To correct common misunderstandings about abuse and promote real solutions to dating violence, here are some tips and guidelines to follow from Teen DVMonth:

The abuse is never the victim’s fault. It may be tempting to focus on what the victim could have done to avoid abuse. Nothing a victim does invites or excuses abuse. There are many reasons a person stays in an abusive relationship. Liking the abuse is not one of them.

Telling someone to “just leave” the relationship is not the answer. There are many reasons why teens and 20-somethings stay in unhealthy relationships. For one, breaking up can be the most violent time in an abusive relationship. Without understanding the obstacles a young person may face and helping him or her through a safe separation, the situation usually gets worse, not better.

Take relationships among youth seriously. Even if a person is young, his or her relationship still matters. By assuming teen relationships are just “puppy love,” adults risk overlooking the seriousness of dating violence. Abuse among youth can be just as destructive as among adults, if not more so. Dating abuse can lead to unwanted pregnancy, eating disorders and even suicide.

Dating violence happens in every type of relationship, in every community. It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, male or female, gay or straight, confident or shy. Anyone can become part of an unhealthy relationship and no one has a predisposition to becoming a victim of abuse. Victims do not begin the relationship with “low self esteem.”

Dating violence isn’t just physical. Emotional and sexual violence can be just as, if not more, devastating to a young person’s health than physical violence. Learn more about the types of abuse.

Do not advise teens to fight back. When a victim violently lashes out against his or her abuser, the violence often escalates. The abuser may even take that moment to “prove” the violence is mutual and, sometimes, to press charges. Moreover, fighting back does not end the violence. It is much more effective to seek legal help or make a safety plan.

There’s never a point where you should “cut off” a friend who is being abused. Part of an abuser’s tactics is to isolate his or her victim. Without a supportive community, the victim finds it harder to leave the unhealthy relationship. Being a good friend, listening and supporting the victim’s decisions are the best ways to show him or her that there are alternatives to the abusive relationship. Learn more about how to serve as an effective ally.

We have some great local resources in MetroWest:

• REACH Beyond Domestic Violence
• Sudbury, Wayland, Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable
• Domestic Violence Services Network

Posted February 26, 2012

Join staff from the Foundation for MetroWest (FFMW) on the second of three Insight Tours and hear directly from agency directors, employees, volunteers, and service recipients about the needs in the community, the valuable services these organizations provide, and the impact they make on individuals and families in MetroWest.

The first Insight Tour of 2012 will spotlight three family support organizations in Waltham, and includes lunch at the Elephant Walk Restaurant.

Consider joining FFMW on:
Thursday, March 1, 2012
9:30 am to 1:00 pm

The tour will make stops at:
Communities United, a high quality pre-school education and family services agency serving a diverse population of young children.
Waltham Family School, a new Even Start Family Literacy Program in Waltham.
Waltham Fields Community Farm, which supports farmland preservation, hunger relief and education.

Please RSVP by February 24th to Cori Rosenberg at crosenberg@foundationformetrowest.org or 508.647.2260.

The Insight Tours are funded by a grant from the Sudbury Foundation.

Posted February 1, 2012

Following her graduation from Skidmore College last summer, Atkinson scholarship recipient and talented artist Hannah Mode used an Atkinson Opportunity Grant to work with the Awamaki Weaving Project in Peru, helping impoverished Quechua women  revitalize an endangered weaving tradition while encouraging their financial independence. An exhibit of Mode’s photography from her two-month volunteer experience and a sample of weavings from the village of Patacancha are on display through February 19 at the Concord Art Association.

Photo by Hannah Mode

Posted January 20, 2012

The 2012 Children, Youth & Families 

For the past 10 years our Regional Grants Program has funded a broad range of nonprofits in the 10 towns surrounding Sudbury.

Beginning in 2012, we will narrow our grant focus to support agencies serving Children, Youth and Families. Our goal is to help shift the life trajectories of young people facing economic and personal barriers to success.

We’ve spent the last year reading, listening and chatting with grant partners, issue area experts and other funders to help craft a funding strategy that will best serve children, youth and families in our catchment area. Based on that input and feedback, our new Program will invest in Capacity Building projects that nurture leadership, enhance management and operational effectiveness and, most importantly, strengthen the financial sustainability of youth-serving agencies.

We’ll be hosting two grants cycles in 2012 using a Request for Proposal (RFP) process. Preliminary details can be found here.

We’re pleased to introduce this new program and invite you to contact us with comments, questions and suggestions.

Posted December 29, 2011

It’s been a wonderful program that has enabled the Foundation to work with a broad array of nonprofits in our catchment area on a variety of issues but it was time for a change. Recent economic conditions highlighted the need for us to narrow our focus to help our grant partners to achieve greater impact.

During our strategic planning session in the fall of 2010, Foundation Trustees chose to sharpen that focus from four issue areas to just one: Youth Development. After some discussion we decided to call the Program “Children, Youth & Families” to include children of all ages and parents of young children who play such a crucial role in insuring kids get off to a good start in life. We’ve spent most of 2011 listening and learning about good programs, good agencies and good grantmaking practices. (Our thanks to all who took the time to chat with us.) Details of the new program can be found here.

In the meantime, we acknowledge with some regret that our new focus will mean a parting of the ways with some long-time programs and friends who no longer fit our revised funding guidelines. We hope there will still be ways to work together and we’ll continue to be on the lookout for resources to share with the nonprofits in our region whether we fund them directly or not.

Posted December 29, 2011

Getting a Facelift

The Robbins House in Concord (circa 1830) was built and inhabited by the descendants of Revolutionary War veteran and former Concord slavery survivor Caesar Robbins. Saved from demolition, the house was recently returned close to its original site across from The North Bridge and Old Manse where renovation is underway. A December 2011 grant to the Drinking Gourd Project will support interior restoration of the property and preliminary exhibit design. The facility will reopen as The Robbins House Interpretive Center.

Twenty-seven local nonprofit agencies were awarded more than $265,000 in grant support in December  through the Foundation’s final Regional Program funding cycle. Lots of impressive work being done in our area. Congratulations to all!

——————————————————————————————————————————— 

Acton-Boxborough Coalition for Healthy Youth, Acton, MA / $5,000
For strategic planning for this new alliance of youth agencies.

A Place to Turn, Natick, MA / $5,200
A second year of support for the Eat Healthy program, which enables this food pantry to provide fresh produce to clients on a weekly basis.

Appalachian Mountain Club, Boston, MA / $10,000
To pilot a series of programs and trainings to nurture new environmental stewards along the Metrowest section of the Bay Circuit Trail and Greenway.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Mass/Metrowest, Worcester, MA / $10,000
To support youth mentoring services in Metrowest.

Boys & Girls Club of Assabet Valley, Maynard, MA / $25,000
To support the agency’s Beyond the Bell after-school programming.

Center for Parents and Teachers, Concord, MA / $5,000
To plan and host parent education workshops during the 2011-12 academic year.

Danforth Museum of Art, Framingham, MA / $15,000
To support the Teen Docent program, which provides high school students with experiential learning in art, leadership and artistic professions.

Drinking Gourd Project,  Concord, MA / $10,000
To restore and interpret the Robbins House, the early 1800s home of one of Concord’s earliest African-American families and to present the stories of slavery-to-freedom-to-homeownership.

Foundation for MetroWest, Natick, MA / $3,000
To fund three Insight Tours to educate local donors about funding opportunities at area nonprofits.

Friends of Resiliency for Life, Framingham, MA / $15,000
To pilot the part-time position of Graduate Support Coordinator, who will track program graduates and support them as they transition to college or the workforce.

Golden Tones, Natick, MA / $7,500
To support a grantwriting consultation for this senior citizens chorus as a means of diversifying funding sources.

Indian Hill Music Center, Littleton, MA / $12,000
To support the development of a new website as part of an updated communications strategy.

Jewish Family Service of Metrowest, Framingham, MA / $20,000
To support the Reducing Achievement Gaps program at the Wilson Elementary School in Framingham.

John Andrew Mazie Memorial Foundation, Wayland, MA / $10,000
To support the Mazie Mentoring Program for at-risk students at Framingham High School.

Kids Connect, Natick, MA / $5,000
To support after-school tutoring.

Partnerships for a Skilled Workforce (formerly Metro South/West Regional Employment Board), Marlboro, MA / $17,000
To support the Future Skills Institute which provides job readiness training and placement services to low-income 16-24 year old young adults in the Framingham area.

MetroWest Mediation Services, Framingham, MA / $10,000
To support free mediation services to parties in small claims, minor criminal and housing/eviction cases in the Framingham, Marlborough, Natick and Concord district courts.

Metrowest Nonprofit Network, Framingham, MA $2,500
To host a fundraising workshop for area nonprofit staff.

Metrowest YMCA, Framingham, MA / $26,000
To support the High Flight Program, the YMCA’s outdoor, adventure-based counseling program for at-risk youth ages 12-17.

Organization for the Assabet, Concord & Sudbury Rivers, Concord, MA / $12,000
A second year of support for a project to increase community stewardship of the Sudbury and Concord rivers.

Sudbury Valley Trustees, Sudbury, MA / $25,000
To support the agency’s effort to obtain accreditation certification through the Land Trust Alliance.

Thoreau Farm Trust, Concord MA / $5,000
In support of a project to enhance the visitor experience at Thoreau’s Birthplace through audio and video programming.

Wayside Youth & Family Support Network, Framingham, MA / $10,000
For a consultation to develop a micro-enterprise that will provide supervised employment opportunities for the at-risk young adult population at Wayside’s TEMPO Young Adult Resource Center.

—————————————————————————————————————————————-

This marks the close of our Regional Grant Program. Beginning in 2012, the Foundation will direct local funding (in the 10 towns contiguous to Sudbury) to agencies serving Children, Youth and Families.

Posted December 22, 2011.

We’re looking forward to following what’s sure to be an exciting year for Wayside Youth & Family’s TEMPO Young Adult Resource Center and its Program Director Yolanda Ortiz, named one of six 2012 Social Innovators by Root Cause last night.

TEMPO received the award for the grant track funded by the Sudbury Foundation entitled “At-Risk Youth in MetroWest: Providing Adult Guidance and Support.” The Foundation wanted to offer this unique grant opportunity to a worthy local nonprofit.

After a competitive application process, Tempo earned the prestigious grant which includes a $10,000 cash award and and estimated $100,000 in in-kind technical support. Under the guidance of the savvy Social Innovation Forum staff, Tempo and Ortiz will work on an array of areas to help strengthen and sustain the five-year-old Framingham program.

TEMPO was established in collaboration with Advocates, the South Middlesex Opportunity Council and the Future Skills Institute to meet the challenges faced by young adults between the ages of 17 and 24 who are leaving state custody and thus lose health care, housing, educational support and mental health services. Tempo offers resources for all young adults, without eligibility restrictions, whether for help with one specific issue or for complex, interrelated goals such as preparing for employment, completing probation, getting behavioral health treatment, or securing a stable place to live.

Congratulations to TEMPO!

Congratulations also go to the five other 2012 Social Innovators: Cooking Matters, program of Share our Strength;  the LGBT Aging Project; WorkExpress, a program of Father Bill’s & Mainspring; Science Club for Girls, and InnerCity Weightlifting.

Get ready for a fabulous experience!

Photo courtesy of Nyloin

Posted December 9, 2011

The four finalists for the Root Cause-Social Innovation Forum “At-Risk Children and Youth in MetroWest” grant track are all winners in our eyes. They are four great agencies serving youth in MetroWest in a variety of innovative ways.

Congratulations to:

Everybody Wins! MetroBoston supports youth in Framingham and Waltham through Power Lunch, a reading and mentoring program which promotes literacy by pairing elementary school children, one-to-one, with volunteers from nearby businesses for a weekly read aloud session.

Family Success Partnership, a program of the Assabet Valley Collaborative, brings schools, state agencies and community organizations together to address the mental health needs of families who don’t meet traditional criteria for support.

The John Andrew Mazie Memorial Foundation matches high school students in Framingham and Waltham with adult mentors who help them set and achieve goals, prepare to apply to college and experience success.

TEMPO Young Adult Resource Center, a program of Wayside Youth and Family in partnership with a coalition of human service agencies, helps at-risk youth age 17-24 achieve self sufficiency by offering an array of support services in a single downtown Framingham location.

The winning applicant will be announced in early December.

Once selected, Social Innovators receive 12 months of intensive support from the Social Innovation Forum, including:

• Consulting: identification of a social impact model and growth plan, preparation of a presentation for investors, mini-prospectus
• Executive Coaching: a year of guidance from an experienced business executive
• Presentation Advising: presentation and messaging support from high-level business executives
• Relationship Building Support: advice on funding strategies, and events to raise organizational profile
• Performance Measurement Support: selection of key targets, quarterly progress reporting, and presentation to funders of successes and lessons learned
• In-Kind Services: connections to in-kind service providers, including media and marketing services, legal services, research analysis, technology development, and leadership development
• Access to New Networks: exposure to a community of Social Impact Investors – investors of time, talent, and resources interested in matching dollars to impact
• Culminating in the opportunity to present at the Social Innovation Forum’s annual Showcase in May 2012

Each Social Innovator receives a $10,000 grant from the sponsoring track partner, plus an additional $10,000 consulting engagement the following year upon completion of a key measures process.

Posted November 10, 2011

The Sudbury Food Pantry’s Pat Mullen (left) tells Sara Barker all about the Pantry during the HOPEsudbury Telethon on November 5, 2011.

A great and timely profile on Channel 5/WCVB of one of Sudbury’s little gems – The Sudbury Community Food Pantry

The all-volunteer, choice pantry has been serving Sudbury and surrounding communities since 1990. It’s located in the basement of Our Lady of Fatima Church on 160 Concord Road and is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12 noon to 2:30 p.m.

Some facts about our Food Pantry:

• More than 3,000 families a year visit the Sudbury pantry
• 10 percent of recipients are Sudbury residents, the rest come from a variety of communities, not just abutting towns
• No referral letter or proof of need is required
• An estimated 70 volunteers run the pantry

Donations come from individuals, houses of worship, community organizations and scouts. Sudbury Public School children donate 40 to 45 percent of the goods.

This is the time of year when pantry need is great, more so this year because of the challenging economy.

Why not drop off a bag of groceries in Sudbury or at a food pantry near you? Click here for a list of local pantries.

Posted November 9, 2011

george moore

Book Launch for “From Your Loving Son”

Join the Sudbury Historical Society for the launch of the new book “From your loving son” Civil War Correspondence and Diaries of Private George F. Moore and His Family. Sunday, November 6 at 2:00 p.m. at First Parish of Sudbury.

Based on the Society’s unique collection of letters from the front, the book includes rare letters of response from the family, edited by Mary Ellen Hoover, Elin Williams Neiterman, and E. Dianne James. A dramatic reading of a selection of the letters will be featured and the book will be available for purchase.