Tech Goes Home: Free computer training through East Boston APAC

Tech Goes Home is a computer-based program with the goal of ensuring that all low-come residents of Greater Boston are equipped with the tools, training, and access to support the development of 21st Century skills. The TGH program offers resident the ability to improve their quality of life as new  member of the online community.

What's included for Boston residents?

• 15 Hours of  Computer training
• A web-based curriculum designed to help you access resources throughout the internet.
• The option to purchase a brand new computer for just $50
• Help in accessing significantly discounted high-speed internet for qualified participants

If you interested in participating or have any questions, Speak to a staff at ABCD East Boston APAC or Call 617-567-8857

RBC Wealth Management contributes to ABCD Winter Emergency Campaign

For the 4th consecutive year RBC (Royal Bank of Canada) Wealth Management participates in “Keep Boston Warm” campaign donating to the ABCD Winter Emergency Campaign

BOSTON— For the fourth year in a row, RBC Wealth Management will participate in the “Keep Boston Warm” Campaign and deliver truckloads of coats, jackets and boots for distribution to poor families and seniors throughout Boston’s neighborhoods.

"On behalf of the employees of RBC Wealth Management in Boston, eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island we are proud to support ABCD through our 4th annual "Keep Boston Warm" winter clothing and fuel assistance drive” explained Paul J. Leyden, Boston Complex Director, RBC Wealth Management. “We know that our efforts are going to a good cause. ABCD does a great job of getting these winter clothing items we collected quickly into the hands of families in Boston that need them the most. We are proud of our connection with ABCD and hope our efforts will motivate other corporate citizens in Boston to think of ABCD during this extraordinary time of need. "

On Thursday, January 15 at 1PM RBC representatives will deliver donations to the ABCD central office located at 178 Tremont Street, Boston, MA, 02111.

“ABCD is so grateful to RBC Wealth Management for their ongoing support during these frigid New England winters,” said ABCD President/CEO John J. Drew. “The truckloads of warm coats, boots, comforters, and other goods that they are will go to homes where people desperately need help staying warm. The fuel assistance donation is critical in helping us respond to hundreds of emergency calls for oil from customers who have used up their benefits. We thank RBC from the bottom of our hearts.”

About RBC Wealth Management – U.S.:
In the United States, RBC Wealth Management operates as a division of RBC Capital Markets, LLC. Founded in 1909, RBC Capital Markets, LLC. is a member of the New York Stock Exchange, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the Securities Investor Protection Corporation, and other major securities exchanges.  RBC Wealth Management has more than $281 billion of assets under administration and nearly 2,000 financial advisors operating in 200 locations in 41 states.

About ABCD:
ABCD serves more than 100,000 low-income Boston-area residents through its central offices and a decentralized network of Neighborhood Service Centers (NSCs), Head Start centers, Family Planning sites and Foster Grandparent sites. Programs and affiliations include Fuel Assistance; Head Start; Child Care Services; Child Care Choices of Boston; Education; Career Development; Housing and Homelessness Services; Health Services; Family Planning; Urban College of Boston; University High – an Alternative High School; Ostiguy High School for high school students in recovery; Weatherization; Foster Grandparents; Elder Services; Intergenerational Programs; management of the Combined Federal Campaign, Commonwealth of Massachusetts and City of Boston employee giving campaigns; advocacy and consumer services.

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ABCD urges immediate release of federal fuel assistance funds

(BOSTON, October 1, 2014) As cold weather looms and electricity costs spike, Action for Boston Community Development urges the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services to release all funding for the Low-income Home Energy Assistance Program now, so that fuel assistance programs in cold northern states can expedite planning and implementation of fuel delivery to millions of low-income families and seniors who depend on the program to survive the bitter winter months.

ABCD President/CEO John J. Drew thanked the many U.S. Senators who have signed on to a Continuing Resolution LIHEAP Release Letter that is being sent to HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell requesting that HHS release LIHEAP funds as quickly and at as high a level as possible under the current Continuing Resolution that is funding the government until December 11.

“We are grateful to our Massachusetts Senators Warren and Markey and to the many others who have signed this letter,” Drew said. “At ABCD we already have more than 10,000 applications for fuel assistance and there are thousands more statewide. Working poor families and seniors are facing the cold with very limited resources as fuel prices rise once again.”

More than one-third of the more than 20,000 fuel applications received last year at ABCD were from seniors or persons with disabilities.

“These are the most vulnerable members of society, facing yet another frigid New England winter,” said Drew. “If HHS can release ALL the LIHEAP funds now, we are able to establish maximum benefits at the beginning of the winter so people have some idea how to budget to meet their needs.”

Drew pointed out that knowing the maximum benefit also gives ABCD and other programs the ability to negotiate payment plans with utilities to get customers whose electricity or gas was cut off during the summer turned back on before the moratorium on utility shut-offs begins. (The “moratorium” means that utilities are not allowed to turn off customers’ gas and electricity during the winter months. However, if a customer was shut off in the summer and doesn’t have the funds to get reinstated, they are left without gas or electric for the winter.)

ABCD is launching its Winter Emergency Campaign to raise funds, gather warm clothing, and carry out a number of initiatives to help people in need survive the cold winter months.

To donate to Fuel Assistance/Winter Emergency Campaign please go to www.bostonabcd.org or call (617) 348-6559.

About ABCD:
ABCD serves more than 100,000 low-income Boston-area residents through its central offices and a decentralized network of Neighborhood Service Centers (NSCs), Head Start centers, Family Planning sites and Foster Grandparent sites. Programs and affiliations include Fuel Assistance; Head Start; Child Care Services; Child Care Choices of Boston; Education; Career Development; Housing and Homelessness Services; Health Services; Family Planning; Urban College of Boston; University High – an Alternative High School; Ostiguy High School for high school students in recovery; Weatherization; Foster Grandparents; Elder Services; Intergenerational Programs; management of the Combined Federal Campaign, Commonwealth of Massachusetts and City of Boston employee giving campaigns; advocacy and consumer services.

Source: ABCD

East Boston APAC Community Hero Mary Cahalane to be honored at ABCD Community Awards on Sept. 16

Celebrating 50th Anniversary of Historic Economic Opportunity Act; Renowned community activists Sarah Ann Shaw, Hubie Jones join ABCD Hall of Fame;  The Supreme’s Mary Wilson to perform!

Action for Boston Community Development rolls out the festivities on September 16 in a gala celebration of 17 outstanding community volunteers who embody the spirit of the landmark Economic Opportunity Act, celebrating its 50th Anniversary this year. 

That historic 1964 EOA legislation launched the War on Poverty in America and gave birth to the nation’s community action programs, including ABCD. It spawned an era of opportunity and empowerment that moved millions out of poverty and created ongoing social institutions such as Legal Services, Head Start, Community Health Centers and more.

ABCD East Boston ABCD honors volunteer of the year

“One of the greatest ways you can spread kindness and help is to spend time with the elderly” says Mary Cahalane. 

A life-long East Boston resident and Boston Public School teacher for 32 years, Mary Cahalane has devoted her life to helping the community. As a 30-year member of St. Vincent DePaul Society, Mary served  as the first female president for 16 years and continues to offer person-to-person service to individuals in need. 

Mary Cahalane of East Boston APAC

Mary offers critical support to some of East Boston’s most vulnerable residents as a volunteer. Through her hands-on charitable work she is a vital part of the neighborhood, working to provide food, heating assistance, and emergency support and disaster relief services to help enhance the lives of those around her. 

ABCD Community Awards Dinner

“ABCD is proud to honor our community volunteers and others who go above and beyond to help those in need,” said ABCD President/CEO John J. Drew. “Their spirit and commitment speak to the essence of the EOA 50th anniversary that we celebrate this year. At ABCD, we are proud to persist in our work to achieve that landmark legislation’s mission ‘to eliminate the paradox that is poverty in the midst of plenty in this Nation…’  We look forward to a grand celebration of community and voluntarism!” 

Giving voice to the evening’s enthusiastic retro spirit is Mary Wilson of The Supremes! The flagship Motown girl group helped define the sound of young America in the 1960s with a slew of R&B/soul classics: Stop! In the Name of Love, You Can’t Hurry Love, Where Did our Love Go? and so many more. Today Mary Wilson performs with the same passion as she did then, and the world-renowned celebrity uses her fame and flair to promote humanitarian efforts to end hunger, raise AIDS awareness and encourage world peace.

Sarah Ann Shaw and Hubie Jones, two community icons who have made a difference for hundreds of thousands in Boston and beyond, will be inducted into the ABCD Hall of Fame.

Sarah Ann Shaw was Boston’s first female African-American television reporter and is a renowned community activist who ran ABCD’s neighborhood programs in the organization’s early days. A longtime Dorchester resident, she helped define minority affairs programming and news content and is the recipient of hundreds of journalistic and community awards.

Hubie Jones will be recognized for his vital role in Boston and America’s social justice movement. He has held numerous positions in academia, served in policy and management roles at several community institutions and played a leadership role in the social development of Boston and its people. Reverend Liz Walker, award-winning television journalist, former anchor, WBZ-TV/Channel 4 and ordained minister, will deliver the invocation. Karen Holmes Ward, Director of Public Affairs and Community Services as well as host/executive producer, CityLine, WCVB-TV/Channel 5, is mistress of ceremonies. 

The 17 community volunteers to be recognized for their tireless efforts to address the plight of Boston’s underprivileged residents and communities are: Griselda Polanco, Allston/Brighton NOC, Elyas Harris, Asian American Civic Association, Stephanie Simmons, Dorchester NSC, Mary Cahalane, East Boston APAC, Fran Johnson, Elder Services, Liz Miranda, Elm Hill FSC, Crystal Jones, Head Start & Children Services, Eugenia Smith, Health Services, Pansy Langley, HP/Project Care & Concern, Jane Reitz, John F. Kennedy FSC, Michael Baker, Jamaica Plain APC/Boston Hispanic Center, Audrey Downey, Mattapan FSC, Marian O’Neill, North End/West End NSC, Carmen Pola, Parker Hill/Fenway NSC, Anne Brennan, South Boston APAC, Dareline Jackson, South End NSC and Cynthia Penton-Bell, Women’s Service Club of Boston.

For more information, please contact Amelia at 617-348-6238 or email amelia.auborg@bostonabcd.org.

About ABCD:

ABCD serves more than 100,000 low-income Boston-area residents through its central offices and a decentralized network of Neighborhood Service Centers (NSCs), Head Start centers, Family Planning sites and Foster Grandparent sites. Programs and affiliations include Fuel Assistance; Head Start; Child Care Services; Child Care Choices of Boston; Education; Career Development; Housing and Homelessness Prevention Services; Health Services; Family Planning; Urban College of Boston; University High – an Alternative High School; Ostiguy High School for high school students in recovery; Weatherization; Foster Grandparents; Elder Services; Intergenerational Programs; Food Pantries in several Boston neighborhoods; management of the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), Commonwealth of Massachusetts Employees Charitable Campaign (COBECC) and City of Boston Employees Charitable Campaign (COBECC); advocacy and consumer services.

Source: ABCD 8/27                                                                                        ###