Boston Nonprofits and Charities

Great org that makes sure ALL children are educated! Keep up the good work!

Literations is an organization dedicated to improving children’s reading fluency and comprehension through twice weekly one to one sessions with older adults. Observing the relationships that are formed between the students their literacy coaches has been an enlightening and gratifying experience. These partnerships are beneficial to the well being of all involved.

The work that Flying Kites provides to their students - both on-campus and to schools in their network - is leaving such a meaningful impact that will be felt for generations to come. Their ability to connect their supporters to the students and happenings on campus (through mail, social media, and pictures!) allows for a deeper connection to the mission. They provide opportunities to visit the campus, meet the students and experience Flying Kites first-hand through impact trips - including climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro!

Excellent small organization that maximizes potential of participants.

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 !

This is the finest group of dedicated professionals I have ever been around. Recently I joined the Citizen Schools team, and their focus on students is unparalleled.

Thus oganization provides the most wonderful opportunities for children and teens and foster care.<br><br>

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.

We wish we could celebrate Matt Epstein in person, but send our fondest wishes and huge thanks for all his great work for Horizons For Homeless Children!<br>Lucy Aptekar and Gerry Leader

I have worked in the public schools with gang- and court-involved youth for the past 20 years and have regularly used Bridge as a resource when I can find no other supports for my students. <br><br>Bridge does an outstanding job picking up where schools, homeless shelters, and social service organizations leave off. They serve young people who are homeless, providing them with everything from a warm shower to counseling to GED classes, in addition to housing.<br><br>While their counselors are often young and inexperienced, at worst they serve as a listening ear and at best they can refer clients to all kinds of necessary services. Richard Brunson, who is a veteran counselor, is truly gifted at what he does and any young person would be well-served to work with him.

I joined Girls' LEAP Self-Defense my freshman year of college because I needed to join a service organization for a class, and LEAP's mission statement of empowering local girls seemed perfect for me. Over the past 3 years I've spent with LEAP, I have seen their unwavering commitment to this goal and the ways in which they are constantly making improvements to better meet it. I've been deeply moved by the changes I've seen in the youth I've worked with in programs. Not only is LEAP doing wonderful work in the community, it is also a fantastic organization to be a part of. They are incredibly supportive of every staff member, from teens, to college students, to adult staff. I believe that Girls' LEAP is an example of a service organization at its best, and yet is is still growing! I am excited to keep being a part of that growth.

True to its motto "Sailing for All" Community Boating provides sailing experiences in the heart of Boston, MA. Although adult programs are the back bone to the operation, it is the Junior or youth program that sets this organization apart. Since it's inception, children from the ages of 11 to 17 can sail all summer for just $1.00! How far might your contirbution to CBI go in extending a healthy outdoor activity for city youth?

A bunch of snobs. . It helps if you have white middle class values . Does not help if you are a caring concerned person who truly wants to help. Go somewhere else if you want to mentot

I have been a volunteer and ally of this organization for many years. With a very small budget they do some very big work. From vitally needed services for the Latino immigrant community (like ESL and citizenship classes, legal help, etc.) to organizing around immigrant and workers rights and advocating for better treatment of undocumented immigrants by Federal, state and local authorities, they really are an exceptional group with a long (35 years) track record of accomplishments and dedication.

One Caring Adult Can Change a Life <br>www.bostoncasa.org<br><br>In my volunteer work as a court appointed special advocate, I have become a mentor/friend to an 18 year old who now has a one-year old girl. They live in a teen parent shelter in the Boston area. I have known the youth since she was 14 and had just run away from an abusive home. Initially I advocated for her in court as she was involved with the child welfare system due to the abuse. Our relationship has evolved to the point where she trusts me, knows that I am here for her and her daughter, and believes me when I tell her that she can accomplish whatever she wants to in life. She aged out of the foster care system last summer and is on her way to taking the GED tests and has aspirations to be a nurse midwife. Every child who goes through abuse and neglect deserves a caring adult who consistently shows up, advocates for them and is kind of their back-up system. When I visited her at the teen parent shelter recently, I met some of the other girls and their children. I realized that they all deserve to be treated with respect and kindness. I decided to create a pop-up shop/salon experience for them in early December where they can choose some outfits, get their nails and hair done and have a nice meal. I have rounded up quite a few volunteers to help me with this, a local salon has offered to do the treatments and my home is being inundated with beautiful teen clothing! My own 14 year old daughter is enjoying helping me sort, launder and press the clothing. This work gives me immense joy and satisfaction. I give to Boston CASA on a consistent monthly basis and appreciate all they have done to train and support me as I continue on this journey to advocate for disenfranchised youth. The model makes sense. Every single child who has been abused or neglected deserves a caring adult by their side. That is what Boston CASA does. <br><br>

Dear Charity Navigator Subscribers: <br> <br>Thompson Island Outward Bound Education Center has demonstrated strong financial performance since beginning implementation of our strategic plan in 2009. Our audited financials show positive cash flow from operations in 2009, 2010 and 2011 and we have no debt. In 2011, annual philanthropic support increased 9% and overall giving grew by 25% when one includes generous early gifts to our capital campaign. Functional expenses on youth programs grew 8%. Earned revenue including our enterprise and professional business lines grew by 25%. General and administrative expenses were 11% of total expenses. <br> <br>It is unfortunate that Charity Navigator’s rating system places enormous weight on “primary revenue growth” and “program expense growth”. Thompson Island’s growth is evaluated over a period going back to 2008, prior to the reorganization and downsizing which resulted in a dramatically more cost effective program model and produced the financial performance noted above. <br> <br>While our reorganization has been a striking success, we lose 20 points for having negative growth compared to 2008. By contrast, from 2010 to 2011, “primary revenue growth” was 12% (excluding capital campaign revenue) and “program expense growth” was 7%. If these growth figures and our other 2011 financial metrics are applied to Charity Navigator’s rating system, Thompson Island earns a 3-star financial rating. <br> <br>William L. Elcock <br>Volunteer Trustee, Treasurer and Chair of the Finance Committee, Thompson Island Outward Bound Education Center. <br>Chief Executive Officer, Batterymarch Financial Management, Inc. <br>wle@batterymarch.com <br>

I've been matched with my Little Sister since she was 11 years old, and she's now 16. We've both gotten so much out of the relationship...her family has made me feel so welcome, and we've both gotten to experience so many new activities together. It's been so great to see her blossom into a confident young woman! The organization provides great support, with social workers checking in with us regularly. We also attended an overnight retreat that had great educational content for teen girls around self-esteem, sex, and other hot topics that I might have felt uncomfortable addressing without their assistance and education. I love that the organization is focused solely on girls and their unique developmental and mentoring needs.

As a second-year social work student, I worked at Trinity Boston Counseling Center (TBCC), which is part of Trinity Boston Foundation (TBF). From the very beginning the staff welcomed us (as interns) as part of the staff. The group has a unique client-focused approach to providing counseling for its clients. The staff is extremely seasoned--some of the clinicians have been practicing for over 30 years! As an intern, I provided individual counseling at TBCC and also worked at their offsite program, Street Potential--a program that provides life skills and vocational training to court- and gang-involved youth. TBCC uses several frameworks that truly show how client-centered they are in their counseling work. The team has a superb understanding of trauma and uses a trauma-informed framework in working with clients. This means an extra level of sensitivity is applied as they work with clients. As well, TBCC's open-minded approach to integrating spirituality with counseling allows the client to define whether, what, and how spirituality nourishes them emotionally or needs healing. As well, Trinity Boston Foundation staff are very open-minded, focused, and sensitive to the goals and approach of TBCC. Due to the fact that TBCC is part of Trinity Foundation (and affiliated with Trinity Church) there is an amazing sense of observing sacred space together. As clinicians we always thought about the sacred space we were developing with our clients. For instance, how is it defined by our clients, ourselves as clinicians, and by our interaction with each other in relationship? In staff meetings we regularly took moments at the beginning of each meeting to observe the sacred space created by the presence of those in the room (and often those who were missing) and what we would be discussing next. This type of meditation on space might seem small to some, but it meant that everyone was present in the moment to discuss topics at hand. The staff at Trinity are extremely seasoned, as I have said before, but they are always integrating new ways of applying knowledge acquired through relationship with clients, consultants, interns, and each other. There is a strong sense of team, collaboration, respect, gratitude, and taking into account "the whole picture" as well as one can.

The Boston Children's Chorus is incredible. Attending their MLK concert in 2009 was a life changing experience. Its not very often that one gets to observe social change taking place first hand. The unity and talent that radiated from each child on that stage was heart warming. BCC really is using music as a powerful tool to make social change. Not to mention, musically they are really top-notch. The Premier ensemble has a very impressive almost European tone which is rare with an American group. Overall I was amazed, I really hope to see them again soon.