Boston Nonprofits and Charities

I've been working with PMD as a volunteer for over 20 years - doing many different things. PMD's model of providing volunteers to other organizations for an individual project helps a lot of other nonprofits and lets volunteers discover what they enjoy doing.

I worked for ELM as a campaign and advocacy fellow, and had such a great experience. Super knowledgeable and passionate staff who really care about the issues they are fighting for.

Greetings, <br>I am currently located in Kuwait and have really enjoyed all of the information and activites that I have seen from the MOER Foundation . <br> <br>Their programs especially for Community Development for Youngmen are superb! <br> <br>Best of luck with all of the works !

We have been with NAMI for over 20 years since our son's illness began in high school. The influx of new active enthusiastic NAMI members from the Family to Family courses is all you need to see, to realize the genius of the F2F program. It is top-notch concentrated education and a support group rolled into one and it's just what a new family needs when mental illness enters a family's life. The NAMI WALK is an annual celebration of the fact that recovery is possible, sometimes to an amazing degree. We have done the NAMI WALK every year since it began in Boston in 2004. NAMI has other great programs too, and they have helped our family learn and grow.

This is an organization that has disenfranchised members by destroying the oldest YMCA in the country, disrespecting an important historic building in YMCA history, selling assets to Northeastern University, which was started at the Y. They erected a 20 plus story student dorm in its place, reduced facilities and activities for members. Employees with long employment tenure were fired and or moved to locations surrounding Boston with impossible commutes to motivate them to resign. Employees looking for help in difficult situations with management reported the working environment as toxic, especially for women. Firings and terminations have resulted in employment lawsuits that in most cases were settled out of court with confidential details about disputes. Members filed lawsuits against the management and organization were actions were directed by member-attorneys. The Y collects large sums of money from federal grants and payments for housing and child care, details in financial statements. The after-school child care does not have effective programs involving exercise and education but rather simply babysits them in classrooms to maximize revenue and minimize costs. Housing residents are often individuals who are dangerous to members, especially children. In the dispute with members during the destruction period, it is clear historic records of votes by members on governance were missing from the official archives which would have provided better governance, giving members greater control of the organization rather than absolute powers to the management and board. The extent of the misdeeds of the organization are too numerous be listed here. For these misdeeds, Kevin Washington and director Connors were given positions of CEO of the YMCA of the USA and director respectively. Many members clearly remember these issues. It is the opinion of many loyal and dedicated members, including generous philanthropic donors who offered large sums of money to compromise on the management of the organization and its evolution, this is not an organization that deserves any philanthropic support.

We are all brothers and sisters and we all come together to help each other threw hard times.

This nonprofit doing great work for girls education!

Fantastic organization! They promote the rights and integration of immigrants and refugees, as well as provide free services to the community. MIRA also conducts policy analysis and advocacy, institutional organizing, training and leadership development, strategic communications, and citizenship assistance throughout New England. The staff and volunteers are passionate about the work they do, and are determined to make a change in their community whether is working with legislators or doing community outreach. Volunteering at MIRA has been a fantastic experience!

As a board member of Pathways to Wellness since April 2012, I have seen and appreciate the commitment, passion and professionalism of the staff. The acupuncture and Chinese herbal services Pathways clinicians provide are highly respected in the greater Boston community. The organization is dedicated to expanding access to those from diverse communities, regardless of a client's ability to pay. The staff and volunteers passion for the organization's mission is inspiring and makes me proud to be a part of this organization and movement.

Ahimsa has been a good friend and supporter of our little group C. A. R. E. and our no-kill, cage-free Sanctuary in the high desert of Los Angeles county for many years. Their ongoing kindness has helped us keep on keeping on and means more to us than we can say. Their name speaks for itself and their philosophy.

Wanted to answer the letter from JMH27 who reports that the female Samaritan who answered his call'had to go' - naturally because of your mind state at that time you would think you were getting short, sharp, treatment, however did you for one minute ever consider that she really did have to go - possibly, just possibly she had come 'on duty' to find out she was doing solo cover, so her responses would need to be short, OR possibly she began to feel poorly, or maybe had to answer an urgent call or nature!? It can happen you know.<br>Over many years I have (at times) had to use this service, each time bar perhaps just one the response has been appropriate, sometimes the operators have gone above and beyond their duty and gone that extra mile-just like in real life. These folk are doing this job to help others, working unsociable hours, listening to traumatic life events and all voluntarily.<br>I would suggest to anyone who is feeling as bad as the person who was on here to of course access the Samaritans service BUT to also contact their GP and be referred for counselling which is extremely beneficial, anyone with mental health problems needs to help themselves too. Hope you have got through your dark time and do not let one unhelpful experience cloud your judgment of a very worthwhile and FREE service! Good luck to you.

since my daughter was born she was cared for in the hospital in the pneumonia area. She was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis. Since that day thousands of appointments, stress, , crying. My life fell apart. ALONE, NO FAMILY IN A STRANGE COUNTRY. I started studying my daughter's illness, and I began to notice that nothing matched what was expected of the disease except little weight gain. Follow the pressure, you must gain weight. Nutritionists, hours pushing my daughter to eat. More pressure. But the daughter had no symptom of the disease. Final: Doctors prepend to hospital her so she can do an invasive procedure to increase her weight. I SAID NO. I SAID NO BECAUSE I'M NOT IGNORANT. I SAID NO BECAUSE I LOVE MY DAUGHTER. I SAID NO and I told them I'm going to get second opinion. I Find another hospital ;in the meantime they called Dcf accusing me of negligence. Second opinion signed by another hospital is totally opposite to this hospital. My daughter is a normal, healthy girl who's going to have a normal life. My daugther is small because her father is Indian. Case closed in dcf . They ruined my life for three years. They wouldn't let me enjoy my motherhood. They took away my dreams. They dried my heart. Why did they do it? Draw your conclusions.

The core idea of CRY America is to make the change permanent,and this is quite unique than any of existing non-profit organization.The model followed by CRY America is unique in which it states that no organization can be successful without active involvement of local community in the program.Extremely proud to be volunteer of CRY America.

&ldquo;For it is in giving that we receive.&rdquo; <br>&#8213; St. Francis of Assisi<br>My drum corps career began in 1983 at 13 years old in a small corps in my hometown of Keene, NH. Four years later I became a member of the Crusader family. The Crusaders gave me a vehicle to share my passions as a young musician and performer. They gave me the ability to entertain and perform in front of tens of thousands of people in the best venues in the country. Not only did I get opportunities to perform but I learned numerous life lessons along the way. I learned that success does not happen without hard work. I learned that even though you may experience failure you cannot succeed without having determination and being persistent. I learned how to work with over 100 people under sometimes adverse conditions to achieve a common goal. I continue to benefit from my marching years in the Crusaders by applying the lessons I learned in my life. The continued friendships (and new ones) I made over 25 years ago enrich my life and provide a link to a shared history. <br><br>None of the lessons I learned could have happened without the support from alumni, staff, volunteers, fans and friends of the corps. The Boston Crusaders (past and present) could not have achieved success without the people that helped us get down the road; the drivers, the cooks and other volunteers. Our instructional staff, who were all volunteers were the best and provided an environment to allow us to overachieve as a corps and as individuals. This couldn&rsquo;t have happened without the support of the Board of Directors and Administrative Staff that put it all together. Of course, all this required funds to pay the bills for the buses, equipment and food to feed the corps on the road. Our financial supporters, who bought souvenirs, show or raffle tickets, or who made donations helped make this happen.<br><br>I give to the Boston Crusaders because I want to support the &ldquo;corps we love&rdquo; like those that did when I was a member, and those before that. I give to the Boston Crusaders because I want the legacy of the Boston Crusaders to continue for another 75 years. I want the current members to have better equipment and better instruction so that they can have a better experience than I did when I was a member. I want the current members to get the opportunity to learn liife lessons like work ethic, dedication & leadership like I did so I could be successful later in life.

I joined NAAAP Boston in 2012, first as a member then as a volunteer leader. This is my 3rd year with NAAAP Boston. It's an incredible organization, especially because it's all volunteer-run. It has helped me grow my professional network (both locally and nationally, through the NAAAP network) and gained leadership skills (e.g. managing a team of volunteers to host events/conferences, collaborating with other non-profits), and it feels great to give back to the community! I now have life-long friends and amazing mentors because of NAAAP Boston. If you are new to Boston, in career transition or considering new opportunities, or just want to meet like-minded Asian professionals, NAAAP Boston is your non-profit.

United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley is probably one of the worst non-profits you can give to in the area. I can't speak for national United Way, but this one is horrible. They spend a good chunk of their dollars on fancy parties and fundraisers for the wealthy and the employees rarely interact with the community. I used to give to this United Way until I realized how much of my money is wasted paying for their CEO's $300,000+ pay and a middle man that does not physically accomplish any work themselves. They seem to spend most of their time trying to make donors feel good instead of helping the community. They are definitely just a fundraising organization. <br> <br>Support an organization that actually does something! I will never give them another cent.

GRI does great work where it counts - at the community level around the world. Their work fighting for social justice is inspiring.

In 1998, our daughter, born just 17 months prior with Down Symdrome, was diagnosed with AML, a type of leukemia. She was successfully treated at Tuft's Floating Hospital Heme-Onc. clinic and is now a thriving 15 1/2 yr. old. During her 6 month chemo ordeal, we had the pleasure of spending a few nights at the Neely House along with our sons, who were 5 + 7 at the time. it gave us some much needed family time. Since our stay the Neely House has doubled in size,, allowing more families that same much needed family time in a warm and welcoming environment. We will always have a spot in our hearts for the Neely Foundation!

I'm a member of the Children's Museum, and it's been worth every penny! My kids are there at least once a week. We appreciate that there are activities for every age group, from crawlers up through ages 8 or so. Their current exhibit on refugee camps is a great experiential and education exhibit for older kids. We also love that the membership is reciprocal and can be used at many other museums around the country.

I have never felt so disrespected, humiliated and insulted as I did by the Systems Alignment Community Power Network (CPN) staff from TAC. Their actions contradict the very principles they claim to uphold—they do not practice what they preach. My experience with them was deeply troubling, as I witnessed discrimination, belittling, hate, ignored and racism unlike anything I’ve seen before, they want to shut me up, silence and muffled me, their reliance on non-transparency, gossip, and closed-door policies only exacerbates the issue even I attend as volunteer not paid staff for more than 1 year , Their behavior is completely misaligned with my values, believed, work and actions. I hope for a courageous and honest conversation to address these issues. The word "hypocrisy" perfectly encapsulates their approach.<br>1

The staff at Benjamin Healthcare Center are truly exceptional, going above and beyond to provide compassionate, personalized care every day to the residents they care for. Their dedication is evident in the smiles of the residents, who are not only well-cared for but also always look clean and happy.

My best friend just died of pancreatic cancer, after going more than 5 months back and forth to the Fenway with every typical symptom and just being given pain meds and acid blockers and diabetes meds and no one referring him for scans or to a specialist even when he asked. When he finally got himself-- on his own-- to another health system for a GI aptmt and scan because it was open enrollment and he switched out of HMO, he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer right at borderline of being able to get surgery, was told to do chemo first to shrink tumor a little and it didn't work and spread beyond being able to be resected. This is entirely because of Fenway's negligence and malpractice, as it should have been diagnosed more than 5 months earlier when it likely still could have been resected. <br> <br>These are the symptoms my friend had: unexplained rapid and severe weight loss, diffuse abdominal pain that was sometimes severe, sudden onset diabetes, and severe fatigue. The Drs and nurses he saw at Fenway just gave him painkillers and an acid blocker saying maybe he had an ulcer (but with no diagnostic procedures to see if he did) and put him on metformin for the diabetes, and told him he was probably just stressed. He asked about whether to cancel a 2 month trip out of the country and his dr said he could go because maybe it was all just stress and he'd get better by going. He came home early in severe pain and went to ER. Even then when he asked for a referral and scan, they told him to go to Beth Israel and when he called BI he was told that he'd need to wait a month or more for a scan and that Fenway had not sent over any referral. He happened to know someone with a relative working at another health system and so, on his own with his new insurance, he got himself a consult and scan and biopsy and it was pancreatic cancer. <br> <br>It turns out that all the symptoms he had were indicative of pancreatic cancer all along. In fact, he had almost every symptom people with pancreatic cancer get. It was unusual for him to have so many symptoms so early in the disease, but that should have meant that he got diagnosed early enough to get curative surgery. Instead, he's dead. <br> <br>The whole 5 months he was going to Fenway without getting diagnosed, I was pressuring him to go elsewhere. But for most of it he had HMO insurance that required a referral from Fenway to see anyone else, and they refused to give him a referral. I offered to pay out of pocket for him to see someone else but he thought that if the Fenway dr and nurses were saying he didn't need any more workup and it was likely stress that there was no reason to pay out of pocket to go somewhere else. The trust he initially put in Fenway led to his death. <br> <br>I would not trust Fenway with any kind of serious health problem ever. They clearly do not have an ethic of looking for the causes of symptoms, and they seem worried about giving people referrals to specialists or any kind of diagnostic procedures, likely because they're an HMO and make more money if they avoid diagnostic procedures. <br> <br>If you have any choice at all, do not use this clinic. I know it used to have a good reputation, but what happened is so far beyond the pale. They really should be sued for malpractice in this case as my friend went in SO many times and asked multiple times for referrals and diagnostic procedures and was told no. Lucky for them, his survivors are not likely to sue anyone. But I hope this review can save someone else's life, because although my friend talked to the dr who hadn't diagnosed him properly, once he was diagnosed elsewhere, it did not sound like they would make any chanced. My friend was a public servant who helped many thousands of people in Boston. He is no longer here. No one else should die due to their negligence and malpractice.

I've volunteered for this organization for seven years now and the elder I was matched with is now in her 90s. I have enjoyed spending time with her and being a companion she has come to trust. She has little family nearby and no children, so I know she gets lonely. I see her once weekly, and we walk to get tea, to pick up an avocado or yogurt from the market. We go to free concerts at the local music schools where it's fine to leave at intermission if she's too tired to stay for the whole thing. Some weeks, I spend an hour, some weeks 3 hours, but we both have a good time. These days, my match has chosen to save dessert from her assisted living facility to share with me when I arrive. When I'm away on vacation we trade post cards, and hers is usually awaiting me in my mailbox on my return to tell me about something she has thought to tell me of a past memory or a brief occurrence I have missed while away. This organization has made me feel truly valued as a friend to someone else, and I know I make a difference. I hope more elders can find matches, and more young people slow down to talk to an elder they may soon call friend.

This organization was a very student-centered, high-quality educational program. The agency had a wonderful work environment, in which staff worked together closely and well. The communication in the agency has changed, to a point where there is very little collaborating and work together as a team to make decisions.

I started volunteering for The Autism Research Foundation when I was in college because I wanted to understand autism science. TARF's research coordinator, Jerry, walked me through the lab and explained the brain research to me in such a clear, concise way. Even though I wasn't a scientist, I felt like I could have a conversation with Jerry. He taught me how to explain the autism research to families, professionals, and other students like me. It was an invaluable experience that I now share with the new volunteers and families we help! Through Jerry, TARF demonstrated a commitment to making autism approachable and interesting, which makes me feel confident in helping TARF fundraise for its continued work. I know I will volunteer for as long as I can!