April is Volunteer Appreciation Month: East End House is Lucky to Have so Many Volunteers to Thank!
East End House would like to thank our over 400 volunteers for making a difference in the lives of children, families, seniors, and individuals in your community!  East End House has an exciting new volunteer opportunity coming up this spring. We are launching our one-on-one mentoring program for middle school youth. We need your help to give a young person the support he or she needs to be successful. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer mentor or in any volunteer opportunities at East End House, contact Emily Bullen at 617-876-4444 or emily@eastendhouse.org. You can also check out volunteer opportunities on our website at www.eastendhouse.org/getinvolved. Volunteers help out during the
Thankgiving Drive. |
Cooking for a Cause a Smashing Success!
On March 19th some of the top chefs, specialty vendors, wineries and breweries came together in the State  Room for an evening of fabulous food, decadent desserts, and spectacular spirits to benefit the programs and services East End House offers to the community. Over 600 guests attended and over $400,000 was raised! Along with the fine food and drink, guests enjoyed jazz from the Bert Seager Trio and the Jamie Stewardson duo. There was also a silent auction and a live auction hosted by Kiss 108 and TV Diner's Billy Costa.
Chefs and Guests having
a great time
Thank you to all the guests, donors, volunteers, and supporters who helped to make Cooking for a Cause a huge success! Sponsors included: Alexandria Real Estat e Equities, Amgen, Inc., Cleveland Design, Mirant, East Cambridge Savings Bank, Genzyme, Webster, CambridgeSide Galleria, Clark, Hunt & Embry Attorneys at Law, Grace Construction Products, Jones Lang Lasalle, BioMed Realty Trust, Inc., Citizens Bank, Novartis Institutes of Biomedical Research, Mahoney's Garden Centers, Sanofi-Aventis, Seaport Graphics, TRO Jung/Brannen, Juniper Networks, The Beal Companies, LLP, WT Phelan Insurance, Community Newspaper Company, and the Improper Bostonian. Preparing delicious treats
Thank you also to all the chefs and vendors who made the evening such a great time! You can help us thank them by checking out their restaurants. They all promise a great meal and fabulous dining experience. You can find a complete list on our website at www.eastendhouse.org/cooking-for-a-cause. |
East End House is Helping Youth See Science in New Ways with a Transformational Science Grant from the Biogen Idec Foundation
East End House recently received a Transformational Science Grant from the Biogen Idec Foundation who awarded three of these grants to agencies across the country. The funds will be used to launch Generating and Evaluating New Adventures in Science After School (GENASAS) in our Middle School Program.  The program uses interactive classroom curriculum, field trips to local companies, guest speakers, and mentors from the field to get youth excited about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) and to expose them to careers they may never have considered. Classes like Food Science, All About Composting, and Robotics teach concepts in fun and relevant ways. The programming will be documented and evaluated by Program in Education, Afterschool, and Resiliency (PEAR), a group out of Harvard University and McLean Hospital who specialize in out of school time science programming. Middle Schoolers Lauren Thompson and Kourtney Corcoran pose with their projects. The rigorous evaluation will help pull out best practices so the program plan, curriculum, and other materials can be widely disseminated. ""The support from the Biogen Idec Foundation will help us to significantly expand and create new approaches to bringing science to Middle School youth in engaging, creative and enriching ways and to serve as a model for other programs," said Michael Delia, President and CEO of East End House. East End House, in collaboration with the United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merricmack Valley, created a STEM Volunteer Toolkit as a guide for businesses and agencies to engage with one another to help youth get excited about science and technology. Additional funding for this project was provided by the Amgen Foundation. The toolkit is available online at www.eastendhouse.org/newsevents. There are limited hard copies also available. If you are interested in receiving a hard copy, contact Rebecca Gallo at 617-876-4444 or rebecca@eastendhouse.org. |
Youth Mentoring Program Gets a Boost from the Ronald McDonald House Charities
East End House recently received a grant from the Ronald McDonald House Charities to fund our emerging One-on-One Youth Mentoring Program. The program will match middle school youth who are most at-risk with mentors from local businesses, universities, and community members who have time to spend with children in afterschool programs, their workplaces, and engaging in social activities in the community. The program will be rigorously documented and evaluated. The plan is to create a dynamic and effective model that can be used by other programs. "Mentoring is a great opportunity for various members of the community to be involved in the livelihood and well-being of youth in their community and to open windows of opportunity for young people," said Emily Bullen, Director of Community Programs. If you want to help a young person become a successful adult and realize their potential, becoming a mentor may be for you! If you are interested or for more information, contact Emily Bullen at 617-876-4444 or emily@eastendhouse.org. |
Staff on the National Scene
President and CEO, Michael Delia named to United Neighborhood Centers of America (UNCA) Board of Directors:
The United Neighborhood Centers of America is a national organization of neighborhood-based member agencies, all who have roots in the settlement house movement. It was started by Jane Adams in 1911 to meet the unique needs of community centers that were developing across the country as a grassroots solution to meet changing community needs. Today UNCA operates all across the country and is dedicated to serving as a forum for agencies to collaborate. It also advocates for policy initiatives that strengthen opportunities for the most vulnerable in our communities and that strengthen the fabric of entire neighborhoods. East End House is proud to trace its roots to the settlement house movement. For over 134 years, we have been providing holistic services that strengthen families, individuals, and the community as a whole. As a member of the UNCA Board, Michael will work to strengthen the infrastructure among community centers that are essential to the well-being of so many communities across the nation.
School Age Program Curriculum Director, Chrissy Souder presented at National Afterschool Association's National Conference:
Chrissy was invited to present at the National Afterschool Association (NAA)'s National Conference in New Orleans this month. She spoke about the APAS evaluation software, which East End House piloted two years ago. In an effort to better measure the effectiveness of our School Age Program, we began using the APAS, which incorporates three evaluation tools that measure individual child progress, overall program effectiveness, and a third system called Kid Trax that organizes all the data. Chrissy has become an expert on Kid Trax and spoke about the benefits and technical aspects of the program. Chrissy was also able to attend a variety of workshops and gain lot of knowledge to pass onto East End House staff.
|
We Need Your Help to Combat Hunger: Join Team East End House for Project Bread's Walk for Hunger
Spring is here and the weather is perfect for a 20 mile trek through Boston! The Walk for Hunger is an annual event that raises money for hundreds of food pantries and soup kitchens throughout Massachusetts. East End House receives support from this event, through Project Bread, for our Emergency Food Program. This year more than ever, our ability to meet growing demands for services means the difference for too many families between eating three healthy meals a day and skipping meals because they cannot afford to put food on the table. Every year, our Emergency Food Program distributes 11,000 pounds of fresh produce, meat, dairy, eggs, cheese, and non-perishable foods to feed over 650 individuals each month. We also have a Free Farmer's Market at Miller's River and Roosevelt Towers low-income senior housing complexes. Volunteers and staff bring fresh food to the lobby of the buildings and residents can take what they need while enjoying entertainment and socializing with neighbors. There have been dramatic increases in demand over the past few months with new consumers rising over 100%. Families in your community struggling to put nutritious food on the table need your help. Bust out your walking shoes and join us for a day of walking, entertainment, and fun! The Walk for Hunger is Sunday, May 3rd. It starts and ends on the Boston Common. For more information, contact Emily Bullen at emily@eastendhouse.org or check out our website at www.eastendhouse.org/newsevents. We hope to see you there! |
Senior Corner: A Fabulous Experience at Le Chateau of Waltham
The Sunrise Club is a group of seniors who meet twice a week at East End House to socialize, volunteer, and advocate for the needs of the senior population. They also embark on monthly field trips. In March a group of 26 group members took a bus, provided by the CambridgeSide Galleria, to Le Chateau in Waltham for a wonderful lunch. They described the restaurant as very accommodating to their large group from coordinating menu options ahead of time to welcoming the group enthusiastically. Everybody enjoyed their entrees-most had the Haddock St. Germaine, a baked piece of fish covered in a cream and Swiss cheese sauce. It was described by some as one of the best haddock dishes they have ever had! But, the most popular element of the meal was the delicious bread. Overall the experience at Le Chateau was wonderful. The service and atmosphere were magnificent and the food was delectable.
For more information on Senior Programs at East End House, contact Emily Bullen at 617-876-4444 or emily@eastendhouse.org. Also check out the Senior Programs page on our website at www.eastendhouse.org/programs-seniors. |
East End House is Looking for Energetic, Dedicated, and Talented Staff We are looking for new staff dedicated to our mission of providing quality programs to all members of our community. If you have the skills and passion, send us your resume. We are currently recruiting for the following job openings:
|
Save the Dates and Community Programs
Enrollment is now open for Summer Fun! Is your 5-12 year old ready to have a great time this summer? Summer Fun is a ten week full-day program that offers a ton of fun and enriching activities like swimming, baseball, basketball, dance classes, art classes, science experiments, journalism and writing classes, computer programming, and field trips all over the Boston area! There are also openings in our Afternoon Adventure program for the rest of the school year. For more information or to enroll your child, contact Chrissy at 617-876-4444 or chrissy@eastendhouse.org.
Looking for a way to give back to your community and get your hands
dirty for a good cause? Participate in our Spring Cleaning Day! It will be held at East End House on Saturday, May 16th from 9am-2pm.
We will be weeding the garden, composting, planting, landscaping,
painting, organizing, stocking and having fun. Refreshments and lunch
will be provided. Volunteers of all ages are welcome (children under 18
must be accompanied by an adult). For more information or to sign up contact Emily at 617-876-4444 or emily@eastendhouse.org.
Join the East End House and Kennedy/Longfellow Middle School Program as we celebrate Earth Day by helping to preserve the shore of the Charles River. On Wednesday, April 22 from 1:00-4:00pm the group will be doing work along the shore of the Charles River near Harvard Square. Volunteers of all ages are welcome, but those under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. For more information or to sign up, contact Emily at 617-876-4444 or emily@eastendhouse.org.
The East Cambridge Planning Team will meet on Wednesday, April 22nd and Wednesday, May 12th at 7pm at East End House. Light refreshments will be served. All are welcome and encouraged to attend! For more information or if you have any questions, contact Emily at 617-876-4444 or emily@eastendhouse.org. Are you looking for a fun, interactive, and educational morning for you and your 0-5 year old? Do you want to share ideas and stories with other parents? East End House playgroups may be for you! They are held every other Tuesday from 10-11:30am at East End House. Upcoming groups are April 21st, May 5th, and May 19th. You do not need to sign up, just drop by and enjoy the activities and a light snack. All with children under the age of 5 are welcome and encouraged to attend. For more information contact Camille at 617-876-4444 or camille@eastendhouse.org.
|
|
Let us know what services and programs you would like to see at East End House. Please e-mail your suggestions to rebecca@eastendhouse.org. Thank you in advance for your input and feedback.
For more information about East End House, please visit our web site at www.eastendhouse.org. | |
