News
Attorney General Martha Coakley Hosts Job Shadow Day for Dorchester Students
02/27/2008
On Thursday, February 21, 2008, the office of Attorney General Martha Coakley served as host to Catholic Charities Greater Boston's Teen Center at St. Peter's Job Shadow Day. The daylong event was held at the Attorney General's Office in Boston.
"I commend these students on their hard work and participation in the programs offered by the Teen Center," said Attorney General Coakley. "I am very pleased to see that they are taking the initiative not only to do well in school, but to better prepare for the future. These students have the unique opportunity to focus on this experience, find their passion and use it to make a difference in society."
The Job Shadow Day was developed as part of the Teen Center at St. Peter's program to provide students with the opportunity to experience a professional work environment and to talk with adults about their work experience, education, and career goals. Students were invited to shadow staff members from various sectors of the Attorney General's Office including investigators, paralegals and Assistant Attorneys General from the Criminal, Public Protection and Advocacy, and Business and Labor Bureaus; consumer information mediators; Assistant Attorneys General with the Environmental Crimes Strike Force, Trial, Municipal Law, Business Technology and Economic Development divisions; staff from the Press Office, IT, multi-media, the library, and budget departments. The day ended with a discussion between the students and three state police troopers assigned to the Attorney General's Office. Attorney General Coakley addressed the students following the afternoon session and spoke about her career path and decision to work in public service and the rewarding aspects of her work as Attorney General.
A program of Catholic Charities Greater Boston, the Teen Center at St. Peter's serves teens ages 13 - 19 from the Bowdoin/Geneva neighborhood of Dorchester. The vast majority of the program participants are Cape Verdean, many of whom speak English as a second language and attend Boston Public Schools. The center provides these adolescents with access to various support services, a safe place for recreation and afterschool activities, and opportunities for work. The program allows students to participate in activities designed to provide the skills necessary for academic success, while also increasing self-esteem and enhancing the perception of teens as a positive force in the community. There are approximately 200 members of the Teen Center, with as many as 80 participating in educational or recreational activities daily.
Catholic Charities Greater Boston and the Attorney General's Office are partners in the Dorchester Safe Neighborhood Initiative (SNI) Program. The SNI is an effective coalition among community residents, state and local government offices, law enforcement agencies, and human service organizations to solve a variety of community problems. Established in February 1993 by the Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General, the Suffolk District Attorney's Office, the Mayor's Office of the City of Boston and the Boston Police Department, the SNI model works to stem violence and improve the quality of life in neighborhoods throughout the Commonwealth. The SNI model has been successfully adapted in several Massachusetts communities.
Catholic Charities Greater Boston Teen Center at St. Peter's Job Shadow Day was held from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Attorney General's Office at One Ashburton Place, Boston, MA. Eighteen Dorchester area students took part in the job shadow sessions.
Holiday Activities Around the Agency
12/12/2007
With help from the community, Catholic Charities will be able to provide food, toys, and other gifts to nearly 3,000 families this Christmas. Recently held toy parties and parish donations are just a few ways we are able to provide these gifts:
Shopping Experience in Brockton - Catholic Charities South created a "shopping mall" to help more than 500 families in need from Brockton and surrounding communities this Christmas. Staff and volunteers helped parents shop for gifts and toys for their children. To read an article about the shopping experience, visit the Brockton Enterprise.
Toy Party in Marblehead - Joy Fisher has been holding toy parties in her Marblehead home for 26 years, and each year the number of invitations she sends increases. The first year she held the party she sent out 18 invitations. This year she sent more than 120. Approximately 50 guests came to her home on December 7, to drop off toys and enjoy tea and coffee with friends. Visit the Marblehead Reporter's website to read more about the toy party.
Toy Donation from Lynnfield Parish - Our Lady of Assumption Parish in Lynnfield donated close to 40 bags of toys to Catholic Charities North, enough to provide gifts to 100 children. More than $1,100 in gift cards to grocery and department stores also were donated.
Toy Donation from Chelmsford Parish - Through the St. Mary's Spirit of Christmas, the parishioners from St. Mary's Parish in Chelmsford donated toys, clothing, and gift cards for approximately 600 people through Merrimack Valley Catholic Charities.
Catholic Charities Greater Boston Christmas Dinner
12/11/2007
Catholic Charities Greater Boston, a community service site of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Boston, held its annual Christmas Dinner at the Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston on December 7. More than 200 were in attendance and approximately $175,000 was raised for the programs and services for Catholic Charities Greater Boston.
Pictured (L to R): Richard Armstrong, Jr., dinner chairman; Vivian Soper, director of Catholic Charities Greater Boston; Tiziana Dearing, president of Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of Boston; and Michael Gilleran, chair of the Catholic Charities Greater Boston Advisory Board.
Friends Feeding Families' Event Raises $44,000
12/03/2007
Approximately 80 people gathered at Smith & Wollensky restaurant on November 14, for the 'Friends Feeding Families' event. More than $44,000 was raised, which was used to purchase Thanksgiving meals for families in need across the agency.
Pictured (L to R): Tiziana Dearing, president of Catholic Charities; Janet O'Connor of Roche Brothers supermarket, a primary sponsor of the event; and Jeff Kaneb, chairman of the Catholic Charities Board of Trustees.
Click here to view photos from the event.
Setback Tree Project Plants 100th Tree at Nazareth Child Care Center
11/16/2007
The Nazareth Child Care Center in Jamaica Plain recently received new trees on their playground as part of the "Setback Tree Project," a partnership between Earthworks and JP Trees. The planting, which took place on November 7, was especially exciting because it was the 100th tree planted by the project. Children from the child care center helped dig holes and learned how to take care of their new trees.
Hundreds Shopped 'Till They Dropped in Canton
11/01/2007
Catholic Charities South hosted its annual fashion show on October 21 at Blue Hill Country Club. More than 275 people attended the event, including special guest Anqunette Jamison from Fox 25 News. Sassy of Westwood and Potpourri of Wellesley featured their fashions on the runway. Approximately $10,000 was raised for the programs and services of Catholic Charities South.
Dunkin' Donuts Presents Red Sox Tickets to Teens
10/17/2007
Teen counselors-in-training and staff from the Teen Center at St. Peter's in Dorchester were recently recognized for their dedication to keeping the center open 12 hours a day, 7 days a week during July and August, more hours than any other summer program in the city. Representatives from Dunkin' Donuts surprised the 20 teens and staff members with tickets to the ALDS game between the Red Sox and the Angels on Friday, October 5. The group sat in the Dunkin' Dugout in center field.
Mt. Washington Bank Presents Scholarship Awards
09/06/2007
Ed Merritt, president of Mt. Washington Bank, and Marc Lerebours, assistant branch manager at Mt. Washington Bank's new branch in Dorchester, recently presented scholarships for professional development to four staff members from Catholic Charities Haitian Multi-Service Center at the Yawkey Center in Dorchester. In addition to these scholarships, Mt. Washington Bank sponsored the Haitian Multi-Service Center's annual health fair in June.
Standing (L to R): Saul Augustin, teacher at the Haitian Center and scholarship recipient; Riche Zamor, director of the Haitian Center; Alveta Haynes, director of the health services department at the Haitian Center; Ed Merritt; Marie Paula Albert, case manager at the Haitian Center and scholarship recipient; Marc Lerebours; and Heidi Herrick, communication and data coordinator at the Haitian Center.
Sitting (L to R): Leonard Adonis, teacher at the Haitian Center; Audanette David, outreach worker at the Haitian Center and scholarship recipient; Jean Louis Daniel, teacher at the Haitian Center; Christine Doret, teacher at the Haitian Center and scholarship recipient; and Sara Jorgensen, director of the adult education at the Haitian Center.
Backpacks for Kids Foundation Donates Backpacks
09/05/2007
The Backpacks for Kids Foundation recently donated more than 160 backpacks to Catholic Charities Greater Boston. The organization, run mainly by high school students from Natick and Dover, is a nonprofit organization that donates new backpacks full of new school supplies to children in need. Through donations, the students go out and purchase the backpacks and supplies (pens, pencils, calculators, folders, notebooks, etc.), fill the backpacks, and label them by grade. Many of the backpacks are given to children enrolled in Catholic Charities programs such as Sunset Point Camp and child care programs.
Young Parent Program Designs a Quilt
08/23/2007
During the 2006-2007 school year, the students and staff from the Merrimack Valley Catholic Charities Young Parent Program completed a 20 block quilt. The quilt was based on a character from The First Part Last by Angela Johnson, a book the students read during class as part of an ongoing book club with the Pollard Memorial Library in Lowell. The book club began two years ago when the Young Parent Program was seeking to increase students' literacy. Students now meet every three weeks with the Youth Librarian. After reading the book, students and staff each worked on blocks for the quilt, sewing each one by hand. The quilt is now on display at the Pollard Memorial Library in Lowell.
Support Catholic Charities Through the Rodman Ride for Kids
On Saturday, September 29, a Catholic Charities team of riders rode in a bicycle tour to support the Rodman Ride for Kids, which raises money for non-profit agencies that promote healthy, positive lives for children throughout Massachusetts. Held each fall since 1991, the Rodman Ride for Kids has raised over $25 million for at-risk children. This year, our team pledged to raise $50,000 to benefit the many programs and services for children offered by Catholic Charities throughout our service area.
You may support Catholic Charities through the Ride. Please make a check payable to the Rodman Ride for Kids, and mail it to Catholic Charities, 75 Kneeland Street, 8th Floor, Boston, MA 02111. Donations also may be made online by visiting the Rodman Ride for Kids website.
Since all costs associated with the Ride are underwritten, 100% of your donation goes directly to help at-risk children. Your contribution, in any amount, does make a difference. For more information about the Rodman Ride for Kids, contact Jill Ettori at 617-451-7958.
Click here to view pictures from the Ride.
Ohio Youth Group's Service Project Stops at Labouré Center and St. Ambrose
06/27/2007
St. Peter's Youth Group from Columbus, Ohio, traveled to the St. Ambrose Family Shelter in Dorchester and the Labouré Center in South Boston to take part in service projects on June 23. The group, which is made up of 18 youth, takes 2 weeks off during the summer to travel to a chosen part of the country to do service projects. This year they did 12 service projects in 6 different cities throughout Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Maine. The group did yard work at St. Ambrose, and they painted two rooms at the Labouré Center.
Catholic Charities Spring Events a Huge Success
Labouré Center Annual Spring Reception & Auction
More than 400 guests gathered at Anthony's Pier 4 on April 26 for the Labouré Center's 25th Annual Spring Reception. Joseph F. Fallon, a major developer and long time supporter of the Labouré Center, was honored with the Labouré Service Award. The reception celebrated the Labouré Center's 100 years of service to the South Boston community and raised more than $215,000 for the programs and services of the Labouré Center.
Catholic Charities North Annual Spring Gala
On May 3, 375 people attended Catholic Charities North Annual Spring Gala at the Hawthorne Hotel in Salem. With this year's theme, "Color Our World", each room in the hotel was decorated in one color and focused on one specific program of Catholic Charities North. The event raised more than $110,000 for the programs and services of Catholic Charities North.
Spring Celebration
More than 350 people joined Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley; Father J. Bryan Hehir; emcee Jack Connors; and honoree Father J. Donald Monan, S.J., chancellor of Boston College, on May 10 at Catholic Charities Spring Celebration at the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum in Boston. The event raised approximately $1.3 million for the programs and services of Catholic Charities, the most ever raised at this annual event. Fr. Monan was presented with the first "Justice and Compassion Award" for his multiple contributions to civic life in the Boston community.
Teen Center Receives Grant from Boston Bruins Foundation
12/21/2006
At the Boston Bruins game on December 21, representatives from Catholic Charities Teen Center at St. Peter's, were presented a $25,000 check from the Boston Bruins Foundation. The money will be put towards the many services that the Teen Center provides. Pictured are (L to R): Daniel Tavares, Teen Center youth worker and volunteer coordinator; Jessica Timas, Teen Center youth council member; Paul Stewart, director of development for the Boston Bruins Foundation; and Paulo De Barros, Teen Center program director.