Make A Difference Project

Make a Difference Monday – November 5th, 2018

Looking for something to get involved in that will also benefit your community? We have just the list for you. Check out these local events happening near you this week!

Bridge 2 The Future Party to Benefit Bridge Over Troubled Waters

Thursday, November 8th 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm

City Winery | Boston

80 Beverly Street, Boston’s North End

November is National Homeless Youth Awareness Month. Join Bridge 2 the Future to connect and collaborate with like-minded supporters for an evening in support of homeless, runaway, and high-risk youth that rely on Bridge programs and services. All proceeds from Bridge 2 the Future will benefit Bridge Over Troubled Waters. For more information, click here.

Imagine & Believe: An Evening to Benefit NTSAD

Thursday, November 8th 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Royal Sonesta Hotel

40 Edwin Land Blvd, Cambridge

National Tay-Sachs & Allied Diseases Association presents Imagine & Believe: An Evening to Benefit NTSAD. This annual fundraising event raises at least $100,000 to support the many children, adults and families who struggle with genetic diseases, including Tay-Sachs, Canavan, GM-1, Sandoff and related genetic diseases. For more information, click here.

Concert for Dignity featuring Jackie Foster & Brandon Diaz

Thursday, November 8th 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm

Church of the Covenant

67 Newbury Street, Boston

Enjoy a unique and memorable concert with Berklee School of Music students and TV singing competition stars, Jackie Foster and Brandon Diaz, and help women experiencing homelessness and poverty. Proceeds from the concert will ensure that Women’s Lunch Place of Boston continues to help heal women, restore their sense of belonging, and support them as they work to regain dignity and rebuild their lives. For more information, click here.

Heroes in Health Care Gala

Saturday, November 10th 6:00 pm to 9:30 pm

Mandarin Oriental

776 Boylston Street, Boston

VNA Care will honor three Heroes in Health Care during the nonprofit’s 13^th annual Gala. Heroes in Health Care raises essential funding for VNA of Boston’s charitable care programs as well as for palliative care provided by VNA Hospice & Palliative Care. For more information, click here.

Moonlight Masquerade

Saturday, November 10th 8:00 pm to 12:00 am

ALoft Hotel Seaport

401 D Street, Boston

Join the Junior League of Boston for its second Moonlight Masquerade – a fun-filled evening featuring entertainment, dancing, great food and drinks, silent auction, raffles, and more! All event proceeds benefit the Junior League of Boston and its community-based programs in support of the wellness of girls. For more information, click here.

Charity of the Month – Rosie’s Place

In Massachusetts today, one in ten people are living in poverty. The most vulnerable and fastest-growing demographic within this population are women and children, so it may be surprising to learn that as recently as 1973, there were no shelters for homeless women in the entire United States.

In the early 1970’s, Kip Tiernan, a social justice activist and writer, had the opportunity through her work with the St. Phillip’s/Warwick House to visit a number of housing projects, mental institutions, jails and hospitals where she was appalled by the effects of de-institutionalism and a lack of public policy to address the needs of the homeless and poor. While visiting some of the men-only shelters around the city, she was particularly struck by the sight of women dressing as men just to get a meal.

Kip founded Rosie’s Place in 1974 as a safe place for homeless and underprivileged women to get a hot, nutritional meal and escape the dangerous streets and cold of winter. It was the first women-only shelter in the country. It was also decided to accept no city, state or federal money so that Rosie’s Place could be run without the influence of outside demands or policies. Today, almost four decades later, Rosie’s Place feeds over 12,000 women per year and offers a number of other services to help the homeless women of Boston get back on their feet.

Food Programs

Rosie’s Place will first and foremost be known as a place where homeless women can get a hot meal. Located at 889 Harrison Ave in Boston, the “Dining Room” is open for Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Monday through Friday and Brunch and Dinner on the weekends. Instead of lining up cafeteria style, the woman are served healthy meals tableside by volunteer waiters and waitresses. An average of 220 women and children rely on these meals every day.

There is also a food pantry that provides 20-40 pounds of healthy food to an average of 2,000 women per month. The women are allowed to “shop” freely and choose items including meat, dairy and a selection of seasonal fruits and vegetables from local farms, that work best for their families.

Emergency Services

In addition to serving food, Rosie’s Place also offers the following emergency or immediate needs services:

Essential Services: The facility offers women a place to come in off the street and meet some of their most basic needs including laundry, showers, lockers to store important items, and a place to just sit and rest. The women can also use Rosie’s Place as a mailing address and have access to phones and computers.
Overnight Shelter: The overnight program is open 365 days a year providing 20 women at a time with a place to sleep for up to 21 days.
Health and Wellness: Women who come to Rosie’s Place have access to medical assistance including but not limited to: blood pressure and blood sugar checks, STD and HIV testing, assistance with detox, dental check-ups and more. This is possible through partnerships with a wide variety of community-based health agencies

Opportunity

Rosie’s Place wants to get women off the streets and they do so by offering services to find new opportunities.

Education: They offer education services including ESL classes, tutoring, computer classes and more. Each course involves an intimate learning experience with no more than eight students. Over 170 volunteer teachers, private tutors, and substitutes are trained by certified staff to teach over 350 students weekly.
Housing: Through HomeStart, a number of housing search specialists help women to find available housing, fill out applications and stay on top of the entire process.
Job Search: Similar to housing, Rosie’s Place has partnered with Community Work Services to provide specialized job search services on-site helping women apply for, attain and maintain gainful employment.

Advocacy and Empowerment

A multi-lingual staff of advocates assist the women with a multitude of issues including:

Advocacy: Every woman has a number of short- and long-term needs that need to be addressed. Rosie’s place employs advocates to assist them with things like housing, health and wellness, support groups, clothing, transportation, emergency funds and more. Advocates schedule more than 1,100 appointments each month.
Legal Aid: Many women who end up at Rosie’s Place need legal assistance to be able to move forward. The legal program consults with over 700 attorneys to address issues such as housing, family law, immigration, debt, and more.
Arts: Rosie’s Place wants to offer the women they serve more than just the basic necessities. They offer a calendar of guest art classes and workshops as well the opportunity to attend performances and exhibits in the area. Last year, nearly 5,000 guests took part in 200 workshops and field trips. They also regularly host musical, dance and stand up performances during dinner service.

The people at Rosie’s Place believe in enriching the lives of women, even after they no longer require their services. That’s why they offer outreach services to follow up with past guests to make sure they’re on the right path and are able to maintain their new way of life. They also have a Friendly Visitors volunteer program that connect weekly with women who are more isolated, providing them with a friend they can chat with and confide in.

All of these programs, combined with the hard work and dedication of the hundreds of volunteers, is what makes Rosie’s Place truly special. It is not just a shelter, but a community of staff and volunteers working with the homeless and vulnerable women and children of the city of Boston to help them live a better life.

If you’re interested in learning more about Rosie’s Place or would like to apply to volunteer, click HERE.

Make a Difference Monday – October 29th, 2018

Happy Make a Difference Monday! Interested in making a difference this week, but not sure where to begin? Check out these local listings of ways you can help out in your area!

Laughter League Live!

Thursday, November 1^st 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm

Virginia Wimberly Theatre, Calderwood Pavilion at Boston Center for the Arts

527 Tremont Street, Boston

The Foundation For Laughter proudly announces the debut of LAUGHTER LEAGUE LIVE, a one-of-kind benefit evening of comedy celebrating the work of the Laughter League Healthcare Clown team at Boston Children’s Hospital. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.

JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION’S TASTE AMERICA TOUR – TASTE BOSTON

Friday, November 2^nd 6:00 pm to 11:00 pm

State Room

60 State Street, 33rd Floor, Boston

The James Beard Foundation (JBF) announced the cities and dates for its sixth annual Taste America^® national culinary tour. The traveling series will bring one-of-a-kind dining experiences and educational opportunities to 10 dynamic culinary destinations this fall including Boston. In addition to spotlighting the delicious food around the country, Taste America will focus on amplifying JBF food waste and sustainability initiatives and will directly contribute to the Foundation’s Scholarship programs. For more information, click here.

Peter and The Starcatcher

Friday, November 2^nd – Saturday, November 17^th 8:00 pm to 10:00 pm

First Church in Boston

66 Marlborough Street, Boston

Peter and The Starcatcher will have you hooked from the moment this funny, fantastical tale takes flight. Come be a part of the adventure and embrace the endless possibilities of imagination, friendship, and love. All tickets are Pay-What-You-Can – which means they don’t decide the price, you do! Their “sweet spot” would be about $20 per person; if you are on a budget, pay less, and if you are able to pay more, please do! Donations of new and gently loved toys and books will be collected at each performance for local charities. For more information, click here.

Breathe Deep Boston Walk to Stop Lung Cancer

Saturday, November 3^rd 10:00 am to 1:00 pm

DCR Baxter Park Somerville

Assembly Row, Somerville

The 13^th annual Breathe Deep Boston Walk to Stop Lung Cancer will be held this Saturday. Proceeds from the event benefit LUNGevity, the nation’s leading lung cancer-focused non-profit. LUNGevity’s mission is to change outcomes for people with lung cancer through research, education, and support. The route is a scenic walk (approximately 5K) around the park and is stroller accessible and wheelchair suitable for most. For more information, click here.

WalkBoston “Step On It!” Scavenger Hunt

Saturday, November 3^rd 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm

Old City Hall, front plaza

45 School Street, Boston

Think you have seen everything in Downtown Boston? Guess again. Join in a sidewalk scavenger hunt through downtown Boston this Saturday! 100% of all proceeds will support WalkBoston, a non-profit organization dedicated to making Massachusetts more walkable. For more information, and to register, click here.

Make a Difference Monday – October 22nd, 2018

What better way to start making a difference than within your local communities? Here’s a list of 5 local opportunities to get involved this week.

ARCK’s 7th Annual Auction Benefit Gala- 1,001 Artful Nights

Friday, October 26^th 6:00 pm to 12:00 am

Taj Hotel

15 Arlington St, Boston

Join Art Resource Collaborative for Kids (ARCK) for “1,001 Artful Nights,” their arabesque-themed benefit gala and auction. ARCK helps children and teachers integrate art with academics for leadership, civic engagement, and social justice learning. All proceeds from the event will help ARCK continue to use art as a vehicle for empowering the future creative workforce. For more information and to purchase tickets, click here.

Jett Foundation’s Trunk or Treat

Saturday, October 27^th 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm

Cordage Commerce Center

10 Cordage Park Circle, Plymouth

Join the Jett Foundation for their first annual Trunk or Treat event! Trick or treating can get extra tricky when you use a mobility device, so they’re making things a little easier. To register, click here. If you would like to volunteer the trunk of your car and a bowl of candy, please email danielle@jettfoundation.org.