Our 2013 Annual Report is Now Available

It is our great pleasure to share with you the Foundation for MetroWest 2013 Annual Report. Thanks to your generosity, in 2013, we were able to distribute nearly one million dollars to support nonprofit organizations in our community who work diligently to strengthen our region.

We have much to be proud of over this past year. Our forward momentum has our Board and staff energized and ready to reach more people, help more neighbors, and enrich the MetroWest communities in which we live and work. Together, there is so much more we can do. We encourage you to join us in our efforts to build strong communities, now and for the future.

"My daughter Caroline entered the Youth in Philanthropy program with limited knowledge about the needs in our region and the role nonprofits play within our community," explained Jennifer Egener, Youth in Philanthropy parent and Dover resident. "This program gives high school students an in-depth understanding of philanthropy and the inner workings of nonprofit organizations."

"This program is invaluable for our children. I watched Caroline develop an appreciation for our community after learning about the needs that exist in our own backyard. She has become a thoughtful philanthropist, knowing how to give and give intelligently. I hope you will join me in giving back to the Foundation and their youth programming initiatives like the Youth in Philanthropy program."

Please help us continue to offer this program to students like Caroline by making a donation today. Thanks to a very generous donor, all new gifts to the Foundation will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $25,000 until September 2014. Donations to our Youth Challenge 2014 provide the resources to ensure that we can continue to develop and expand programming to help young adults better understand their role in helping to make this world a better place.

Volunteers from Lexington Youth & Family Services - one of the four organizations that received a grant

"It has been wonderful during this first year of the Community Endowment of Lexington (CEL) fundraising to watch the initiative take hold in the community," said Stephanie Lawrence, chair of the CEL Community Board. "We are living in a time where the strength of our town depends on the wisdom, talents, and generosity offered by its residents. The positive response and support we've received from everyone has been incredibly inspiring, and has allowed us to complete the first of many grant cycles in support of nonprofits doing such great work in Lexington."

The CEL is a endowed town fund of the Foundation for MetroWest. Here at the Foundation, we are working with teams of volunteers in three of our communities (Wellesley, Southborough, and Lexington) to build the necessary resources to strengthen the place they call home. If you are interested in starting a Town Fund, email Amy Axelrod or call 508.647.2260.

To read about the CEL grants awarded, click here. You can see photos from the event here.

Community Endowment of Lexington Community Board (L to R) Hua Wang, Pauline Benninga, Leslie Zales, William Blout, Stephanie Lawrence, Deborah Osber