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The Charlestown Coalition News:
Spring 2025
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Welcome to the Charlestown Coalition's Newsletter!
We are a community-based organization here to support the neighborhood of Charlestown by connecting our neighbors to services, building relationships, and providing fun and safe spaces for community members to connect.
In our newsletters, you'll find event flyers, recaps on what we do on the day-to-day, resources, information on our youth programming, and more. Thanks for following along!
| | Charlestown Coalition Updates | | |
Charlestown Peace Park Celebration
In 2018, Turn It Around and the Charlestown Coalition received the Love Your Block Grant, which they utilized to revitalize the area at the end of Mount Vernon Street, now known as Peace Park. We later learned that the park was dedicated to a young man named Robert McGrath, who tragically lost his life to community violence. Recognizing the park's significance, we aimed to reinvigorate the space.
The Peace Park is well-known in Charlestown as a gathering place where people can heal and build community connections. On April 10th, we celebrated the Peace Park for the last time before construction begins. We want to thank everyone for supporting the park and joining us for the celebration.
| | The Evolution of the Peace Park | | |
It's taken us several years to get to this point, and we want to extend a special THANK YOU to the organizations and people who contributed to making the Charlestown Peace Park a reality.
The Friends of the Peace Park- President, Judith McDonough, Amanda Zettel, Crystal Galvin, Jim Medeiros, Sean Boyle, Javon Robinson, Linda Forsythe, John Killoran, and Marissa Zampino
Kylie Zick Landscape Architecture Design Inc.
Boys and Girls Club- Ricky Nelson and Derek Gallagher
Mystic River Watershed Association
Charlestown Coalition- Ginaya Greene, Ciara Williams, Shannon Lundin, Sarah Coughlin
Turn It Around & Turn It Around Jr. Mswati Hanks
Charlestown City Offices Representatives Daniel Ryan and Gabriella Coletta Zapata
Charlestown Trauma Team- Michael Cain, Susan Rawlinson, Tina Goodnow, George Dighton, Elaine Donovan
Mayor Mu's Office of Neighborhood Services - Sean Breen
Dante Luna
Representative Daniel Ryan
Senator Sal DiDomenico
City Councilor Gabriela Coletta-Zapata
City of Boston Preservation Office
Charlestown Preservation Society
Speak for the Trees Boston
Boston Planning and Development Agency
Charlestown Community Impact Fund Leadership Team
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We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to Melanie (Mel) Soto, our Resource Specialist at the Charlestown Coalition, for her invaluable contributions to the completion of the Peace Park project. Mel has played a crucial role in coordinating efforts and resources, ensuring that deadlines were met, enhancing communication at every stage, and overcoming challenges throughout the process. She has been an effective, steadfast, and humble leader, consistently dedicated to the vision and mission of the Peace Park.
The Coalition sincerely appreciates her hard work and perseverance over the past two years. We thank Mel and celebrate this achievement alongside her and the community.
| | Charlestown Peace Park Construction Begins Spring 2025 | | Vision for the Future -Charlestown Peace Park | | Steering Committee Meeting | | |
Charlestown Coalition Steering Committee Meeting Updates
Over the past year, the Coalition has taken significant steps to enhance the quality of meetings and keep members informed of changes. We have engaged with service providers, increased the frequency of our meetings, and improved attendance to foster collaboration among committee members. Additionally, we have focused on building partnerships with city officials. Our efforts continue to be guided by the community needs assessment, and we remain dedicated to improving health outcomes for residents.
In recent months, the MGB system has undergone changes that have affected our Center for Community Health, our coalition, and the coalition staff. While the details of additional changes are still unclear, we understand they will impact how we engage with the community.
Our team is currently collaborating with Bridgespan Consulting, which has been hired by the MGB Center for Community Health to provide recommendations to MGB leadership. This is a valuable opportunity for us to share our insights regarding the Coalition's work, successes, challenges, and our path forward.
We encourage all Coalition members to attend our upcoming meeting on June 16th at noon, taking place at the MGB Charlestown Health Center. Also, we will have a monthly Steering Committee Meeting on June 24th over Zoom to discuss updates and possible changes. We look forward to seeing and hearing from you soon.
May Meeting Minutes
April Meeting Minutes
Contact Phenice Zawatsky to learn more.
| | Upcoming Coalition Meetings | | Turn It Around - Program Updates | | Celebrate our TIA and TIA Jr. Graduates | | Learn what TIA and TIA Jr. have been up to this past year. | | Save the Date for our 5th Annual Summer Art Healing Project | | |
Charlestown in Solidarity:
Race and Equity Community Dialogue
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We are excited to resume the Race & Equity Community Discussions and celebrate 5 years of dialogue within the Charlestown community. Please join us on June 24th at 5:30 P.M. for the next discussion. We will begin promptly for this event. Bring your neighbors, city officials, and family members to share their input on topics for our future discussions. We especially encourage YOUTH in the Charlestown community to participate!
If you are interested in joining a committee to help drive and support these community conversations, please consider attending our event in June. Also, we'll have a jar available for you to submit your topic suggestions and input for future race dialogue discussions.
We want the community to drive our conversations.
We want to share the question ahead of time to allow you all time to think it over and prepare for the next discussions.
******Race Dialogue Question******
How far have we come in the last 5 years, and what do you want us to accomplish together in the next 5 years as a community, as Boston residents, and as a country?
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The Charlestown Trauma Team continues to provide vital support to the community. Over the past few months, the team has ensured that residents have access to treatment services, supported family members by providing food and grief cards, and facilitated two Narcan training sessions in the community.
Additionally, the team has coordinated efforts with the Boston Public Health Commission, the Boston Community Healing Networks, and various local organizations. The Charlestown Trauma Team aims to be a valuable resource in the community, operating independently from the Charlestown Coalition while collaborating with the MGH Health Center.
If you have any questions or need support, please reach out to one of our trauma team members or contact the Trauma Team line, at 617-726-0058 between the hours of 9 AM and 5 PM.
| | May is Mental Health Awareness Month | | Please help us spread the word all year about the importance of mental health resources. Share these flyers with your neighbors, networks, in-store windows, and local community buildings. Thank you! | | Community Partner Spotlight- | | March was Social Worker Month! We want to thank all the Social workers in the Charlestown community, the City of Boston, and the state of Massachusetts for your kindness, support, and advocacy. We see you and appreciate all that you do! | | Alternative to Violence Network- | | As a member of the Alternative to Violence Network (ATVN), I have had the privilege of working alongside individuals who have been impacted by violence and who are committed to preventing it in their communities and across the commonwealth. The ATVN is comprised of dedicated members, violence prevention organizations, and residents of Boston who collaborate to address crises, create positive gatherings for youth, and establish programs that support youth development. ATVN's mission is rooted in violence prevention. We aim to strengthen our presence in Charlestown to ensure that we work collectively to prevent violence within the community and support youth throughout Boston. If you are interested in joining the ATVN, please reach out to Cindy Digs at cdiggs@mgh.harvard.edu | | |
This Mother's Day, I participated in a walk with the ATVN and my family at the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute. My team and I have raised funds to support the important work the Peace Institute is doing for victims and families affected by violence. We are currently working towards our goal of raising $10,000 for the Peace Institute, and we will continue to accept donations until Father's Day. Please share this message with your network on social media or consider a donation to this amazing organization. We would greatly appreciate your support.
https://www.mothersdaywalk4peace.org/PheniceZawatsky
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Please join the Charlestown District Court on June 11th
as they celebrate two more recovery court graduates
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Charlestown Recovery Court Graduates Fall 2024
Last Fall, the Charlestown Recovery Court honored Derek Agassi and Joel Silvia for their significant achievements within the recovery court program. Over the course of more than a year, both individuals demonstrated active participation in treatment and consistently prioritized their sobriety. Their unwavering commitment and determination culminated in a celebratory event attended by family, friends, and staff from the recovery court, marking a significant milestone in their recovery journey. The ceremony was capture by
Charlestown Recovery Court Celebrates its First Graduate of 2025
On February 19th, a recovery court participant became the first graduate of the year for the high-level recovery track at Charlestown Recovery Court. The program extends for a minimum of 18 months, is comprehensively structured, and requires a serious commitment to recovery. This participant grew tremendously throughout the process, citing the wrap-around approach the court can provide with various partners as a key to success. The Charlestown Coalition spearheaded the creation of the Charlestown Recovery Court’s program in May 2013, and the program has expanded and now offers high-level and multi-level track programs. The program continues to grow and currently has 17 active recovery court participants.
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We thank Judge Grant, Charlestown probation officers, Boston Medical Center, North Suffolk Mental Health, and partnering organizations for their ongoing support in creating a path to recovery for people in the criminal justice system.
A special thank you to the Charlestown Coalition's Community Resources Specialist Melanie Soto, who has a brief cameo in the video, for her ongoing support and commitment to the Recovery Court program. Melanie is a fierce advocate for her clients, and she works collaboratively to empower them to make changes in their lives.
| | FSC Community Resource Newsletter | | The FSC e-blast will go out once a month on the 15th of each month. If you would like to add your program's flyers to the next e-blast, please send a PDF version of the flyer by the 12th of each month to MSOTO0@mgh.harvard.edu | | |
FSC Resource Newsletter
April 2025
| | To learn more about our programs, our staff, community partners, resources, upcoming events, TURN IT AROUND, program impact, and more, click below: | | | | |
