Wellesley Nonprofits and Charities

I am so thankful for the work of Profound Autism Alliance. As the mother of a 26 yr old son with profound autism, I have been struggling - I was feeling as if there was no longer a voice for my son in the broader autism community. While I support the efforts of those that can advocate for themselves, I am concerned that their voices are drowning out those who can not speak for themselves - those that require 24/7 care for a lifetime. Parents who were once seen a fierce advocates for their children are now accused of being unaccepting or worse enabling because we speak for our kids. If my son could speak for himself, I would love it but he can not. Until he can, Profound Autism Alliance provides a judgement free forum where we can openly and honestly speak about our daily challenges, celebrate successes and share resources. I appreciate the way that PAA is advocating for those with profound autism and am grateful for this organization.

This is an organization of volunteers that supports the great Wellesley Library as it supports the community.

I don't have much faith in the d/b/a Cure Alzheimer's Fund, as they haven't cured Alzheimer's and their game plan is not credible.

I have both given donations in honor/memory of loved ones and had donations given in my honor to commemorate special occasions. The Catastrophic Emergency Fund was prompt in acknowledging grateful receipt of donations to me and those being remembered. As a 501 C 3 organization, donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.

For over ten years I have regularly visited Elm Bank. I have viewed the beautiful garden areas, attended classes, events and had for many years wished that someone could "polish this gem" Many of the structures had seen better days, I would remark. The gardens had potential but not every year was a great one. A ha ! My wishes have been answered. <br>I have visited Elm Bank twice in the past few weeks and OMG, what a transition from 3-4 years ago. <br>The "Gem has been polished" The gardens are magnificent and oh so lush. They even have a chefs garden and I understand is sending 100's of pounds to a local food bank. What a concept ! <br> A Horticultural non profit, sets aside a piece of their land and efforts to feed the less fortunate. <br>Clearly there is a new sheriff at Elm Bank and the results in such a short time is amazing. Rush over and see for yourself.

As a president of Akamba in New England Organization which is a non-profit focusing on poverty eradication in Eastern Kenya and also as a professional in Sustainable International Development i would love to recommend support for this noble course for through empowering the poor ensuring health and academia access we will have a healthier more independent populace in developing countries.

I first learned of Web of Benefit as a student at Babson College. I applied for an internship and met Johanna Crawford, the Founder and now Executive Director, at a coffee shop where she explained that Web of Benefit strives to give women the chance to DREAM, after having survived domestic violence. I soon started working very closely with Johanna, or Jo as she likes to be called, as an intern and quickly found how passionate she is about the organization and how much she was able to accomplish with a small non-profit. Johanna found a niche for Web of Benefit that had yet to be filled in Massachusetts, and much of the rest of the country, in helping women with grants of up to $1,000 (averaging $500) to help them fulfill their Dream. Every woman has to be out of the their abusive relationship when applying for a grant and they also need to fill out a Dream Proposal. The Dream Proposal acts as a blue print for the woman's grant and Web of Benefit wants to be a first step in helping the woman achieve their dream. After working with Web of Benefit for a few months, I was shocked to hear the stories from Jo after her interviews with potential grantees of how many woman were incapable or somehow unwilling to fill out their Dream Proposals - so many of the women had forgot how to Dream. I have since graduated from Babson College, interning with Web of Benefit through my junior and senior years, and after graduation I was asked to be on the Board of Directors. Web of Benefit has grown from the greater Boston area to now support Cook County in Chicago, a Dream of Jo's since she first started Web of Benefit. The Dream Proposal is still the driving force behind a grantees application and it has been a great honor to see so many of the women's Dreams, once unimaginable, fostered and achieved through the work of Web of Benefit.

It was by far the most rewarding part of my day. It felt really good to pass on the love of reading to a young student. Plus the people in the program and running the program were fantastic.