E-Newsletter: February 2011

Introduction

In this month’s newsletter, we’d like to share the momentum created by recent grants made by the Fund for Wellesley, one of the town-focused funds managed by the Foundation.

I’d also like to introduce our newest Trustee at the Foundation, David Shuman, who is a lifelong MetroWest resident, currently living in Medfield.

This month's focus on our MetroWest Needs Assessment data is homelessness. Our community is affected by both the increase in numbers affected as well as the costs incurred to help.

There are a few spaces left in the seminar we are sponsoring on March 4 at the Wellesley Free Library: "Effective Marketing Communications on a Shoestring". Join us and register here >.

Continuing our focus on local museums, we highlight the Concord Museum, which has several events you may be interested in this winter. It's worth a visit to this wonderful collection of Americana.

I always look forward to hearing from you, because we count on our constituents to help us make a difference, whether with money, time or ideas. Feel free to contact me anytime at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or at 508-647-2260.

Recent Grants by the Fund for Wellesley

The Fund for Wellesley is one of the Foundation’s endowed funds whose current focus is on programs that engage youth, the elderly, and foster community building. One example of the latter was December's annual Luminary Night celebration, which saw 1000 households participate.

The purchase and/or donation of luminary kits both created community spirit and allowed the resulting proceeds to reach the town’s neediest residents. One of the best things about this event is the momentum for more philanthropy that it generated.

The annual lighting celebration inspired an anonymous friend in Wellesley to issue a challenge grant in the amount of $50,000 and that challenge was met by donations pouring in during the last three weeks of the year. The generosity of that anonymous donor and of the donors who met his/her challenge will allow the Fund for Wellesley to have a greater impact on the town.

The momentum begun with Luminary Night continued with the Fund for Wellesley participating in another special event – the 2011 Boston Marathon, which runs right through town, pun intended. Town selectmen used several of the invitational entries in the marathon (granted by the Boston Athletic Association to towns along the marathon route) to raise money for the Fund for Wellesley. Ten marathon numbers were snatched up by Fund supporters who each committed to a contribution of $2500 or more.

The Foundation for MetroWest is thrilled by this unique and important example of community building in the region. We’d love it if other communities were interested in this kind of opportunity to capitalize on a spirit of philanthropy and build something of permanence in their community. To discuss your ideas with someone at the Foundation, please call 508-647-2260 or check out the Fund for Wellesley.

An Interview with our Newest Trustee

Our Board of Trustees has recently elected a new member and we believe David Shuman will be a valuable asset to the Board and add a fresh perspective. We recently asked David what drew him to the Foundation, how he would like to contribute as a trustee and what he would like to see us accomplish.

FFMW: How long have you lived in Metrowest?

David: I’ve been a MetroWest resident virtually my entire life. At 3 years old, my family moved from the city to Framingham. After marriage, my wife and I also settled in Framingham and then moved to Medfield in 1989 where we raised our 2 children and have lived ever since.

FFMW: Have you been involved in any community groups?

David: I spent a couple of years as a trustee of the Massachusetts 4H Foundation, but I spent most of my adult life dedicated to growing my accounting firm and servicing clients.

FFMW: How did you find out about the Foundation?

David: I was recently introduced to the Foundation by Garry Holmes, although I recall hearing a lot about “Crossroads” over the years.

FFMW: Are there particular aspects of the Foundation that interest you?

David: What interests and motivates me is giving back to the community which has served me extremely well. I admire the work being performed by the Foundation.

FFMW: What would you like to add to the Foundation based on your experience?

David: Working with successful clients and other advisors over the years, I’ve gained experience working with the investment management world and have an understanding of the tax and economic consequences of charitable giving. I hope to be able to leverage that experience to make a positive impact for the Foundation.

FFMW: What would you like to see us accomplish in the next few years?

David: While it will always be a work in process, I’d like to see the Foundation execute on its vision of becoming a significant philanthropic resource with a broader array of opportunities to match donors with the region’s needs.

Focus on Needs Assessment: Homelessness

Continuing our highlight of the MetroWest Needs Assessment data we have collected, this month's focus is on homelessness.

The Foundation spoke with Mike Dineen of the Metrowest Outreach Connection (MWOC), a nonprofit that has existed for seven years and has helped almost 700 families in our region to stay in their homes. Mike shared with us some of the issues facing families which could lead to their homelessness and how the organization finds them and helps them.

Mike has characterized the key issues in our region as “not enough Section 8 housing or Massachusetts Housing Vouchers and not enough money for the working poor to allow them to stay in their home”. He states that while most MetroWest towns have extremely limited availability of affordable housing units, the towns most affected (Framingham, Marlboro and Milford) may not have enough to meet the need despite having a significant number of those units.

Mike says the average family of four his organization assists has income of about $19,000 a year. Those who make less often depend on some form of disability income, which is not sufficient for housing without a voucher. Mike estimates that about a third of the families MWOC serves receive some form of disability assistance. Those who are able to work encounter financial problems such as unexpected health care costs, child care costs, car repair bills, loss of transportation, or any number of other issues. Problems that many of us in MetroWest would consider minor become catastrophic for these families.

Things that characterize the families assisted by the organization include a possible disability, level of education, single parenthood (most of these families are headed by a single woman), and the availability and cost of childcare. MWOC identifies its clients based on referrals from other MetroWest nonprofits such as South Middlesex Opportunity Council (SMOC) and MetroWest Legal Services (MWLS). Mike's contact at the SMOC says it currently supports 106 families in its emergency shelters and an additional 4 families in local motels. MWLS is a legal advocate for families who live in subsidized public housing and they are "happy to have MWOC as a resource when their clients need funds to avoid imminent eviction" says Mike.

The MWOC raises around $100,000 a year via grants, fundraisers and donations and serves approximately 100 households a year. Mike says that during 2010, MWOC used that money to assist "94 households with an average grant of $850". The organization is careful to assist families who can sustain their housing for the long-term and only need help with unexpected costs. Since it has been in existence, MWOC has helped more than 1800 individuals and 900 children. MetroWest is lucky to have them, along with SMOC and MWLS, to advocate for and help sustain the basic needs of families in our region.

If you'd like to support organizations like the MWOC, SMOC and MWLS in their work, please consider a gift to the Foundation's MetroWest Fund for Family Support. Contact Renee Curtin at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) for information on giving options.

If you are interested in exploring the data on homelessness that we have collected, it may be found here >

Focus on Museums: Concord Museum

Last month’s eNewsletter highlighted two contemporary museums. This month, we’d like go back a century or so to the Concord Museum, which holds a large collection of Americana and whose exhibits are a window into the world of a younger country. For those who wish to understand democracy’s roots, history’s teachings, and careful craftsmanship, the Concord Museum has pulled together exhibits and events with learners of all ages in mind.

The Museum displays its many treasures in self-touring galleries, period room settings and decorative art galleries. Special exhibitions explore a variety of topics, including typical crafts, professions and pastimes of Early America. Each Friday and Saturday afternoon throughout February, the Museum’s Brooke Hall hosts tea and sweets along with the exhibits.

One special exhibition this month is on the bold colors, geometric shapes, and great variety of rarely exhibited quilts from the late 1800s. A variety of sizes, occasions, traditions and colors characterize these quilts, along with the tools that help create them. They include a quilt made for a wedding, one that celebrates a children’s book illustrator, one from the family of Louisa May Alcott and one handed down in the family of an early Revolutionary.

Other plans for February include Pastry Chef Martha Timke who will talk about tricks and tips for bread and jam making and her visit includes a special afternoon tea for adults and children. On President’s day, the Museum hosts a visit from Steve Wood in the guise of Abraham Lincoln. Wood’s resemblance is uncanny as are his stories of Lincoln’s early years, campaign, and famous speeches.

Recently the Concord Museum appointed Peggy Burke as Executive Director, who began her tenure last month. She is also the Director of the Foundation Development Department at WGBH in Boston where she heads a department that raises foundation support for the station’s programs and activities. Ms. Burke has served variety of leadership and management roles for museums and other nonprofit organizations as well as being a scholar in American decorative arts. Sounds like she is a perfect fit for the Concord Museum!

Submit an Event

To submit an event, please send an email to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) with the event details and date.

Community Events

February 19, 2011 The Discovery Museums: Fetch! Potion Commotion >

March 3, 2011 Concord Museum: Massachusetts Quilts >

March 4, 2011 The Foundation for MetroWest: Effective Marketing Communications on a Shoestring >

March 10, 2011 Employment Options, Inc.: 2011 Awards Banquet >

March 17, 2011 Concord Museum: What is it Worth? A Quilt Appraisal Evening

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