Community Boating Center - New Bedford, Mass. - July 2008

CBC provides summer, after-school and school-based sailing programs for at-risk youth in greater New Bedford. Since 1998, CBC has been enriching the lives of young people by exposing them to a new and challenging environment built on trust and respect. Built on the rich waterfront heritage of New Bedford, CBC offers summer sailing courses to youth from 7 to 18, as well as after-school programs for local high school students. CBC partners with the city and local advocacy organizations, including Child & Family Services, DSS, Boys & Girls Club, PACE and New Bedford Prevention Partnership to identify youth in need of guidance.

Dress for Success - Boston, Mass. - April 2008

The nonprofit organization assists low-income women entering or re-entering the workplace by providing professional attire, a network of support and career development tools to help them become financially independent. Since 2001, Dress for Success Boston has helped nearly 3,000 women obtain and retain employment through partnerships with local welfare to work agencies, battered women’s shelters, homeless shelters and organizations that help new immigrants acclimate to the United States.

Emmaus - Haverhill, Mass. - January 2008

Emmaus owns and manages eight affordable housing developments and two overnight shelters in the inner city area of Haverhill. Founded in 1985, Emmaus secures affordable housing and emergency shelter for formerly homeless families, disabled adults, the elderly, and men and women dealing with substance abuse and mental illness. It offers 13 programs for its clients with services ranging from housing assistance and job readiness and placement to learning to live independently, budgeting, case management, emergency shelter and meals.

Over the past two decades, it has developed 65 units of affordable housing and is now creating 20 units to address the growing demand for permanent housing within the elderly population. Emmaus has helped more than 17,000 children, women and men out of homelessness and move toward permanent housing, employment and independent living.

Jeanne Geiger Crisis Center - Amesbury and Newburyport, Mass. - October 2007

The Jeanne Geiger Crisis Center works with victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in nine cities and towns on the North Shore of Boston. For 25 years, Jeanne Geiger Crisis Center has worked to protect victims of domestic violence and sexual assault, educate the community about domestic violence and create partnerships with police departments, civic organizations and community leaders who can change the lives of women and their children. It offers a confidential 24-hour hotline, support groups with child care and legal representation by staff and pro bono attorneys.

EarthWorks - Boston, Mass. - July 2007

Founded in 1989, EarthWorks was established to create a healthier, more sustainable environment for the residents of greater Boston, particularly in neighborhoods such as Roxbury, Mission Hill and Dorchester, where green space is limited. It offers environmental education, urban forestry and horticultural training programs for school children and urban teens and partners with neighborhood groups, volunteer organizations and the Boston Parks Department to plant trees, restore wildlife habitat and harvest locally grown fruit.

To date, it has planted 60 public orchards in greater Boston. Residents share in the harvest, while developing a deeper understanding of how locally grown fruit contributes to a city’s sustainability, conserves scarce natural resources and reduces the production of greenhouse gases.

Esperanza Academy - Lawrence, Mass. - April 2007

Esperanza Academy is a tuition-free middle school providing quality education to economically-disadvantaged girls of diverse faiths, races and cultures. It strives to break the cycle of poverty by serving as an educational institution and safe haven. Students are supported and encouraged to excel in a rigorous and challenging curriculum that begins at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 6:30 p.m.

Briarcliff Lodge - Lynn, Mass. - January 2007

Briarcliff Lodge, part of Lynn Community Elder Services, houses adult day programs for frail elders on the North Shore who suffer from dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and other chronic acute conditions. Clients are medically monitored throughout the day, receiving restorative therapies and medications as prescribed by their doctors. Beginning as a small adult day health center in 1977, the program moved in 1983 to the present Briarcliff Lodge location and has since grown to meet the community's needs for a specialized component for elders with Alzheimer's Disease. It provides services to 70 elders a day, 52 weeks a year.

Women's Lunch Place - Boston, Mass. - October 2006

The Women’s Lunch Place is a day shelter in the heart of the Back Bay that provides nutritious food and services to homeless and poor women in greater Boston. The shelter was founded in 1982 in the basement of a church on Newbury Street. It provides anywhere from 80 to 125 women nutritious breakfasts and lunches six days a week. It is a safe haven where guests are welcomed and accepted by staff and volunteers.

Falmouth Service Center - Falmouth, Mass, - July 2006

In 2005, the Falmouth Service Center provided 15,000 bags of nutritious food to its Falmouth clients. The organization recently extended its services to support 125 residents in neighboring Mashpee. In addition to the food pantry, FSC has a community garden that is managed by clients, volunteers and residents of Falmouth. Half of the fresh vegetables and fruits grown in the garden are donated to the food pantry for distribution to FSC clients.

The Community Family - Everett, Medford and Lowell, Mass. - April 2006

The Community Family has been a leader in adult day health care for more than 25 years serving 10,000 frail elders and disabled adults in its Everett, Medford and Lowell facilities. The organization, which pioneered specialized Alzheimer’s adult day health care in 1990, provides dignified care designed to meet the specific needs of those with Alzheimer’s disease in its Medford and Lowell locations.

Partners for Youth with Disabilities - Boston, Mass. - January 2006

PYD is the only mentoring program in the state specifically designed to serve youth with disabilities. It provides high quality one-to-one and group mentor programs to hundreds of youth between the ages of six to 22 each year. PYD has helped thousands of Massachusetts youth in the past 20 years and it has been recognized nationally as a leader in the field of mentoring. It offers a number of programs for its clients including mentor match, making healthy connections, mentoring through peer leadership, partners online, young entrepreneurs and access to theatre.