Charitable Contributions for 2021
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$20,900 to 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. Many of the individuals they serve have employment as a goal but need support, instruction and skills training in order to get and maintain a job. The Arc offers skills development activities and classes in several areas, the most popular of which is cooking. They sought to grow and improve this program, so our grant allowed them to do so by updating and expanding their existing kitchen.
$7,040 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. MCMA’s grant was used to purchase computer tablets and work station accessories, some of it as replacements for worn out equipment, and some to help equip new staff for their work.
$1,950 to 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 two heat presses that will support their new Graphic Design and Printing Program that will introduce students to graphic design and production skills as they fashion items that will be sold at the school store and online.
$17,818 to Cardinal Cushing Centers, which since 1947 have provided innovative approaches to education for thousands of children with intellectual disabilities. One of Cushing’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 securing competitive employment for the students. This year’s MCMA grant was used to purchase a deck-type gas oven which will replace the 40-plus year old oven in Cushing’s main kitchen,
$16,500 to 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. Technology features into all of Carroll’s programming, from summer training for teens to comprehensive job training for adults looking to return to work after vision loss. All require training on up-to-date technologies, and MCMA’s grant was used to provide key technology upgrades for Carroll’s direct service programs.
$7,900 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. Today, the school serves children who are deaf, hard of hearing, and/or who have a diverse range of physical, developmental or learning disabilities. Our grant was used to install automated doors in the school’s Student Activity Center to eliminate the difficulties encountered by students in wheelchairs or with limited mobility.
$7,761 to Citizens Inn, a Peabody-based organization that helps families and individuals across the North Shore who are experiencing a housing crisis or food insecurity, with programs designed to help them prepare for and transition to a sustainable life. One of its programs (Haven from Hunger) operates a food pantry and runs a community-meals program that serves over 15,000 meals each year. It also partners with Northeast Arc to provide employment training in the food service area for people with disabilities. Citizen’s grant request had been for a composter, but subsequent problems with their elevator severely cramped their entire operation, so we instead approved a grant to repair that elevator..
$899 to the Cotting School in Lexington. Founded in 1893 this school was America’s first for children with physical disabilities, and it now serves children with a broad spectrum of learning and communication disabilities, physical challenges, and complex medical conditions. The school includes vocational and skill development training programs to help students realize their highest potential both during and after their enrollment. The Industrial Arts (woodworking) Program that received our support is designed to give students a basic knowledge of the properties of wood, to safely use the tools necessary to cut and shape it, and to develop good work habits and attitudes.
$9,495 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 Rise and Shine program for youth at risk, where they work to provide those with special needs and challenges (from intellectual and physical disabilities to homelessness to substance abuse) with classes, workshops and mentoring that will help them develop skills and find employment on Cape Cod. Woodworking has proven to be the most popular activity for both girls and boys, and our grant was used to purchase a variety of hand and power tools to expand this program.
$10,470 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 to continue the upgrade and expansion of their shop programs, this year with a focus on tools and equipment for the Media Production, Metals, Wood and Jewelry Shops.
$6,516 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. Further, Double Edge has an ongoing partnership with the Springfield School District, through which many students from economically disadvantaged households are afforded an opportunity for high-quality creative and professional training that they might not otherwise see. This past year MCMA helped Double Edge purchase equipment for their Media program, wood shop and fabric dyeing shop,
$26,500 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 more than 1300 students in the Boston Public School system. Our grant this year was used to purchase tools and equipment for Eliot’s woodworking, upholstery and School Partnership programs. The most significant purchases were an air compressor and a sliding compound miter saw for the woodworking program.
$17,595 to the Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute, which operates the Gloucester Biotechnology Academy. Designed to serve local high school graduates ages 18 to 26 with limited resources and no clear path to college or a career, the Academy’s hands-on technical training offers these young people a STEM pathway to meaningful jobs in a growing industry. Its “lab immersion” curriculum consists of three 12-week semesters, two spent learning biotech workflow and methods, and the third on a paid industry internship at a biotech firm or research institute. The success of this program has encouraged GMGI to expand it with the addition of a biomanufacturing training facility, and MCMA’s grant was used for the purchase of epoxy bench tops for that new laboratory.
$19,165 to the Home for Little Wanderers to support a program at their Southeast Campus in Plymouth. Children at this campus have been removed from their families due to neglect and abuse, and most are behavioral and moderately learning disabled. Knowing that many of these children will not return to their families but will transition to group homes or to independent living, The Home tries to introduce these children to real-life work experiences and skills through various programs. Our grant was used for multiple items that will help the school improve and expand its Culinary program on this campus.
$5,867 to Lexington Arts & Crafts Society (LexArt), an 85-year old artisans collaborative located just outside Lexington center. This 501(c)(3) organization has about 200 members in nine craft guilds, and it offers the public access to well-equipped workshops, mentoring and classes throughout the year. Our grant was used to purchase tools (primarily hand tools) for LexArt’s woodworking, needle and fiber arts guilds as they work to expand their class offerings in those areas.
$2,000 to Lovelane, a Lincoln nonprofit that provides high-quality therapeutic horseback riding in a supportive environment to achieve occupational, physical, cognitive and other therapeutic gains, focusing on children with special needs. It is recognized and regularly recommended by the Boston pediatric medical community for treatment of a wide variety of medical diagnoses. With its staff of 21 and the help of 197 dedicated volunteers they provide 4500 therapeutic sessions each year. With our grant this year Lovelane was able to purchase a much needed therapy horse for their program.
$4,814 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 smaller power tools that occasionally (after much hard use) require replacement, and MCMA’s grant was used for that purpose.
$15,247 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 A/C refrigerant recovery/recycling/recharging machines that will further align their automotive training with industry standards and improve students’ technical skills.
$25,000 to National Braille Press in Boston. Founded over 85 years ago, this organization promotes and nurtures the Braille literacy of blind children and youth, and prints and publishes reading materials that blind people of all ages need to fully pursue their goals in education, work and life. Many of the materials produced by NBP require wire binding, and the discontinued wire binder they had been using for the past 30 years was in sore need of replacement as even replacement parts were no longer available. Our grant helped enable NBP to purchase a $37,000 GBC Nearline Punch and Bind machine that will make that operation both more reliable and more efficient.
$27,568 to North Bennet Street School, which very successfully helps students to achieve meaningful livelihoods by offering intense, hands-on training in traditional trades and fine craftsmanship. MCMA has been a long-time supporter of this school in Boston’s North End, and this year our support was directed toward their programs in Preservation Carpentry (a brick and mortar saw), Advanced Piano Technology (a bandsaw), Violin Making & Repair (a Glowforge Pro laser printer), and Bookbinding (specialized hand tools).
$10,000 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. In addition to daily demonstrations to educate visitors about historical trades, OSV conducts classes and workshops, partners with local vocational high schools for hands-on learning experiences, and offers year-long apprenticeships with Village tradesmen for those with a deeper interest in the trades. This year our grant was used to help fund the replacement of wood shingle roofs on the c.1796 Salem Towne House barn and a section of the c.1810 Asa Knight Store, with Tantasqua High School vocational students participating once again.
$3,653 to the Paul Revere Memorial Association, which is responsible for the ongoing care and long-term preservation of the historic Paul Revere House and the adjacent Pierce/Hichborn and Lathrop Place properties in the North End of Boston. The Association fosters an appreciation for Boston’s history with educational programs that include, among others, publications, lectures and presentations, teacher workshops, school programs, and walking tours. Their efforts to make the properties fully accessible for all visitors are ongoing, and MCMA’s grant was used for that purpose.
$2,010 to Road to Responsibility, a Marshfield organization that annually serves over 1300 individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities from all over the South Shore. In addition to its residential services and daytime social and therapeutic services, RTR offers Employment Services to help individuals find employment through community-based vocational training, helping them to prepare for, secure, and maintain their employment. It is this program to which our grant (of five iPads) was directed.
$2,425 to The Boston Home, an innovative community in Dorchester for adults with multiple sclerosis and other advanced neurological disorders. All of the 96 residents who live here use wheelchairs for mobility, as do outpatients with similar neurological disorders who live in the surrounding community. The wheelchair, though, is more than mobility to these residents and outpatients, as it supports access to communications, technology, hobbies, and personal supplies. Since each individual has different abilities and needs, TBH operates a Wheelchair Enhancement Center to fabricate and install modifications to improve wheelchair functions and maximize mobility and independence for each of these individuals. Our grant was used to purchase a MillRight CNC machine to improve and expand the shop’s fabrication capabilities.
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