Charitable Contributions for 2024
$10,089 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 a program they call Pathways to Employment. It aims to strengthen participants’ communication and social skills, in addition to providing meaningful workforce training and support. Our grant provided a variety of training aids and materials to support this program.
$6,915 to Artists for Humanity. Since 1991 this South Boston organization has provided under-resourced teens with the keys to self-sufficiency through art and design. Through its after-school and Summer programs AFH annually employs 370+ Boston teens in paid apprenticeship in the visual arts and creative industries. These youth are given the opportunity to work in one of six creative studios, and work collaboratively with professional artists and designers to earn and learn new skills. Our grant to AFH was used to expand the capabilities of its 3D Design Studio with the purchase of a machine vise and a Drag-Knife Holder, and with matching funds to enable them to obtain a ShopBot Automatic Tool Changer.
$696 to Boston Arts Academy Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit that assists Boston Arts Academy (BAA) in obtaining grants to support and strengthen its programs. BAA is the city’s only public high school for the visual and performing arts, and for over 25 years it has fostered student achievement through an arts-intensive and college preparatory curriculum. Theater students learn the safe use of hand and power tools in BAA’s Scene Shop, where they are taught by a professional scenic designer and build sets and props for the school’s productions. Our grant was used to purchase power tools for this shop.
$5,424 to Boston CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates), an organization that recruits, trains and supports the volunteer advocates appointed by Suffolk and Middlesex 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 is in the process of expanding their operation, and MCMA’s grant was used to purchase computer tablets and work station accessories to help equip new staff.
$4,850 to Boston Higashi School, a Randolph non-profit serving children and young adults with autism deficit disorder. 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 to best prepare them for life upon graduation. Our grant this year was used to purchase an embroidery machine to expand the capabilities of Higashi’s very successful Heat Press and Design program.
$6,640 to Cardinal Cushing Centers, which since 1947 have provided innovative approaches to education for thousands of children with intellectual disabilities. They provide education, employment training, residential, therapeutic, and recreational programs to students age 3 to 22. At its Cushing Marketplace in Hanover they operate several businesses that bring in customers from surrounding towns and provide training opportunities for students. One of these businesses is a Greenhouse and Garden Center that has been a success both in employment training opportunities and in raising produce to be used in Cushing’s kitchens. With our grant Cushing purchased a chicken coop kit that will enable them to further expand this program.
$15,600 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 and their instructional staff.
$6,500 to CCC/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 purchase of a Pediatric Stander and Accessories to support the complex needs of some of CCC’s younger students. (Pediatric standers are a safe option for promoting weight bearing.)
$9,961 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. Their programs also serve a range of individuals that include veterans with PTSD, teens at risk, adults with disabilities, people in recovery from addiction, and many others. While our past support has focussed mainly on saddles and riding equipment, Ironstone’s pressing needs again this year were repairs to its deteriorating main barn. Our grant was used to help purchase materials for this effort, with carpentry students from Greater Lawrence Technical School providing supervised labor and gaining on-site, hands-on learning experience.
$3,334 to 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 potential both during and after their enrollment. Our grant was used for tools and equipment to support Cotting’s Industrial Arts (woodworking) Program, which 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.
$8,482 to Dearborn Academy in Newton. 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 the Wood and Metal shops and the Jewelry and Art studios.
$8,334 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 year’s grant was used to purchase multiple items of equipment to upgrade their Audio Visual department.
$8,055 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 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 support Eliot’s wood shop with the purchase of tools and equipment both to expand capabilities and to replace worn items.
$7,000 to the Essex Historical Society and Shipbuilding Museum, which since 1993 has introduced students from Essex and surrounding communities to carpentry and boat building through the construction of small rowing craft. Through partnerships with local schools the museum works with small groups to build boats, make tholepins, grommets and oars to row with, and even learn how to row the boats on the Essex River. Our grant was used to purchase multiple power and hand tools to support this program.
$1,599 to the Footlight Club in Jamaica Plain. This is America’s oldest continuously operating community theater and has produced performances every year since 1877. The Footlight Club has a Scene Shop with an all-volunteer crew that builds new sets for each of five plays and musicals it produces each year. That crew is led by a professional carpenter who provides training for less experienced volunteers in the use of hand and power tools and in building techniques. With our grant the Club replaced an old table saw with a SawStop table saw so their work can be done more safely and productively.
$10,709 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 includes two semesters spent learning biotech workflow and methods, and a third on a paid industry internship at a biotech firm or research institute. The success of this program led GMGI to add a biomanufacturing program in 2021. Very specialized laboratory equipment is needed for these programs, and MCMA’s grant was used to add a number of needed items, including a replacement rotor for their benchtop centrifuge.
$6,193 to the Home for Little Wanderers to support the culinary program at the Cove School, The Home’s special education school 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 kids to real-life work experiences and skills through various programs. In its culinary program students learn a range of skills they would need in any number of food service jobs, and our grant was used to purchase a commercial-size convection oven and smaller items to help improve it.
$10,007 to HorseSensability, which provides equine-assisted activities and therapy in a farm setting in Sherborn to 100+ children with special needs. In addition to therapeutic riding, this organization provides a range of services for children and young adults, including a mentoring program for 6- to 16-year-olds who are or have been in foster care, and a vocational program that helps 18- to 25-year-olds with autism spectrum disorder prepare for future employment. Our grant was used for industrial fans to make the riding arena more useable in hot Summer months.
$6,625 to the Hull Lifesaving Museum (HLM), which operates two facilities in Hull and a third on the downtown Boston waterfront. HLM offers a variety of history, cultural and art based programs, as well as open-water rowing and learning programs for both children and adults. Our support, though, was directed toward the Maritime Apprentice Program at HLM’s Windmill Point Boathouse in Hull. This program introduces both youths and adults to the maritime industry and a wide range of skills and activities designed to pique their interests in maritime careers. Our grant was used for boat-building tools and materials to support the hands-on, skill-based training and work readiness preparation that this program provides.
$11,400 to Just A Start, a Cambridge-based community development corporation, founded in 1968, that builds affordable housing and provides workforce training for youth and adults. Its YouthBuild program is focused on low-income, out-of-school youth, enabling them to earn their high school credentials , learn job skills and obtain on-the-job construction training. This program moved into new, expanded space in North Cambridge this year, and our grant was used to purchase work benches to help equip this new space.
$4,095 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 215 dedicated volunteers they provide 4500 therapeutic sessions each year. Our grant was used to purchase Trax mats for wheelchair accessibility in their indoor arena, and a custom storage cabinet built by students at Topsfield Vocational Academy.
$2,221 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.
$4,270 to May Institute in Randolph, a nationally-recognized organization that provides educational and rehabilitative services for children and adults with autism and other special needs. Vocational programs are key components at each of May’s five schools. For its older students May creates work environments that model real-life work environments and give students the opportunity to practice a variety of job readiness skills within the school setting. Our grant was used to purchase kitchen equipment and tools to further develop Todd’s Cafe, the teaching kitchen at May’s Randolph school.
$10,010 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. With our grant NBP was able to purchase a new Saddle Stitcher, an item critical to the production of softcover books (over half of NBP’s Braille publications), replacing a 30-year-old stitcher, wear and tear on which had begun to affect production.
$5,621 to the New Hampshire Boat Museum in Wolfboro Falls, NH. In addition to an impressive collection of antique and classic boats and objects indigenous to New Hampshire’s lakes and waterways, this museum offers a number of exhibits, experiences and educational programs focussed on freshwater boating. Among them are adult and youth classes on boat building, featuring canoes, kayaks and Bevin Skiffs. Our grant was used for power and hand tools to support these programs.
$31,962 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 to their programs in Violin Making & Repair (a Drill Press), Preservation Carpentry (a Drill Press), and most particularly Jewelry Making & Repair (a Laser Welder, a Pulse-Arc Welder, and two Microscopes).
$17,000 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. Our grant was used to support its very successful Heritage Shredding business, which provides safe destruction of personal or company confidential documents. This business employs 25 individuals, 20 of whom have disabilities, and Heritage continues to grow this business. With our grant they purchased a heavy duty shredder that will allow them to handle more volume, and will enable them to add three employees.
$6,657 to North River Collaborative which serves special needs high school and middle school students from over two dozen South Shore cities and towns 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 (and matching funds) the school purchased for their Culinary Arts Program a Countertop Convection Steamer and a Portable Salad Bar.
$5,266 to the North Shore Education Consortium (NEC), one of the largest providers of intensive special education services to children and youth with emotional, behavioral, and developmental disabilities on the North Shore. Topsfield Vocational Academy (TVA), one of the five schools run by NEC and the focus of our grant, enables students in grades 9-12 to enhance their high school academic experience with hands-on vocational training, with the goal of providing skills and experience that will lead to employment after high school. With our grant, the school purchased a variety of corded and cordless power tools to update and replace older tools and expand the capabilities of their woodworking program.
$12,000 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 the worn roof of the Historical Costumes Building, with Tantasqua High School vocational students participating once again.
$7,207 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 (for training aids and software) was directed.
$4,100 to the Salem Pantry, which serves more than six thousand households in Salem and the Greater North Shore. With a robust volunteer program, the Pantry makes opportunities available for people of all abilities and experiences, including opportunities for physically and mentally challenged individuals. Our grant was used to purchase a self-propelled electric pallet jack to help move product to meet an ever-growing need.
$1,696 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, and 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. With our grant they purchased an upgraded 3D printer to better-enable this effort. (It will also allow TBH’s Assistive Technologist to expand her training of students on 3D printing equipment in a partnership between TBH and a local community center’s Girls Leadership STEM Program.)
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