We are grateful to everyone who made MPDC's sold-out Sparks! Annual Fundraising Gala a magnificent success. Guests celebrated fabulously while wearing their finest creative black tie attire for MPDC's first in-person gala since 2019. Because of you, we exceeded our fundraising goal of $325,000 for MPDC programs that support and foster a vibrant, healthy Roxbury community. Thank you to all who attended the evening, and special thanks to District 7 Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson and At-Large Councilor Julia Mejia for joining us.
MANY THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS
Equity Partner
Silicon Valley Bank
Winn Residential
Community Investor
Dellbrook | JKS
Eastern Bank Foundation
NEI General Contracting
Roxbury Amplifier
Trinity Financial
Cultural Influencer
BlueHub Capital
Boston Children’s Hospital
Klein-Hornig LLP
Peabody Properties
Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH)
Marsh McLennan
M&T Bank
Neighborhood Champion
Akiki Auto
Awaken Christian Church
Bank of America
Campaign for Catholic Schools
CohnReznick
Dana Farber Cancer Institute
DREAM Collaborative
Alison Gottlieb
Susan Haas
Hunneman Real Estate
ICON Architecture
Kaplan Construction
The Life Initiative
Marsh, Moriarty, Ontell & Golder
Massachusetts Housing Investment Corporation
McPhail Associates
Peter Munkenbeck
Northeastern University
Origin Property Group
RBC
Redstone Equity
Resonant
Ivelise Rivera
Esther Schlorholtz
Stull &Lee
Alicia Toney
VIVA Consulting
THANK YOU TO THIS YEAR’S PERFORMERS!
Cornell Coley
Kim Tavar
VLA DANCE
Alondra Bobadilla
The Fred Woodard Collective
THANK YOU TO THIS YEAR’S PARTICIPATING FOOD BUSINESSES!
Ethnica Catering
CONGRATULATIONS TO MPDC'S 2022 HONOREES!
EMBRACING PROMISE AWARD
Boston Children’s Hospital’s Office of Community Health
EDNA V. BYNOE NEIGHBORHOOD CHAMPION AWARD
Hugh Johnson
Village In Progress Block Captain and Haynes House resident
2022 COMMUNITY CATALYST AWARDS
Tito Jackson
CEO, Verdant Medical - Former Boston City Councilor and Mayoral Candidate
Yhinny Matos
MPDC Youth Workforce Development Manager
Xiomara Alicea
Orchard Gardens Resident Service Coordinator
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"I would like to acknowledge my respect and heartfelt appreciation for being selected for the Edna V. Bynoe award. Amen."
- Hugh Johnson, 2022 Edna V. Bynoe Community Champion Awardee
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Getting to work with WORC2 |
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MPDC is excited to highlight an important partnership advancing our commitment to increasing access to employment opportunities for Boston residents of color in the city's booming construction industry. Workforce Opportunity Resource Center, or WORC2, is a non-profit organization focused on construction industry training and development for diverse businesses and workers seeking skill advancement or a transition into a career in the construction profession. WORC2 is committed to providing greater access and opportunity to those in the construction industry and will strive to create more opportunities for businesses and workers.
"We couldn't be more excited to partner with WORC2 to bring greater access to employment opportunities in the construction industry to Boston workers of color and MWBE contractors. As a leading community development corporation, MPDC works on behalf of the Roxbury neighborhood to provide access to high-quality, affordable housing for all. With this partnership, MPDC and WORC2 will work to ensure that our community can benefit dually from new development by accessing good, living wage jobs in the construction industry." said Ingrid Tucker, MPDC Deputy Director.
Collectively, MPDC and WORC2 are providing a range of training opportunities, job fairs, and other employment placement assistance, as well as capacity-building and technical assistance opportunities to MWBE contractors, leveraging both organizations' expertise in the industry as well as deep ties in the Roxbury community. WORC2 will also support the continued implementation of MPDC's Madison Train 2 Trade initiative, which introduces the building trades via innovative online courses and in-person workshops.
"Community partnership and relationship building are essential to supporting the growth and development of diverse businesses and workers in the construction industry. MPDC and WORC2 share these values, and both are centrally located in the heart of Roxbury, a community full of desire and opportunity," noted Andre Barbour, Diversity & Inclusion Director
Finally, MPDC and WORC2 are pleased to announce the re-launch of the M/WBE Contractor Fund. Originally started during the COVID-19 pandemic as an emergency response fund, the fund will now transition to a capacity-building opportunity available to City of Boston-based minority- and women-owned businesses in the construction and building trades. Please watch for more information about this opportunity in the coming weeks.
"We are excited to formally announce our partnership to collaborate on joint training programs and capacity-building funding for MWBEs across Greater Boston. With the experience and expertise from both teams, we will strongly impact the construction workforce trajectory," says Katrina Conrad, WORC2 Program Manager.
For information about upcoming training opportunities, please visit WORC2's Eventbrite page here.
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A fun & healthy fall for MPDC Youth |
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Hibernian Hall and VLA DANCE, along with over ten other Boston-based artists, brought ALIVE to life in November! Hibernian Hall’s original production ALIVE was a massive success, with a total of over 250 attendees over five performances. Audiences attended the world premiere, made noise with their egg shakers, and shared feedback like “It made me feel alive!” For the final performance, twelve MPDC youth interns enjoyed the captivating show and a meet and greet with the performers.
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Coming soon to Hibernian Hall
August Wilson’s
Seven Guitars
Directed by Maurice Emmanuel Parent
in Partnership with Hibernian Hall
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8TH – SUNDAY, MARCH 5TH
Six friends gather to mourn and reminisce after the untimely death of blues guitarist Floyd “Schoolboy” Barton. As the characters recount Floyd’s last days, Seven Guitars spins a tale of what happens when dreams of stardom collide with harsh reality. With bawdy comedy and enchanting blues rhythms, Wilson’s Pulitzer-nominated script explores faith, oppression, love, and the music that binds us together.
Tickets go on sale on Monday, December 12th - use code WinterBOGO for Buy1, Get1 Free tickets to the first two weeks of performances!
This exclusive offer expires on Monday, December 19th.
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The Dewitt Center had a notable November! |
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Thank you to the Lower Roxbury Coalition and Wellness Initiative for hosting its 2nd Annual Family Resource Fair on November 19th! Organizations, including Massachusetts DCF, Project Bread, The Peace Institute, and The Home for Little Wanderers, collaborated to offer guests free diapers, toiletries, clothing, toys, and gift cards. The event featured fun activities, music, face painting, line dancing with the Boston Rhythm Riders, and mobile COVID-19 vaccinations and testing.
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This Fall, The Dewitt Center welcomed back One Love Sports Academy (OLS), a student academic and enrichment assistance program. Each semester, students in grades 4 through 8 attend a book club and receive Math, Reading, English, Science, and Health tutoring. OLS sessions take place Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 4 pm to 7 pm.
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The Dewitt Center hosted several holiday celebrations in November. On November 16th, WinnCompanies hosted its Annual Thanksgiving Dinner Celebration. MPDC residents enjoyed hearty food, live music, and a turkey giveaway to kick off the holiday season. Then, on November 19th, thanks to a partnership between the Dewitt Center and the Church of Christ Roxbury, 50 dinner kits were distributed to residents for Thanksgiving.
Happy holidays from everyone at The Dewitt Center!
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Thank you for Getting Out the Vote, Roxbury! |
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As the 2022 Massachusetts election season closed on November 8th, resident volunteers gathered for the last door-knocking event alongside the MPDC youth, Reclaim Roxbury, Prophetic Resistance Boston, MassVote, and Massachusetts Voter Table. Throughout the season, volunteers contacted over 1,400 community members, sharing information on ballot initiatives, legislation passed, and ways to civically get involved with the community. Over 900 residents came out to vote at The Dewitt Center on Election Day.
Thank you to everyone who participated and volunteered in this year's election and Get Out The Vote efforts!
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Make your year end gift to MPDC |
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During MPDC’s Sparks! Gala on November 17, we were honored to hear Zoe DeCampos share her story. She recounted her experience of growing up in Orchard Gardens, attending Temple University, working with young people, and moving into her family’s new home. Madison Park Development Corporation was by her side through it all with a college scholarship, a summer job, and down payment assistance for the new family home. It is our privilege to continue the work of this 56-year-old organization that stands with families like Zoe’s who are doing amazing things in our community.
For those who are able to give $1,000 or more, we are able to offer you the Massachusetts Community Investment Tax Credit which provides a 50% state tax rebate for donations of $1,000 or more. If the credit exceeds your liability, the state refunds the balance of the credit. This is a great way to make your philanthropic dollars go farther.
You are a vital part of this work, and we are grateful for your support.
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November 2022 Newsletter Contributors |
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Allison Anderson
Daria Davis-Fleming
Erica Davis
Griffin Thomas
Haris Lefteri
Kelly Ransom
Leslie Reid
Meghan Higgins
Wilbur Smart
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Roxbury Open Studios Holiday Pop-Up Shop @ The Dewitt Center |
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WHERE: The Dewitt Center
(122 Dewitt Drive, Roxbury, MA 02120)
WHEN: Saturday, December 10th from 11 am to 6 pm
Roxbury Open Studios Collaborative (ROSC) is an artist-run collaborative focused on Roxbury Open Studios and providing vehicles for artists of Roxbury information to exhibitions, economic and skills advancement workshops, and other services that help elevate the rich artistic and cultural assets of Roxbury. On December 10th, artists part of the ROSC will showcase and sell their work at The Dewitt Center.
For more information, please visit
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WHERE: The Dewitt Center
(122 Dewitt Drive, Roxbury, MA 02120)
WHEN: Wednesday, December 14th, from 4 pm to 7 pm
Join The Dewitt Center team for their annual holiday celebration!
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WinnCompanies
Toys for Tots & Winter Wonderland Dinner
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WHERE: The Dewitt Center
(122 Dewitt Drive, Roxbury, MA 02120)
WHEN: Thursday, December 15th, from 4 pm to 8 pm
Celebrate the wonders of Winter with Madison Park Residents featuring delicious treats, a holiday show, music, and food! WinnCompanies will be distributing toys to the children of the Madison Park Residents.
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MPDC x IMSO
Food Pantry @ The Dewitt Center
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WHERE: The Dewitt Center
(122 Dewitt Drive, Roxbury, MA 02120)
WHEN: Every 1st & 3rd Saturday of each month from 11 am to 1 pm
(December 17th)
The Dewitt Center and the Islamic Multi-Service Organization (IMSO) host monthly food pantries. Canned goods, fruit, pasta, spaghetti, and more will be available for pickup! Supplies are limited. Masks and social distancing are required.
For more information, please contact IMSO at
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My Superhero Essay Day @ Hibernian Hall |
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WHEN: Saturday, January 14th, from 11 am to 1 pm
WHERE: Hibernian Hall
(184 Dudley Street, Roxbury, MA 02119)
COST: FREE
Hibernian Hall & Butterfly Foxx Productions invite all families and youth ages 6-11 to join us for a brunch of storytelling, puppets, and books!
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Roxbury Roots II: You Don't Know My Story |
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WHEN: Saturday, January 14th, from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
WHERE: Hibernian Hall
(184 Dudley Street, Roxbury, MA 02119)
COST: $10
Join Hibernian Hall for a night of gathering and live storytelling around the campfire. Allow the night to take you through a great range of human experiences filled with laughter, tears, and truth. Each story is unique, and each voice is authentic, and we will go through each journey together.
Stick around for food, refreshments, and lots of prizes!
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Actors' Shakespeare Project presents
August Wilson's Seven Guitars at Hibernian Hall
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WHEN: Wednesday, February 8th to Sunday, March 5th
WHERE: Hibernian Hall
(184 Dudley Street, Roxbury, MA 02119)
COST: Varies
Coming soon to Hibernian Hall
August Wilson’s
Seven Guitars
Directed by Maurice Emmanuel Parent
in Partnership with Hibernian Hall
Six friends gather to mourn and reminisce after the untimely death of blues guitarist Floyd “Schoolboy” Barton. As the characters recount Floyd’s last days, Seven Guitars spins a tale of what happens when dreams of stardom collide with harsh reality. With bawdy comedy and enchanting blues rhythms, Wilson’s Pulitzer-nominated script explores faith, oppression, love, and the music that binds us together.
Tickets go on sale on Monday, December 12th - use code WinterBOGO for Buy1, Get1 Free tickets to the first two weeks of performances!
This exclusive offer expires on Monday, December 19th.
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