Charitable Contributions for 2018
$9,497 to the Arc of the South Shore, a Weymouth-based agency that provides services for children and adults with cognitive, physical and other intellectual and developmental disabilities. Our grant was directed to their Autism Resource Center, which was developed in 2014 to address a gap in support services for families. It was used to purchase vocational training kits and materials to teach basic skills required for employment and to help attendees explore and find employment opportunities.
$3,645 to Boston CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), an organization that recruits, trains and supports the volunteer advocates appointed by Suffolk County juvenile court judges to be the eyes and ears of the court in complicated foster care cases. The advocates gather information, regularly visit children, communicate directly with all parties, and ultimately help the judge make a better-informed decision as to the child’s future. CASA has added staff, and MCMA’s grant was used to purchase computer tablets and work station accessories to help equip them for their work.
$4,282 to the Boston Higashi School, a Randolph non-profit serving children and young adults with autism deficit disorder. In its commitment to help students reach their full potential, the school uses a broad and balanced curriculum. It includes a vocational element that begins at the Junior High level with an emphasis on soft skills such as following directions and developing a sense of responsibility, and continues into High School with practical employment training. Our grant was used to purchase an Interactive Whiteboard that the school will use in their Emergence Program. In that program students are able to secure employment education in the community for up to 20-30 hours per week, better enabling them to pursue employment opportunities after graduation.
$16,916 to the Bridge Center in Bridgewater. Founded in 1963, this organization each year serves more than 1,000 children with special needs from over 100 communities, and it serves children regardless of the nature or severity of their disability. The Bridge Center uses a variety of therapeutic recreational programs to accomplish its goals, and with our grant this year it enhanced and expanded these therapeutic programs with the purchase of adaptive tricycles with accessories, and the creation of an outdoor classroom with weather, discovery and art stations.
$1,994 to the Cardinal Cushing Centers, which since 1947 have provided innovative approaches to education for thousands of children with intellectual disabilities, regardless of race, religion or national origin. One of CCC’s most successful training programs is their culinary arts program, which is based in their Hanover facility and operates at both their main kitchen where meals are prepared and served to staff and students, and at their Bass Cafe which is open to the public. These programs have proved to be very successful, both in terms of student interest and in the rate of success in securing competitive employment for the students. This year’s MCMA grant was used to upgrade Bass Cafe equipment.
$15,013 to the Carroll Center for the Blind in Newton. For over 75 years this organization has worked effectively with those with vision loss, helping them to learn the skills needed to be independent in their homes, classrooms and workplaces. And since 1984, when Carroll Center opened one of the first computer training facilities in the country for the blind and visually impaired, computer skills training has been a key focus. But there is an ongoing need to upgrade computer equipment, so this year’s MCMA grant was used by the Carroll Center to replace outdated desktops, monitors and iPads.
$10,000 to Challenge Unlimited, which uses therapeutic horseback riding at its Ironstone Farm in Andover to benefit children with a wide range of physical, emotional and cognitive disabilities. A previous MCMA grant allowed Challenge to purchase an aquaponic greenhouse to expand a program that engages people with disabilities in horticulture and gardening. This year’s grant enabled Challenge to further expand that program by creating an educational area (it includes a run-in shelter, a hay feeder, a moveable chicken coop, and fencing) for children to experience hands-on care of animals.
$6,200 to the Children’s Center for Communication - Beverly School for the Deaf in Beverly. Founded in 1876 to serve deaf and hard of hearing children, this school expanded its mission in the 1970s and began accepting hearing children with communication challenges and deaf children with learning and developmental disabilities. Our grant this year enabled the school to purchase a desktop 3D printer and accessories that will allow the school to expand a program that has proven very successful in allowing students to use their creativity, imagination and innovation.
$37,200 to Crossroads, a Duxbury organization that operates summer camps and school-year programs designed to address the needs of youth facing a wide range of social, economic and emotional challenges. At Camp Wing, the larger of its facilities, Crossroads created a woodworking program in 2018 to give low-income youth the opportunity to learn basic woodworking skills, and potentially spark career ideas in their minds. MCMA was fully on-board with this idea and helped to equip their workshop.
$9,950 to the Cultural Center of Cape Cod in South Yarmouth, a nonprofit that offers a wide range of programs, and serves as both arts and community center. Our grant was directed toward its Education Wing, where they work to provide those with special needs and challenges (from intellectual and physical disabilities to homelessness to substance abuse) with creative activities that will help them develop skills and find employment on Cape Cod. More specifically, it was used to purchase instruments, equipment and software to help equip their recording studio.
$12,922 to Dearborn Academy, which in 2017 had to relocate from its historic location in Arlington to a newly renovated facility in Newton, necessitating a complete make over of its shop programs. Students at this special education day school arrive with a variety of concerns that include impulse-control, learning disabilities and mental health issues. Dearborn considers vocational and shop programs to be vital to their success with these children, and our grant was used for equipment and tools to support those programs.
$2,705 to the Doctor Franklin Perkins School in Lancaster, a 122-year old institution that provides year-round residential, educational and day treatment for children and adolescents who struggle with a wide range of mental health diagnoses. In support of the school’s Adult Transition Program, which works with transitional age youth (age 17-21), MCMA’s grant was used to replace an old, outdated refrigerator in the culinary arts portion of this program.
$3,154 to Double Edge Theater Productions, a non-profit founded in 1982 and located in Ashfield. This organization creates original theater works while also training and teaching emerging artists and interns, and the students learn all aspects of production and design, such as lighting, props, costumes and set pieces. MCMA’s grant this year was used to provide sergers, cutting board sets, a CAD pattern printer and an industrial sewing machine for Double Edge’s costume shop training program.
$18,340 to the Eliot School in Jamaica Plain, which has for many years offered quality education to day and evening school students in a variety of fine and applied arts, and has more recently introduced a School Partnership Program that brings woodworking and art to public school students. Our grant was used in part for sewing and upholstery tools, but it was mainly devoted to the woodworking program, where the school replaced a badly outdated bandsaw and added a sliding crosscut table, a vacuum press, a track saw and a variety of smaller items.
$13,889 to the Ivy Street School in Brookline, which was founded in 1993 to address the unique needs of adolescents with brain injuries, and has since expanded to serve youth with Autism and other neurological and behavioral disorders. The school’s vocational programs help students gain the work-readiness skills and hands-on experience they need to succeed in the workplace, and our grant was used for kitchen equipment to help improve and expand the school’s culinary vocational program.
$7,602 to Lowell’s Boat Shop & Museum in Amesbury, the oldest operating boat shop in America, and the sole survivor of the area’s renowned dory manufacturing industry. Established in 1793, Lowell’s works to preserve and perpetuate the art and craft of wooden boatbuilding, teaching woodworking, boatbuilding, finishing, engine maintenance and repair, etc. to a broad range of young people and adults, and engaging a very active group of volunteers.
Lowell’s uses many hand tools and some archaic power tools that are in keeping with their historic status. But in their dedicated classroom space they require modern equipment for reasons of health, safety and efficiency. MCMA was able to help in that regard with a 15” planer, a 14” drill press, dust collection equipment and smaller power and hand tools.
$14,421 to the MassBay Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that assists MassBay Community College (MBCC) in obtaining grants to support and strengthen its programs. Our support was directed toward MBCC’s Automotive Technology Center (ATC), which operates at the Ashland campus and has very successfully trained hundreds of Massachusetts residents for jobs in automotive fields. The ATC’s training programs are sponsored by four major automobile brands, and provide students with in-depth automotive technology training, utilizing state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment on manufacturer-donated, late model vehicles. With our grant ATC purchased two refrigerant and recycling machines to further improve students’ technical training.
$4,200 to the May Institute, more specifically to its May Center School for Autism and Developmental Disabilities in Randolph. This school serves 159 students, ages 5 to 21, on the moderate to severe end of the autism spectrum, and offers residential living in community-based homes to approximately 75 students while they attend school. It also operates the Todd Fournier Center for employment training and community inclusion, and with our grant the Center purchased an industrial shredder to help students learn skills and train for clerical work in an office setting.
$9,135 to the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in Jamaica Plain. Since 1878 this non-profit has been a leader in child protection and advocacy, providing extensive prevention, education and treatment services to families statewide. Our grant was used by MSPCC to create and equip a sensory room or station for each of their four residential programs.
$1,004 to Mission of Deeds, a nonprofit volunteer organization that provides beds, furniture and basic household items to those in need. Based in Reading, and serving individuals and families in Middlesex and Essex Counties, MOD’s clients include the homeless and those living in shelters or transitional situations. The goal is to help them move out of shelters and back into the community. Our grant was used to purchase two grates to improve the performance of dust collection equipment in MOD’s workshop where they repair and refurbish donated furniture and other household items.
$1,050 to New England Village, which operates a campus-based residential community in Pembroke and an organic-certified farm in Plympton, both serving adults with developmental disabilities. The farm provides year-round work opportunities, and with MCMA’s grant NEV was able to add raised garden beds to enable participants with vision, mobility and stamina challenges to be included in its newly implemented farm skill training program.
$29,268 to North Bennet Street School, which helps students to achieve meaningful livelihoods by offering intense, hands-on training in traditional trades and fine craftsmanship. This North End school’s full-time programs include specialty professions such as preservation carpentry, piano technology, violin making and repair, locksmithing, bookbinding and jewelry making. Our support this year provided a drill press and table saw for Cabinet and Furniture Making, two microscopes for Jewelry, a heavy-duty drill press for Piano Technology, and an upgraded dust collection system for the Carpentry Program.
$17,400 to Northeast Arc of Danvers, which provides employment opportunities for people with disabilities and serves as a pathway for them to obtain competitive jobs within the community. With our grant Northeast Arc was able to add nine shredders at their very successful Heritage Shredding business. Heritage continues to grow this business, increasing volume and adding new customers, and the added equipment enabled them to add new employees as well.
$2,123 to North River Collaborative which serves special needs students from over two dozen communities at its North River School in Rockland,. Its curriculum includes a vocational component, which the school believes has helped students develop good work attitudes, habits and social skills in addition to learning specific employability skills, and MCMA has supported this initiative for many years. With our grant this year the school purchased screen printing and heat press equipment for their Graphics & Technology Program.
$17,973 to Old Sturbridge Village, the outdoor museum in Sturbridge that, with over 40 original buildings brought to the museum from all over New England, depicts early 19th century life in a rural New England town. Our support this year enabled OSV to replace sections of the Towne House roof, and to once again involve vocational students from the Tantasqua Regional High School in the project. The students worked on the roof of the Towne Barn shed, receiving instruction and support from professional roofers who worked on the Towne House Ell (a connector between the shed and the house).
$4,260 to the Wareham Boys and Girls Club, which provides a safe haven for its members, but works to go well beyond basketball and crafts by supporting a strong academic program that emphasizes science, technology, english and math. MCMA’s grant will enable them to expand and advance an entry-level Robotics Program that gives kids hands-on experience with building mother boards and robots … a program we helped to create in 2017.
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