to stay on drugs. But others shared Sandra’s passion and began meeting every Saturday to plan. Just a few months later, in September, they launched the East Boston Community Soup Kitchen (EBCSK). By this time, Sandra knew she was headed back to work as seasonal staff, but didn’t know exactly when. In the meantime, she continued to work on creating a space to care for the local homeless. “We quickly found a perfect space with a commercial kitchen, and it was opening day,” recalls Sandra. “But right as we started serving people, the manager came out and began yelling at me, saying, ‘We can’t have these bums in here.’ ” “Pastora Britta from Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church was there and was shocked — frozen —by the manager turning on me and humiliating me this way in front of everyone. But then she said, ‘Let me ask Pastor Don and the consul at the church if we can help.’ Thankfully, we were up and running in the new location at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church a week later.” The day before the new opening, Sandra walked around Eastie distributing flyers in English and Spanish that invited folks to come for a hot meal. When she spotted a crowd of men sleeping near the Shaw’s grocery store, she rolled up a flyer and placed it in one man’s sneaker. The next day, seven men came into the soup kitchen together. As she brought food to their table, she asked how they’d heard about it, and one replied, “I found a flyer in my shoe when I woke up!” “We laughed when I told them it was me who placed it in the shoe,” Sandra says. “They all look out for each other. If only one or two can make it to the soup kitchen, they take food back to the others. Any money they have, they go to the store to buy food and share it with each other. They are the least selfish people I know. A couple of times, one of them has heard kitchen staff saying we need more creamer, and they’ll be there, offering whatever they have. Even if they only have $1, they’ll say, here, take this.” And the man who found the flyer in his shoe? “That was Dennis,” Sandra says. “He was a young guy who went to detox and relapsed a few times. His mother thought he would die or end up in jail. But now he’s married, fully recovered, and has a small landscaping business. He was my number-one volunteer for several years, first to arrive in the morning and last to leave.” “Like Dennis, some of the guests come to us completely broken, but they find hope in our place,” Sandra continues. “We encourage them to talk to the social workers and recovery coaches who are here on Tuesdays. With the help of these volunteers, partner organizations, and our donors, we turn lives around for the better, get them back into the workforce, walking on their own again, reunited with their families.” The kitchen serves more than 600 people a week, with support from an extensive network of community partners, including Channel Fish, Pine Street Inn, Elliott Human Services, NeighborHealth, Food for Free, Shaws Supermarket in Eastie, and local barbers. On Mondays, the team assembles and distributes bags of groceries, and on Tuesdays, they offer ready-to-eat hot meals. In addition, they distribute clothing, personal hygiene products, and pet food, and connect clients with vital services, including addiction recovery programs and help with housing. “Of course, it’s exhausting — mentally, emotionally, physically — to run an operation that requires so much and has so few resources,” Sandra says. “Plus always being on alert to manage difficult personalities and situations, especially now with ICE troopers cruising past the soup kitchen line. It’s heartbreaking to see people risking everything to get food. But I have a lot of faith in God. And thanks to The Lenny Zakim Fund, I now have a mentor. I meet with Monifa twice a month, and her guidance has been invaluable. And [Executive Director] Allison responds in a heartbeat when I need her, always ready with advice for me. Funders, donors, volunteers, and clients really touch my heart every single day.” Many of EBSCK’s volunteers are also clients who are food insecure. They come to work, then take
Pride Productions Inc.
A new species of hedgehog and a photo shoot featuring models with disabilities are just a couple of the topics covered on Youth Unity TV in the past few months. Watching host Sian introduce his five-minute “Science Drop” segment, it’s hard to believe this impressive young newscaster is only 11 years old, and he and his young colleagues are researching and covering important news in their community and beyond on a regular basis. These videos are just one part of the new 2025 programming at Worcester nonprofit Pride Productions, Inc., which gives young people hands-on experience in media and TV production —and soon radio and podcasting — teaching them technical skills for media industry careers. Ernest (Ernie) Floyd, a former College of the Holy Cross basketball star, created Pride Productions more than three decades ago, in 1994, with a mission to serve youth in and around the city of Worcester. In 2013, he introduced Unity Radio, serving the city of Worcester on 97.9FM and at WUTY.org. And in 2024, the 501(c)(3) organization relaunched with its online Youth Unity TV show for pre-teens and teens, covering education, entertainment, news, health and wellness, and much more. Students of all skill levels are welcome into the free after-school program, where they create and host their own shows and will soon learn how to incorporate audio editing, scriptwriting, and video production. “Worcester is not a media mecca by any means,” Ernie says. “It takes a whole community to make this happen, and we’ve been through some tough times in the past. But we’ve been building momentum since 2013, when I created Unity Radio and was awarded an FCC license in partnership with the former Becker College in Worcester. We utilize studio space donated from Amy Rose Productions and casting and talent management from HumanKind, and also receive sponsorship support from United Way of Central Massachusetts. Thanks to the dedication of our supporters, Unity Radio and Youth Unity are becoming a strong presence in Worcester.” Ernie himself has long been a presence in the city. In 1979, as a Boston English high graduate, he was offered more than 250 athletic scholarships and chose to play basketball at the College of the Holy Cross, where he was best known for a final-second buzzer-beater shot against the home team, Providence College, on network television. In 1984, he was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks in the fifth round then went on to play a year of professional ball in France. Returning home, he settled in Worcester and began working in ad sales for the local cable company. Despite the impressive network of friends and colleagues he had built in the city, however, Ernie faced a tremendous backlash in 1994 from certain Worcester residents over his initial efforts to create a community center for youth, with opponents changing zoning laws to block him and claiming he would bring a dangerous element to their neighborhood. In the face of so much wrath, he shifted his focus, but didn’t give up. “Having grown up in Roxbury during the 1970s, I know how important youth programs are to keeping kids out of trouble and keeping them alive,” Ernie says. “I wanted to fight for young people the way others had fought for me at that age. Thanks to my mother and many mentors who saw my potential, I was exposed to music, theater, art, and sports. Later, after college, I was invited to serve on the boards of nonprofits like You, Inc., the Boys and Girls Club of Worcester, and United Way of Central MA. Serving on the boards allowed me to learn about the operation of social services. I learned how to put youth first the way everyone put me first at that age. Now I see a lot of young Ernie Floyds out there who I can help.” After 31 years, Ernie has plenty of success stories to point to for the Worcester residents who originally tried to thwart his youth programs. Pride Productions alumni include Noeliz Irizarry, Principal of Burncoat Middle School in Worcester; Mike Connell, a Santander Bank Manager in Milford; and audio engineer Lisa Chamblee who worked with Prince, Tower of Power, and Bill Withers and is cofounder and COO of Reftone Speakers. Ernie beams when he talks about current participants as well, like 11-year-old Sian, who has an encyclopedic memory, or 11-year-old Angelo, who sang the national anthem at Celtics and Worcester Red Sox games. With his many connections and supporters in the city, including a partnership with Worcester’s Hanover Theater, Ernie helps the young reporters find opportunities to interview local and visiting VIPs. Some recent big names who have visited Unity Radio include the Tuskegee Airmen, the cast of Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of The Temptations, the star of Respect – Aretha Franklin Tribute, and the viral sensation tap dancers the Syncopated Ladies. Youth interviews are turned into video clips on YouTube or audio clips for Unity Radio programs. “Through Unity Radio and Youth Unity, we are amplifying the diverse voices of the City of Worcester and beyond, while giving ambitious teens the chance to build a portfolio that showcases their work,” Ernie says. “At the same time, they’re learning teamwork, creativity, self-expression, and communication skills that extend beyond the studio — that help them develop their own place and networks in our city. Our shows are true community spirit, brought to life through social media and the airwaves.” Current needs at Pride Productions include funding/donations and tech-savvy volunteers to help manage the Youth Unity TV channel, social media, and website. For more information or to get involved, please contact Ernie Floyd at efloyd@pridepro.org or use the contact form at WUTY.org.
The Upward Project
Everyone loves success stories about hardworking students who earn full-ride scholarships to elite universities. And often it seems like the stories end there, with an imagined “happily ever after” of acing tests, graduating college, and slotting into well-paying careers. But it’s rarely that easy. How do you navigate the four-plus years it takes to get to that career when you’re the first in your family to go to college? How do you compete for internships and jobs when you can’t afford transportation to the interview, much less an apartment anywhere near the job? Who do you turn to when your family and friends at home don’t even understand the path you’re on? “Stepping foot on that campus was never about culture shock,” says Mindy Wright, Co-founder and Executive Director of The Upward Project, recalling her first year at Colby College. “Even though I was surrounded by many students that didn’t look like me at a predominantly white institution, it was mostly socioeconomic shock for me, just seeing the resources that others had access to that I didn’t. I couldn’t call home when a computer broke or get a tutor when I was struggling in Latin class. I didn’t even know I could drop the class to protect my grade point average.” “Fast forward to when I graduated and became an educator,” she continues. “After working as both a classroom teacher and as director of a college persistence program at a charter school, I kept asking myself why our top kids — valedictorians attending Ivy Leagues and other top-tier universities — were consistently ending up in lower-level jobs not aligned with their impressive degrees, skills, and ambitions?” The initial answer, Mindy explains, is the lack of connections. Students in The Upward Project (TUP) don’t come from backgrounds with a network of people working in the sectors and fields that they’re interested in pursuing. Without that network, it’s harder to learn about opportunities and internships. And even when they learn about an opportunity, cost can be a barrier. When she launched The Upward Project eight years ago, Mindy decided that the program would provide five years of financial assistance in addition to academic and career coaching, career skills workshops, and help with internship placements. Beginning with a two-week summer intensive session before freshman year, students are given a brand new laptop as well as a $500 stipend for books and essentials, plus $350 to spend on professional attire for interviews, internships, and conferences. For the remainder of their five years with TUP, they have access to $10,000 in discretionary funds to use as needed — perhaps to buy a bike to get around campus, or to pay for summer coding bootcamp, or to go on a ski trip with friends for a social and cultural experience. “We’re replicating the opportunities that many of their affluent peers have access to,” Mindy explains. “The money is theirs, but they fill out a quick Google form to request it so that we can help them budget and choose wisely. Over the five years, some of them use all of it, some use half, some a third; it just depends.” The Upward Project is currently serving 57 Scholars, a relatively small number compared to some of the large, national college success programs. “We are really intentional about the relationships we’re building with students,” Mindy comments. “We prioritize getting better over getting bigger. It’s more important to us to go deep with them and foster trust, rather than serving hundreds or thousands of students. We’re often the first phone call a student makes when they’re facing a difficult situation or when they have good news they’re excited to share.” TUP alumna Phuong Nhat Nguyen, who graduated from University of Southern California in 2021, recalls how much she needed that guidance. “I knew nothing about being a professional in the U.S.,” she says, “I grew up with a mother who didn’t speak English and worked factory jobs. We came from a lower-class family of artists and street vendors in Vietnam. But I learned how to dress, speak, and interact professionally at The Upward Project summer events. And it was an Upward Project connection that helped me secure my first job as well. Now, as a young legal professional in the tech industry, I look back on the summer events as my first lessons, though I didn’t realize how crucial they were at the time.” Law is just one of TUP’s targeted fields for their Scholars. “We’re specifically working with students to enter some of the more rigorous pathways that have higher barriers for first-generation and low-income students, such as STEM, law, healthcare, and business,” Mindy states. “Part of our mission is to disrupt the wealth gap in Boston, so we do everything we can to create economic mobility and wealth equity for our students. The average salary of our graduates the first year out of college is $65,000, as opposed to the $45,000 average for first-generation graduates. We help them analyze job offers, health coverage, 401ks, and stock options. And we pay for them to have a year of financial advising so they understand that it’s not just about getting a big paycheck. One of our students is about to become a first time homeowner, just three years out of college, because they’ve been saving and investing wisely thanks to the advice they’ve received.” Nate Francois, a TUP Scholar who will graduate from Northeastern University this spring, credits The Upward Project with his start in finance. “TUP made me feel comfortable asking for help, and I am grateful for that, given my transition to college was extremely difficult,” he says. “Last summer, I had the privilege of participating in the Advancing Black Pathways Fellowship at J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., and I collaborated with accomplished bankers and investors and was able to demonstrate my growth in both technical prowess and effective communication.” After proudly witnessing the career trajectories of ambitious TUP students like Nate Francois and Phuong
365Dad
Marv Neal was stunned after being denied custody of his son by the Department of Children and Families in 2008. “DCF made assumptions about me, without any knowledge of who I am,” he recalls. “I was married and a homeowner with a house full of kids. I came from an upstanding home with two parents. But they told me I had to prove myself, and the only way to gain their trust was to go through their fatherhood program. It really angered me. But I’d do anything for my children. So I signed up.” Not only did Marv complete the 13-week course, he ultimately decided to make it his life’s work. “It taught me so much,” he says. “On day one, I was a convert. I saw there was a lot I could learn from the Nurturing Fathers curriculum—aspects of parenting I had no experience with. For example, I grew up during a time when we were told that ‘boys don’t cry,’ and I argued with the instructor about my belief that boys always have to be strong. Then I began to understand how that message teaches boys to be desensitized and to hide their emotions.” Through the course, Marv realized how vital it was for men to be expressive and to take their place in their children’s lives. “A lot of fathers think the mother’s got it all taken care of, and their role is just to be a provider and disciplinarian,” he comments. “But it’s so much more than that, and families have much better outcomes when fathers get involved in their kids’ lives.” The program also sparked two important friendships for Marv as he got to know fellow parent Xavier Cardona and DCF employee Patrick Kromah. Together the three men created 365Dad Inc., a nonprofit organization that offers the 13-week Nurturing Fathers program and more. 365Dad offers four sessions a year of the Nurturing Fathers course, and since 2016 has been an official partner of DCF, the same agency that had challenged Marv in the beginning. Each group consists of up to 25 men (fathers, grandfathers, or any kind of father figure) who come together for a weekly two-hour meeting that includes dinner. Roughly 100 fathers complete all 13 weeks each year, and after their graduation, biweekly meetings help keep their relationships and commitments strong. In 2016, Marv also began broadcasting the message more widely through a radio show on the new Urban Heat 98.1 radio station, where he was Director of Marketing. Nine years later, the Sunday afternoon show is still going strong, Marv now owns the station, and he, Xavier, and Patrick have developed a couple of new programs for 365Dad. Currently in process is the Young Announcers program, which will help young people realize their dreams of working in media. They also created the Boys2Mentoring program to teach boys the fundamentals of becoming men. “We help boys understand that being a man doesn’t necessarily mean being tough,” Marv explains. “It can mean a bunch of things, not just one particular thing. A lot of times men are discounted for what they bring to the table, aside from money and discipline. Nurturing is a part of manhood, too. We don’t hear enough as men about how important that role is.” Sometimes Marv takes his teaching outside of the classroom to help participants see the profound changes they can create in their everyday lives, as in a story he tells about one memorable dad. “This big guy, 6-foot-3 with a football player physique, told the group a story about how he was raised. Whenever he acted up, his dad would put a foot in his chest. So that was how he was now disciplining his own son. But his son was constantly getting in trouble.” Marv had met the son and seen for himself that the boy seemed troubled. “So I asked the dad to meet me at the park,” Marv says. “I brought my son, and he brought his. I tossed the dad a football, which he immediately passed to his son, saying, ‘You kids go on and play.’” “I told him no, we were going to all play together, fathers and sons. Then, after a few tosses, I told him I’d be right back, and my son and I left them throwing the ball between just the two of them.” “I had never seen his son smile until then. The dad was laughing. Later, as we were leaving, he said it was the first time he had ever taken his child to the park and played with him. I said, ‘Don’t let it be the last.’ At the group the next week, he came over and hugged me, saying, ‘I don’t know what it was, but my son didn’t get in trouble all week.’” “That’s just the beginning, I told him. You’ve got a daughter too!” “Before the group,” Marv says, “I had no idea how to play with my kids either. But afterwards, I would play house with my daughter, sitting at the table with little cups, sipping tea. I even let her paint my nails!” “Understanding that children have voices—that was all new to me,” he continues. “We were always told children should be seen and not heard. But once you allow your children the opportunity to speak, you learn so much. It’s truly an amazing journey being a father.” Current needs at 365Dad include funding/donations and volunteers who can offer guidance in setting up technical systems and infrastructure, including bookkeeping and tax reporting. If you’d like to get involved, please use the 365Dad contact form or call 617-238-7105.
Think Outside the Vox
The Tactile Tour table was a creative highlight of the December 2024 Commonwealth Shakespeare Company (CSC) performance of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Armed with costumes and props from the show, Ingrid O’Dell, Accessibility Coordinator from Think Outside the Vox (VOX), greeted guests with a chance to feel the damask fabric of a Victorian dress or the holly crown worn by the Ghost of Christmas Past. For Blind patrons in attendance, Ingrid described each of the textiles on the table, inviting guests to pick up and graze the pieces while she gave context about each item’s place in the storyline. Other members of the VOX team made sure theatergoers had show programs in braille or screen reader-friendly digital formats, as well as audio description (AD) headsets, and they greeted patrons in the lobby in ASL or sight-guided them to concessions or their seats. Through the headsets, professional audio describers provided live, play-by-play, physical details of actions and characters on the stage throughout the performance. Much as a language interpreter or sportscaster inserts commentary in the pauses, audio describers find gaps in the dialogue where they can add lines such as: “An elderly white man wearing a silk top hat and tailcoat enters from the left, ambling with a cane.” The VOX team also made sure patrons were comfortable, including reserved spaces for wheelchairs, collecting real-time suggestions, and helping coordinate rideshares pre- and post-show. ASL Vlogs and audio description wayfinding files were provided in advance and posted on social media by VOX and CSC. During the performance, an American Sign Language (ASL) team led by Sabrina Dennison, a Broadway-credited Director of Artistic Sign Language, (DASL) captured the storyline, characters, jokes, and singing visually in front of the stage. The ASL team even included a young Deaf-parented child signing for Tiny Tim. “Three patrons made a point of thanking us and letting us know how much they appreciated the ‘top-notch’ AD and Tactile Tour,” says Samantha (Sam) Gould Kriveshko, who cofounded VOX with Christopher (Chris) Robinson. “It’s all part of an anti-ableist perspective,” comments Chris. “It means we make the effort to stop approaching everything as ableists, just as an anti-racist works to remove racism from their thinking.” “We’re not just checking a box for compliance with disability laws anymore,” he continues. “It’s a paradigm shift. We’re covering the real experiences and impact of certain identities with disabilities through storytelling.” Sam and Chris have both been working in accessibility in the arts for 20+ years. In addition to her work with VOX, Sam is President of the all-volunteer nonprofit Open Door Theater, which she describes as “an integrated disability joy space where we train actors, captioners, audio describers, and ASL interpreters in a community theater setting—like a test kitchen for how we want to bring arts access to the rest of the community.” Since its founding in 1980, Open Door had a mission of inclusion of disabled cast members on stage but didn’t consider audience accommodations until 2006. Their music director that year was a SODA (sibling of a Deaf adult) who wanted to include ASL in the production. Sam consulted with Chris, a Broadway-credited expert ASL interpreter, and the two have collaborated ever since. “Chris and I had been doing the consulting work for free, under the Open Door umbrella, for the longest time because we couldn’t not let it be done and leave patrons without accommodations,” says Sam. “Then about three years ago, we decided we needed to do it properly. So we incorporated a nonprofit, Think Outside the Vox, specifically for consulting with other arts organizations and creating opportunities for disabled artists. We got our first grant from The Lenny Zakim Fund in 2023, and that opened the door to other grants and much-needed nonprofit management training. The benefits from LZF are beyond monetary, the access to nonprofit management resources and professionals and the connections made through LZF have been game changing.” “LZF really took a chance on us,” Chris adds. “Our mission is quite esoteric and hard to digest because of all of the things we’re doing. We were just a fledgling organization at that point, and having someone we could call for advice and questions was invaluable.” In 2022, VOX received an innovation grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council to add greater cultural competence and higher quality access by training Blind/Low-vision Audio Describers while also incorporating BIPOC, AAPI, LGBTQIA+, disabled and neurodivergent community members. Upon completion of training, members of the AD cohorts trained by VOX start work in the field immediately and are mentoring the next group of emerging AD professionals. VOX is currently replicating this project in the Artistic Sign Language Space with Deaf professionals and emerging BIPOC ASL interpreters, thanks to an urgent response grant from Haymarket People’s Fund. “In 2024, we won a Performing Arts Award from the American Council for the Blind, for our innovation in Audio Description,” says Sam. “This work is truly changing the face of Audio Description in the Commonwealth, and in the sector as well, figuratively and literally. And it’s creating jobs. Amber Pearcy, for example, is a Blind consultant who quadrupled her income once we began emphasizing the importance of involving Blind experts in AD work. David Heard, a Black, single father and actor, wasn’t able to take a full run of a play because he had a toddler at home, but now he can do the bulk of the AD work at home and only has to be at the theater for three appearances for similar payscale.” “We’ve made a lot of progress, but it’s still really challenging,” comments VOX Marketing & Communications Manager Olivia Reinebach. “Producers can be very protective about what show details they’re willing to share and don’t want to give information to interpreters ahead of time. We’re collaborating with directors to create pauses where descriptions can fit in and to get creative and embed access in the artistic landscape of a play. We’re also working hard to promote all these performances
PSNNC
Pleasant Street Neighborhood Network Center “I was born and raised in Worcester, in the Pleasant Street neighborhood,” says Adriana Ojeda-Joslyn. “This is where I started my career, where I’ve raised my three children and fought for the resources they needed, and where I’ve always been proud to give back by working in social services. Now, I’m the lead organizer and executive director of PSNNC — the Pleasant Street Neighborhood Network Center — and it feels like it’s all come full-circle.” PSNNC was founded by a group of Pleasant-Piedmont area residents in 1997, nearly 30 years ago, but a lot of changes were set in motion when Adriana took over in 2022. The building they rented had only ever been used for evening meetings, and there was no heat, no comfortable space for hanging out, and no computers. “We needed a place for connection — for young people and new neighbors who’ve just arrived,” Adriana explains. “We realized we had a brick and mortar space we could be using more effectively, a home outside of the home. Now, we are the community living room!” “People stop by to warm up, have a snack, play cards, charge their phone, or send a fax,” she continues. “The things we do are often small but impactful. Someone can sit here for two hours just to have a place to belong or some room to breathe, whether that’s an elderly person who’s been feeling cooped up or a young person who just needs time out on their own.” The changes at PSNNC have been continuous over the past two years, including a remodel that is currently underway and a stronger emphasis on youth development. Just this past spring, PSNNC took over the administration of Cultural Exchange through Soccer (CETS), a multicultural program that brings together diverse groups of Worcester kids ages 6 to 18, year-round, to share their passion for soccer and learn about teamwork and leadership. The beloved program had a two-decade history of bridge-building and youth empowerment, but it came with a challenge: hosting the annual Worcester World Cup. Coordinating the movements of roughly 2,200 players (adults and youth), fans, volunteers, vendors, and musicians for this three-day event takes nearly a full year of planning. Teams represent 16 countries and all walks of life, and though all the players are Worcester residents, at least half of each team must descend from that country. As they compete at Worcester’s 4,000-seat Foley Stadium, they’re also raising money for CETS, making lifelong connections, and giving their friends and neighbors an occasion to celebrate their former home countries and share the food and music of other cultures. “It’s a proud tradition and an awesome celebration of Worcester’s multiculturalism,” says Adriana. “And the beautiful thing about soccer is that it’s known and loved in almost every culture, so it overcomes the language barrier.” Basketball, music, and arts programs at PSNNC also help bridge cultural and linguistic divides. Adriana makes a point of planning inclusive events, such as a winter solstice celebration, volunteer clean-up days in local parks, and a group project creating a map of Indigenous tribes in Massachusetts. With more young people involved now, PSNNC has created a Youth Advisory Council, comprised of four members this year. Council members meet twice a month during the nine-month school year, with a goal of building capacity and creating a local advocacy “zine” that they self-publish three times per year. Adriana comments that the young members’ energy and tech skills have been instrumental in the organization’s outreach and growth. “We’ve created a hub,” she says. “Last year, more than 600 residents came to the Center for services. We have an annual block party now, too, where you’re likely to hear dozens of languages being spoken among the 200 or so attendees. And the remodel will make our space even more inviting, with better access for wheelchairs and walkers and quiet spaces for neurodivergent people. There will also be privacy pods for telehealth appointments or other private phone calls or meetings.” All the recent changes are resident-informed and led, instigated by brainstorms and concerns voiced at the monthly Pleasant Street Area Community Team (PACT) meeting. “At first, I didn’t know what I was getting into,” Adriana says. “I haven’t had much formal education, but I looked for opportunities and had supportive female mentors who helped me along the way, as well as professional development from the Lenny Zakim Fund more recently. Also, we just received funding for a board retreat that will help us with capacity building.” Adriana’s first job was in a small community center, and she recalls thinking of ideas for what she would do “if she ever had her own community center.” She wanted to teach people how to fish, as the saying goes, and she had a vision of a welcoming space where neighbors could get to know the people they see at shops and in the parks every day. “Now, looking back, it feels like Did I really do that?” she laughs. “People have known me in this city for over 20 years, and now they’re stopping and congratulating me on the street. It feels really good. The impact PSNNC has is not just positive, but collective.” PSNNC is growing quickly and seeking new community partners, funders, donors, and volunteers, particularly those who can help with managing growth, board development, and tech support. If you’d like to get involved, please use the PSNNC contact page or write to psnnc@psnnc.org.
Mount Olives Community Center
Dr. Joel Piton thought the teller at Eastern Bank looked familiar as he stood in line to deposit some much-needed funds for Mount Olives Community Center (MOCC) last month. But Piton admits he can’t remember every face, given the hundreds of new people he meets each year as executive director of MOCC. Fortunately, the teller recognized him immediately. “I took your financial literacy course last year,” he proudly announced to Piton. “I put the training on my résumé, and it helped me get this job.” The Financial Literacy for Newcomers course, and the English language course the teller also took, are just two of the many programs MOCC offers as part of their mission to meet the basic integration needs of Haitian immigrants and refugees in Boston and surrounding communities. They also offer computer literacy training, home-buying assistance, mental health counseling, and after-school programs, in addition to providing food and clothing. Piton founded MOCC in mid-2019 as an arm of the Mount of Olives Evangelical Baptist Church, where he served as pastor (while also serving the public as a health care professional). He had begun forming response teams with congregation and community members to assist refugee arrivals, assembling food and basic necessities, obtaining vans, and even going to Maine in the summers to help Haitians doing seasonal work there. “You provide some fresh food, and the next thing you know you have 100 people at the door,” Piton says, discussing how the organization has grown to meet the constant need. “But word of mouth works both ways,” he adds. “Just as it brings refugees to us, it also brings volunteers who want to help and be a voice for MOCC.” It brings new partnerships too, such as the mental health sessions MOCC runs with Boston Missionary Baptist Community Center and the Migrant Assistance Community Project with Health Care for All. The collaborations help MOCC extend their reach, as the mounting needs for Haitian newcomers are greater than ever right now, with an increase in the federal immigration limit from Haiti last year. Thousands of Haitians are currently living at 48 hotels and shelters throughout the state, and others have had no choice but to sleep at Logan Airport. MOCC is partnering with some of the hotels as well as local churches and councils to provide essentials, along with a dose of hope and cheer, as at last year’s Christmas party when MOCC was able to surprise each child with a hand-selected gift. Now entering their fourth year as an LZF grantee partner, MOCC’s goal for 2024 is to create a more consistent approach to caring for new arrivals, including cash assistance, as well as more summer programming for kids. Piton recalls that it took two failed tries and a meeting with LZF staff to learn how to write the grant proposal that finally secured funding for them in 2021. He credits volunteer Gina Benjamin, who learned nonprofit development skills like grant writing and strategic planning in part through LZF’s capacity-building seminars. Ms. Benjamin helped MOCC attract more funding partners after that initial grant. But the daily inspiration, Piton says, is each new member of the Haitian community he meets, and their unfailing resilience: “We may be down for a season, but we rise up and continue forward.” Current needs at MOCC include clothing and shoes for the upcoming season, and as always, monetary donations and volunteers. If you want to get involved, please contact Dr. Joel Piton at mocc@moliveschurch.org or use the contact form on the MOCC website.
Heart of a Giant Foundation
DCM, CHF, VTAC, AFib . . . if these acronyms are unfamiliar to you, consider yourself lucky. For many Americans, terms like dilated cardiomyopathy, congestive heart failure, ventricular tachycardia, and atrial fibrillation are an everyday part of managing heart disease, the number-one cause of death for both men and women of most racial and ethnic groups in the U.S. Many people don’t even know how closely at risk of a cardiac episode or stroke they may be. At heart health screenings conducted by LZF grantee partner The Heart of a Giant Foundation (HGF), it’s not unusual for irregular heartbeats to be detected. During one recent event, the nurse practitioner informed an unsuspecting participant that he was in AFib and needed to go to the hospital right away. In 2012, a similar warning changed the life of Bouba Diemé, the founder and CEO (Chief Encouragement Officer) of Heart of a Giant, when, as an otherwise healthy 26-year-old, he had to go on heart medication after having chest pains and difficulty breathing. Four years later, while a fellow in the Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders at UC Davis, he was diagnosed with a rare congenital heart defect (left ventricular non-compaction cardiomyopathy) and told that this time, medicine wouldn’t be enough; he would need a new heart. And at 6’7” tall, Bouba knew he might be waiting a while for a heart that could fit his frame. With family and friends back home in Mali and Senegal, Bouba decided to start a blog as a more practical way to keep everyone informed of his health and family life in the U.S. with his wife and three sons. Six years passed, and a LVAD (left ventricular assist device ) was implanted in his heart to help his cardiac function. Then, one Friday afternoon in October 2022, Bouba got the call to go to the hospital for his new heart. He was transplanted the next day. During his journey to the transplant, Bouba was re-examining his life goals. Originally an engineer and founder of an energy services company, he was now considering medical school to dedicate his life to helping other heart patients. Instead, he turned his blog, which he called “Heart of a Giant,” into a grassroots organization to educate the community about heart health, and with his wife, Desirée, began researching how to create a nonprofit. Now, Bouba is being coached in nonprofit management with a group of peers in The Lenny Zakim Fund’s Transformational Leadership Cohort (TLC) Program. “This program has been the most impactful thing for me, connecting with other nonprofit leaders and getting training in all aspects, from financial and fundraising to board development,” he says. “Through the coaching, they don’t just tell you what to do; they make sure you can do it.” Like many of the other 11 grassroots leaders in his cohort, Bouba has a full-time job and a family to support, in addition to running his nonprofit. What sets him apart, though, is the perspective he’s gained from being one of fewer than 55,000 heart transplant recipients in the world. “My six-year journey to getting a heart transplant taught me how to ask for help and connected me to so many people, which made me realize how much I could do as a nonprofit leader,” Bouba says. “I’ve learned just to keep knocking on doors until I get what I need.” “Grants are a numbers game,” he continues, “so I’ve sent out a lot of proposals, but I also follow up on rejections and try to get advice. And that’s led to some pretty wonderful things, like when the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of MA called me back after I’d been declined and told me they had an extra $23,000 that they could give us!” In just the past year, Bouba and his team of volunteers and contract medical assistants have conducted heart health screenings for more than 400 people. They continue to coach many of them in monitoring and improving their health and self-advocating with doctors and nurses. Goals for the near future include moving into telehealth, improving data collection, and documenting Heart of a Giant’s “playbook” to help other organizations replicate parts of their model. “Once your goals are clear, you start seeing opportunities very soon,” Bouba says. “That’s one of the key things I’ve learned through my work with the LZF Cohort. Also, that connections are pivotal. Staying connected to others is what makes things happen.” Current needs at HGF include funding/donations and volunteers to assist with screenings, primarily volunteers with medical expertise. If you want to get involved, please contact Bouba Diemé at bouba@heartofagiant.org or use the contact form on the HGF website.
Teen JUST-US
“Teenagers are a lot more capable than we give them credit for much of the time,” says Fallon Rubin, Director of Teen and Youth Programs at Temple Israel of Boston. “We just have to give them opportunities to prove what they can do.” For the past four summers, dozens of high school juniors and seniors in the Teen JUST-US summer internship program at Temple Israel have proven themselves time and again, giving back to the community in significant ways, then carrying that inspiration on to college and careers. As an example, Rubin shared a note from Greta Huang of the original 2020 Teen JUST-US cohort, who wrote: I often reflect on my internship with Mass Rivers and still reference that water bylaws report in my résumé! I am now a sophomore at the University of Vermont, double-majoring in social work and gender studies. I’m not sure what I will do with my degree, but I know I want to help people. I am so grateful to have belonged to a community of like-minded individuals that constantly supported my growth as a young Jewish adult, trying to make a difference in this complicated world. Huang’s words reflect the original intent of Teen JUST-US founder Amy Tananbaum, who sought to bridge the gap for Jewish teens looking for a way to engage with the community. Through Temple Israel, Tananbaum launched a five-day, six-week summer model that would teach social justice and job responsibility with paid internship projects on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, and cohort activities on Wednesdays and Fridays. Most important, Tananbaum set criteria to ensure that these internships would be a meaningful experience that would have an impact — not just busywork. The assignments must focus on a specific project, be less than 15 percent administrative work, and have an on-site supervisor. The teens are expected to use public transportation, and assignments are made to ensure that commutes are under an hour. On the days together as a cohort, students participate in team-building, social service, and leadership activities and celebrate Kabbalat Shabbat each Friday afternoon. This summer, another alum, Mira Gurock from the Summer 2021 cohort, is returning to Teen JUST-US to serve as the 2024 Program Coordinator. “Mira’s college résumé really impressed us,” Rubin says. “In addition to pursuing a double major in business and creative writing at Emory University, she manages a team of 32 undergraduates and a budget of $250,000 on the university’s Club Sports Council. Of course, we love that she credits her Teen JUST-US internship at Bikes Not Bombs with helping her develop some of the nonprofit skills and professionalism that she’s put to use at Emory.” Coincidentally, Emory graduate Naomi Zipursky, who is currently in rabbinical school, will be joining Gurock as Summer Director this year. Together, they will support the 18 members of this year’s cohort in their internships at 10 nonprofits. Just a few examples of this summer’s assignments include: The team is also excited about the speakers and group projects they have lined up, including building beds for A Bed for Every Child in Lynn and being introduced to the sport of rowing — and inequities in the sport — at Community Rowing in Boston. “They’ll be learning important Jewish values while being challenged with real-world job experience,” says Rubin. “I think a student from a past cohort said it best when she referred to her time with Teen JUST-US as ‘a perfect transition between adolescence and adulthood, learning to be an independent and positive influence on the community.’ ” Current needs at Teen JUST-US include funding/donations and partner organizations that can sponsor or help arrange a service project, field trip, or guest speaker, or meet the criteria to employ a teen intern for the summer. If you would like to get involved, please contact Fallon Rubin at frubin@tisrael.org. Sadly, Teen JUST-US founder Amy Tananbaum passed away in September 2024, shortly after we published this article. Amy’s legacy continues to inspire all of us who work for social justice in greater Boston and the many individuals she mentored.
Cape Ann Art Haven
David Brooks was only 19 when he and his sister, Sarah, decided to start teaching after-school art classes in response to Gloucester public school budget cuts. Recruiting artistic friends to help teach, they founded Cape Ann Art Haven, a community art program that grew for nearly a decade, from 2008 to 2017, until the group began to move into careers. That’s when David suggested that volunteer Traci Thayne Corbett apply for the newly created full-time executive director job. With a background in corporate product development for global brands such as Reebok and Stride Rite, Traci wasn’t an obvious fit. She was, however, a fine artist who had taught painting at Art Haven for five years, and she understood several essential things for leading the organization: the power of art; the strength of collaboration; and the rigor of running a successful business. It was time for Art Haven to become a professional nonprofit, and Traci possessed not only the business skills, but also the boundless energy that would be needed. “I have a touch of oldest-child syndrome,” she admits. “In the beginning, when I took my daughter to Art Haven classes, I was so excited, I kept elbowing her out for paint and supplies. Later, when I became a volunteer, I couldn’t stop seeing all the potential and saying, We could do this and this and this!” Art Haven has increased its revenue and impact continuously since Traci took over as full-time director, with only one “off” year: 2020. “When Covid hit, kids had all their fun cancelled, just like that,” she recalls. “So we started making art kits out of the supplies we had — just a little bag with instructions and something they could keep, like craft scissors or a kneaded eraser — and we handed them out to families at our front door.” She soon realized the best solution would be to deliver the kits directly to families, and from her corporate background, Traci knew that collaboration could be the way to make it happen. She called her friend, the executive director of the Cape Ann YMCA, and then the Gloucester Housing Authority and Pathways for Children. With these new partners on board, Art Haven was able to reach hundreds of families. “We managed to stay relevant during the pandemic and do something new, to deliver on our mission, and expand to less advantaged families,” Traci continues. “Now, a full 50 percent of our programming is delivered through our mobile program, out in the community, free to low- income families. Our partners have seen the benefits of incorporating our creativity into their programs, too. We all gained huge momentum and offer more extensive services now by working with each other.” As their community relationships have expanded, Art Haven has added more specialty programs to their roster of classes, such as an English-language-learner summer program and a transition program for mentally challenged young adults, who specifically requested art as the “fun” part of their life skills training. Founder David Brooks and his friends have stayed involved with Art Haven, too, partnering to build the community’s most beloved art project: the annual Lobster Trap Tree in the downtown Gloucester seaport. Stacking 350 donated traps, volunteers construct the giant tree in early December and decorate it with lights and oversized “ornaments.” The ornaments? Lobster buoys, of course — hundreds of them, each decorated by hand. Over several weeks in November and December, Art Haven goes out to public schools and holds weekend family sessions, bringing all ages together to paint unique designs on every buoy that adorns the tree. For Gloucester’s 400th anniversary last year, nearly 1,000 buoys covered the extra-large tree made of 400 traps. “It’s the only event I can think of where every town resident and every child, from all walks of life, can make a piece of art, for free, then gather to see this group project they created,” says Traci. “And since we have students as young as preschool involved, it engages families with the community early on. We see kids proudly pointing out the buoys they painted to their parents and grandparents. You may think they couldn’t find their own buoy on this massive tree, but they always do! “Although it’s only a small fraction of Art Haven’s programming, the Lobster Trap Tree & Buoy Painting Project is a really powerful, unifying, and creative community tradition, and it gives all these local families a reason to get out into town. “We have to remember that not everyone has art in their houses or their lives. Cape Ann Art Haven gives them the opportunity to make art, not just see it.” Current needs at Art Haven include funding/donations and volunteers with strong backs to assist with the assembly of the hundreds of painted buoys. Art Haven also invites everyone to participate in the range of community events they offer, from Pumpkin Carving to Plein Air Painting and Black Light Art nights. If you’d like to get involved, please contact Traci Thayne Corbett at traci@arthaven.org or use the contact form on the Art Haven website.
