There are so many events happening here at the Harriet Tubman House as summer rolls around. Please take a few minutes to read about some of the amazing things we are doing here in our building and in our community. 

Sincerely,

Kevin Hepner
President & CEO

Event Recap:
STEP ON BOARD CELEBRATION

 
On June 12, 2012, nearly 300 guests filled United South End Settlements' (USES) Harriet Tubman House to celebrate the people and culture of Boston's South End / Lower Roxbury neighborhood. Rep. Byron Rushing and Frieda Garcia were presented with the Harriet Tubman Community Achievement Award. Paulette Ford, longtime South End resident who fought tirelessly during the 1990s for the re-building of Camfield Estates with retention of affordable housing for its residents, was presented with the Harriet Tubman Community Advocacy Award.

  

"During my first board meeting as Executive Director," Frieda Garcia says, "Ronald Reagan was being sworn into office, which proved to be the beginning of deep federal funding cuts for social service agencies like USES." Garcia described how she faced these financial challenges head on by raising necessary funds from other sources. USES is facing a similar turn of events given the current political and economic climate.    

 

Paulette Ford attributed much of her success as a community advocate to her close relationship with Larry Ellis, the first Executive Director of the Camfield Estates Tenants Association. Paulette received her award in memory of Mr. Ellis.   

 

Throughout the evening, sounds from the Stan Strickland Group filled the air while ten of the South End's finest restaurants provided tastings from their menus. "The food is spectacular. There is so much variety and I simply do not have the capacity to try every dish offered" said one guest. "I'm torn as I contemplate my final few choices for the evening."

 

The event exceeded its fundraising goal and yielded $154,000 from several sponsors, including George and Ann Macomber, M|C Partners, and Amos and Barbara Hostetter, among many others.  

 

Since almost forever, Angela Taylor has been creating masterpieces with recycled materials. "I have been doing this for so long, I can't even remember when I started," says Angela. Now almost 97 years old, she does not foresee stopping any time soon.  

 

When she was asked to reflect, Angela said her inspiration and creativity probably came from her father. "My dad, he loved to garden," she says. "He loved to make things with his hands; he even made his own tools. We didn't have lots of money, so if you wanted something, you had to make it."

 

This passion for re-purposing old materials has inspired Angela to start a Creative Recycling class, here at the Harriet Tubman House. The program runs on Wednesdays from 10am-2pm, from September to May.  

 

It was not always so easy to find space to run the program. Originally, Angela recalls that she ran the program out of the YWCA, and when the funding was cut, she found a second home at the Harriet Tubman House, where she teaches other seniors to use their creative minds. "My mind just works creatively," she says. "My mind sees something else that someone else would never see."

 

Her passion for recycling materials is shared by many of the seniors who are part of the program. Throughout the year, they make ornaments, figures, and other crafts to sell around the neighborhood. They are not keeping the profits, though. Whenever they make money, they donate it to the youth programming here at United South End Settlements.

 

As the program expands, Angela sees no end in sight. "I hope I can keep doing this forever. As long as they let me in the building, I'll be making something out of recycled materials." 

 

To learn more about the Creative Recycling program, please visit our website at www.uses.org, or come in and ask someone at the front desk.