Entries from Advocates' Art Exhibit, held each year in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month. | |
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March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month
· Resource booths
· Informational sessions
· Family meet and greet
· Announcing grant opportunities for families
Visit Advocates' booth at "Visions of Community," a conference hosted by the Federation for Children with Special Needs on March 12th.
Advocates is proud to sponsor the first annual "SLIde 'n Ride" with our partner in brain injury services, Supportive Living, Inc., and the Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts on March 20th.
On March 9th, Advocates and Western Mass. Recovery Learning will co-host a screening of "Healing Homes" and discussion with director Daniel Mackler. |
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Advocates Families Celebrate the Season
Family and staff of Advocates' Project Able in Chinatown and South Costal Family Support Center in Randolph recently celebrated the season with fun for all ages.
Project Able observed the Chinese New Year, 中國新年, with the Chinese and Vietnamese families they serve from the Greater Boston and South Shore areas. The celebration was held at the China Pearl restaurant in the heart of Chinatown where guests enjoyed several courses of a traditional Chinese meal. Families were greeted with Stop and Shop gift cards and Curious George gifts for the children.
The South Coastal Family Support Center presented a Winter Carnival at Saint John the Baptist in Quincy for the South Shore area families they support. Guests enjoyed arts and crafts, a basketball arcade game, face painting, temporary tattoos, meeting new people, socializing and more. Children were surprised with Curious George books and gift sets.
 
Families of Advocates Project Able enjoyed Chinese New Year festivities.
Both programs give a special thanks to Carol Osiecki of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing for her generous donation of Curious George books and gift sets.
For more information about Advocates' family supports programs visit www.AdvocatesInc.org.
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People's United Community Foundation Grant Helps Advocates Provide Safety Net for Local Residents
Advocates recently received its first grant from People's United Community Foundation (PUCF). The $2500 grant will help support our Advocacy, Benefits and Legal Services program and local residents like the Martinez family of Framingham.
When the landlord of their subsidized apartment ignored frequent requests to repair serious health and safety issues, the Martinez family reached out to the Advocacy, Benefits and Legal Services program at the behest of a friend. Program director and attorney Liliana Mangiafico advocated for the family. After initial denials by the landlord, Liliana initiated legal intervention and a successful mediation effort, and today the family's home is fully renovated. "The apartment looks completely different than the one I stepped into less than a year ago," said Liliana.
According to president and CEO, William J. Taylor, "For over fifteen years, our Advocacy, Benefits and Legal Services program has served as a vital safety net in the community, helping some of the most vulnerable residents among us to remain in their homes where they can live safely and with dignity. We're grateful to People's United for recognizing the need and helping us to continue to offer this important service in our local communities. We look forward to a successful partnership."
To learn more about Advocates Advocacy, Benefits and Legal Services visit www.AdvocatesInc.org.
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Sanbolic's Software Donation Brings State-of-the-Art
Technology to Advocates
With over 100 sites and 20,000 individuals served each year, Advocates IT needs are increasingly complex. Staff members rely on email, on-line data and network connections 24-hours a day, every day. Sanbolic, a software company based in Watertown, Mass., has stepped in to help Advocates meet these complex needs through a generous donation of their Melio software. Melio increases server capacity, creates efficiencies and reduces down-time, so that the systems employees depend on to perform their essential duties are substantially more reliable. Thanks to Sanbolic for making this state-of-the-art technology available to Advocates.
VP of National Sales Bo Thurmond of Sanbolic (pictured left) receives an award from President and CEO Bill Taylor for Sanbolic's generous donation at the 1881 Worcester Road Open House in December. |
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Advocates' mission is to help people achieve their hopes and dreams within the fabric of their communities. We partner with people with disabilities, elders, and those with other challenges to overcome personal obstacles and societal barriers so that they can obtain and keep homes, engage in work and other meaningful activities, and sustain satisfying relationships. We work to inspire communities to create opportunities for contribution and participation by all.
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