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Merrimack Valley Magazine

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The Joy of Giving – Merrimack Valley Children’s Charities

December 1, 2020 by Emilie-Noelle Provost

Whether it’s a monetary contribution to a nonprofit or giving up a Sunday afternoon to cook meals for the homeless, few things are as gratifying as improving the life of another human being. We are reminded of this most often during the holiday season, when many of us look for opportunities to share our treasure and talent.

Often unable to help or speak for themselves, disadvantaged children and teens are among those most in need of assistance. Below, you will find a list of charities in the Merrimack Valley that work to help young people in a variety of ways, organizations that are always in need of donations and volunteers.

 

Catie’s Closet — With “closets” in several schools across the region, Catie’s Closet, which is based in Dracut, helps elementary and high school students living in poverty gain discreet access to clothing, toiletries, winter coats, shoes, bus passes, backpacks and even grocery cards. According to the organization’s website, Catie’s Closet has helped increase attendance and graduation rates in the schools it serves by meeting students’ basic needs and providing them with clothing they are proud to wear.

CatiesCloset.org | (978) 957-2200

Community Giving Tree — Providing low-income families with basics such as diapers, car seats, baby furniture, children’s clothing, school supplies and toys, Community Giving Tree has donation centers in Boxford, where the organization is based, and Middleton. The organization prides itself on keeping useful items out of landfills while helping local families. Donations during COVID-19 are by appointment only.

CommunityGivingTree.org | (978) 223-5767

Debbie’s Treasure Chest — Based in Lawrence, Debbie’s Treasure Chest provides clothing, books, toys, toiletries, school supplies and other essentials to local children in need. The organization also holds annual coat and toy drives, and partners with local police and firefighters to grant the holiday wishes of the kids with whom they work. During the current crisis, the need for donations is high.

DebbiesTreasureChest.org | (978) 360-4007

Horizons for Homeless Children — The largest organization exclusively dedicated to helping homeless children in Massachusetts, Horizons for Homeless Children provides early education classes and safe play spaces for children living in shelters, allowing parents time to look for work and take advantage of family services.

HorizonsChildren.org | (978) 557-2182

Lydia’s Kids Foundation — A private charitable fund established to provide for the short-term physical, emotional and intellectual needs of disadvantaged students in Newburyport’s public schools, Lydia’s Kids Foundation collects donations to pay for a wide range of essential items, including eyeglasses, warm winter clothing, snow boots and even summer camp tuition. 

Send tax-deductible donations to Lydia’s Kids Foundation c/o Institution For Savings, 93 State St., Newburyport, 01950.

Merrimack Valley Food Bank — Although the Merrimack Valley Food Bank’s programs help families in general, its Summer Food Service and Operation Nourish programs are geared toward kids age 18 and under. During the months of July and August, the food bank provides children in Lowell with free daily lunches and programs that help them learn about the importance of good nutrition and exercise. Operation Nourish provides students in Lowell’s public schools with bags of nourishing food two Fridays each month to help reduce weekend hunger. They continue to operate as normal during the current health restrictions.

MVFB.org | (978) 454-7272

Speedway Children’s Charities — Affiliated with New Hampshire Motor Speedway, the local branch of this national organization is located in Concord, N.H. Money raised by the charity through events and promotions at the speedway is distributed through grants to organizations in the Northeast that help children in need.

SpeedwayCharities.org/NewHampshire | (603) 513-5738    

Filed Under: Community Tagged With: charity, children, Nonprofit, teens, youth

Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union Celebrates National Nonprofit Day

July 30, 2019 by Digital Manager Leave a Comment

As strong supporters of local non-profit organizations, Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union is holding its annual Nonprofit Day campaign that allows community members to nominate their favorite 501(c)(3) organization for the chance to win a $2,019 donation.

As part of the Credit Union’s Small Acts That Give Back initiative, this campaign honors National Nonprofit Day, which will be celebrated across the country on Saturday, August 17th. Jeanne D’Arc launched this campaign for the first time last year, donating $2,018 to the Westford-based organization, For the Love of Erika.

Jeanne D’Arc is accepting nonprofit nominations between Monday, July 29th and Saturday, August 10th. The Credit Union will select one winner on Monday, August 12th.

“We are excited to hold our second annual National Nonprofit Day campaign,” said Mark S. Cochran, President and Chief Executive Officer.  “We wholeheartedly understand the difference nonprofits make in our communities, and we are looking forward to giving community members the chance to recognize the organizations that mean the most to them.”

Community members are encouraged to submit their nominations at LoveJDCU.com. Nominations will also be accepted at all Jeanne D’Arc branch locations and via mail.

Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union is holding its Nonprofit Day campaign for the second consecutive year. The campaign allows community members to submit their favorite 501(c)(3) non-profit organization for the chance to win a $2,019 donation. Nominations will be accepted between Monday, July 29th and Saturday, August 10th. One winner will be selected on Monday, August 12th.

 


About Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union: Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union was established in 1912 and is a full-service, member-owned community-based financial cooperative with more than 85,000 members and $1.4 billion in assets. It operates eight full-service branches in Lowell, Dracut (2), Tyngsboro, Chelmsford, Methuen and Westford, Massachusetts and Nashua, New Hampshire; high-school branches at Lowell High, Dracut High and Nashua High School South; a loan center in Lowell; and a mortgage center in Chelmsford.

Filed Under: Community Tagged With: charity, Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union, Nonprofit

NoteWorthy – 6/30/19

June 30, 2019 by Jaden Mendola Leave a Comment

AROUND THE VALLEY

Volvo Joins Jaffarian Family to Celebrate Grand Reopening of Volvo Showroom

Volvo Cars USA President & CEO Andors Gustafson, along with members of the local business community and customers, joined with the Jaffarian family to celebrate the grand reopening of its Volvo showroom. Jaffarian Volvo recently received the 2018 Volvo Excellence Award from Volvo Cars USA for a third consecutive year, an accomplishment no other dealer has achieved.

L-r: Gavin Jaffarian, Gary Jaffarian, Andors Gustafsson, President & CEO of Volvo Cars USA, Eric Miller of Volvo Cars USA, Mark Jaffarian.

Copper Door Restaurants Donate $25,000 to Children’s Scholarship Fund

Great NH Restaurants announced a donation to the Children’s Scholarship Fund New Hampshire of $25,000 from their Copper Door locations in Bedford and Salem, N.H. The funding will support scholarships for local N.H. children grades K-12. Forty-nine schools are part of the Children’s Scholarship Fund New Hampshire program, and the average school scholarship amount received is $2,402.


Lawrence General Hosts Event to Celebrate Launch of New Heart and Vascular Center

On Wednesday, June 19, Lawrence General Hospital held a special reception for area physicians and health care leaders to celebrate the launch of its new Heart and Vascular Center. Hosted by Lawrence General president and CEO Dianne Anderson, RN, the private event was held at the Lanam Club in Andover.

L-r: Ryan Messiner, DO, associate director/vascular surgery; Sunit Mukherjee, MD, medical director; James Meyer, MD, associate director/interventional radiology; and Ken Adams, MD, associate director/cardiology.

 


Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union Awards $1,000 to Local Hometown Heroes

Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union recently awarded a total of $1,000 to four local “Hometown Heroes” through its Small Acts That Give Back initiative.

Throughout the month of May, the Credit Union gave community members the chance to nominate someone who they believe goes above and beyond in their community. Between April 29 and May 24, Jeanne D’Arc received a total of 35 submissions, all of which described someone who has made a positive impact on the lives of others.

The credit union announced Kwame Asamoah-Addo of Lowell, Susanne Beaton of Lowell, H. David Reed of Carlisle and Craig Schorer of Andover as winners of the 2019 Hometown Hero campaign.


City of Lowell Celebrates Kerouac Park

On June 27, the city of Lowell celebrated the grand opening of Kerouac park with live music, games and family fun.

Thirty years ago the city formally dedicated the Jack Kerouac Commemorative in what was then called Eastern Canal Park. The commemorative honored Jack Kerouac, Lowell’s hometown literary hero and author. Last year, in an effort to restore and revitalize the park, the city successfully launched a funding drive in collaboration with MassDevelopment through the civic crowdfunding platform Patronicity. Now known as Kerouac Park, the almost one-acre space will provide local residents and visitors with a downtown destination to enjoy music, play games, take part in group exercise classes and celebrate Lowell.

To learn more about the park’s activities, click here.

L-r: Karen Cirillo, Rita Mercier, Jay McQuaide, Lowell Mayor William Samaris, Steve Edington, Judith Bessette.

SpaceX Launch Puts UMass Lowell Research Into Orbit

An Air Force satellite launched into orbit this week via SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket carries an instrument built by UMass Lowell researchers to conduct experiments in space.

Space is a harsh and dangerous place. Aside from temperature extremes, high vacuum and bombardment of cosmic rays, there are also extremely high-energy particles dubbed “killer electrons” that can pose a hazard to the health of astronauts and shorten the lifespan of orbiting satellites. These electrons are the subject of the research being conducted by UMass Lowell via the satellite.

“These electrons, traveling at nearly the speed of light, are capable of damaging the satellites’ sensitive electronics and exposing astronauts to high doses of radiation,” said UMass Lowell Physics Prof. Paul Song of the university’s Space Science Lab.

To help understand how these harmful electrons are generated and can be mitigated, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) awarded a three-year contract to a team of UMass Lowell researchers led by Song to support the Air Force’s Demonstration and Science Experiments (DSX) mission to the Earth’s radiation belts. The DSX’s objective is to explore the role of “wave-particle interaction” in the dynamics of these killer electrons.

Left: Air Force Research Laboratory DSX spacecraft in the final preparation stages before shipment to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. The satellite includes research instrumentation designed and built by UMass Lowell researchers. Photo credit: U. S. Air Force. Right: A research team led by Physics Prof. Paul Song, right, in UMass Lowell’s Space Science Lab designed and built instrumentation for the new DSX satellite launched by a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. The team – which includes Research Prof. Ivan Galkin, left, and physics major and Air Force ROTC cadet Brianna Croteau, center – will use the technology to study so-called “killer electrons” in space that can put astronauts and equipment at risk. Photo credit: Edwin Aguirre for UMass Lowell.

Mayor Presents Proclamation to Retiring Lazarus House Executive Director

Over 300 civic, community, business and religious leaders joined in honoring the retirement of longtime Lazarus House Executive Director Bridget Shaheen with a mass and reception at her alma mater, Merrimack College, on June 13.

For over 36 years, Shaheen led the charge in building Lazarus House from a five-bed emergency shelter to a multiservice agency serving those materially poor and homeless with a food pantry, soup kitchen, transitional housing and job training programs.

Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera, who honored Shaheen with a proclamation, said when he needed help with the homeless or the hungry of the city, he would call her.  “Thank you for making Lawrence better,” he said.

Bridget Shaheen talks about her tenure with Doug Cook, board president, and Jeff Hassel, incoming executive director. Photo courtesy of Lazarus House Ministries.

 MOVERS & SHAKERS

Lowell General Hospital and Circle Health President & CEO Joseph A. White to Chair Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association Board of Trustees

Joseph A. White, MBA, FACHE, president & CEO, Lowell General Hospital and Circle Health, is the 79th Chair of the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association (MHA). He succeeds Mark A. Keroack, MD, MPH, president & CEO, Baystate Health.

The MHA serves as the unified voice for Massachusetts hospitals on Beacon Hill and Capitol Hill. Its members include 71 licensed hospitals, many of which are organized within 29 member health systems.

In his inaugural address, White urged attendees to think beyond the walls of their own facilities to connect all the components of the commonwealth’s health system, and to work collaboratively to advance and improve health for everyone in the commonwealth. White will serve a one-year term.

Pamela Huntley Named Megan House Foundation Executive Director

The Megan House Foundation announced Pamela Huntley as the organization’s executive director. Huntley previously served on the foundation’s board of directors before assuming the executive director role on an interim basis early this year. She came to Megan’s House after spending a decade at Lowell General Hospital, most recently as the director of community relations and at the Center for Community Health & Wellness.

 

 

 

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Filed Under: Community Tagged With: business, charity, Donation, fundraiser, movers, Nonprofit, noteworthy, shakers

NoteWorthy – 6/23/19

June 23, 2019 by Jaden Mendola Leave a Comment

AROUND THE VALLEY

Community Foundation Annual Meeting Highlights Homelessness in the Community and Impact of Philanthropy

Nearly 200 residents, business leaders and nonprofit professionals attended the Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF)’s 2019 annual “Homelessness and Hope” meeting on June 13 at the UMASS Lowell Inn & Conference Center.

GLCF Board Chair Chet Szablak opened the event speaking about the impact of charitable giving on the local level,  citing the foundation’s $1.95 million in grants and scholarships distributed to the community in 2018, and it continued with remarks from GLCF President and CEO Jay Linnehan as he discussed the power of partnerships to address the growing issue of homelessness in downtown Lowell.

“Last June, the GLCF board voted to support and facilitate an initiative to address homelessness in the downtown. Since then, the foundation, under the adept leadership of the City Manager Eileen Donoghue and the City of Lowell, along with CTI, the Lowell Plan and SMOC (South Middlesex Opportunity Council) regularly meet as the leadership team charged with the important task of creating an action plan to address this critical issue.”

Align Credit Union Announces Support of “A Bed for Every Child” Initiative

Align Credit Union announced their support of the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless’ “A Bed for Every Child” initiative. Over the course of several months, the credit union participated in Build-A-Bed events, collected donations from Members in their seven branches and helped increase awareness of the program through marketing and social media efforts.

“Most of us take for granted the bed we sleep in each night but there are thousands of Massachusetts children growing up in poverty who have no bed of their own,” said Robyn Frost, the organization’s executive director. “A bed is a very basic need that many low- to no-income families simply cannot afford.”

Lowell House Addiction Treatment and Recovery Awarded a Unique Four-Year Grant for Recovery Coaching Academy

Lowell House Addiction Treatment and Recovery (ATR) is one of 100 local nonprofits to receive grants of $100,000 each through the Cummings Foundation’s “100K for 100” program.

Lowell House ATR is a 47-year-old cornerstone of the service provider community in Merrimack Valley providing a variety of outpatient, day treatment, case management, residential recovery, sober and transitional housing programs. Recovery coaching and the new Recovery Cafe are two major initiatives of the organization in recent years.

Mill City Grows Raises Money for Fresh Food and Education Access

On Friday, June 14, more than 450 attendees came out to support Mill City Grows in their efforts to improve fresh food access and food education in Lowell. The event raised $169,000 for the organization’s food access & education programs. As part of the event, a Fund A Need Campaign was launched to expand our popular Farm to Table Cooking Classes which bring families together in the kitchen to prepare and enjoy fresh, nutritious meals and learn more about integrating wholesome ingredients into their home cooking. Photos by Meghan Moore

Filed Under: Community Tagged With: business, charity, fundraiser, movers, Nonprofit, shakers

Eat to Give

January 12, 2019 by Cindy Cantrell Leave a Comment

Seoul Kitchen Owner Fights Food Insecurity With New Nonprofit

As the owner of Seoul Kitchen in Westford, Jay Chung has made cultivating happiness through food his business. While the successful entrepreneur could open another restaurant or invest his time and money elsewhere, Chung is driven by childhood memories of food insecurity to help feed vulnerable members of the community.

In April 2018, Chung and his wife, Debbie, founded Eat To Give, a nonprofit organization that partners with local restaurants to label a menu item for which $1 is donated every time it is ordered. In fact, Seoul Kitchen has selected two best-sellers for the honor: its signature bibimbap (Korean rice bowl) and Korean tacos stuffed with barbecued rib-eye beef or spicy pork.

Through the end of 2018, a total of eight participating restaurants have generated about $3,500 to benefit the Merrimack Valley Food Bank and the Life Connection Center in Lowell; the Worcester County Food Bank in Shrewsbury; Mustard Seed Catholic Worker, Net of Compassion and St. John’s Food for the Poor Program, all based in Worcester; and Provision Ministry, based in Westborough. Because there are no operating costs, 100 percent of all donations directly help people in need.

The irony is not lost on Chung that his family at one time could have sought assistance from the same charitable organizations that Eat To Give is now supporting.

“I know from personal experience that you don’t have to be homeless to be hungry,” says Chung, who got the idea for the nonprofit while volunteering at soup kitchens. “More recently I’ve seen the opioid epidemic affect people I know and love who, with support, have gotten better and gone on to live successful lives. My immediate goal is to grow Eat To Give to 40 rotating restaurants, but my greatest vision is raising awareness of these issues and ending hunger in our local communities.”

A family legacy of hard work

Born in Seoul, South Korea, as the only child of Moon and Jin Chung, Jay Chung was 6 years old when his family immigrated to the West African country of Ghana in 1987. They opened a Korean restaurant even though the cuisine was so unknown there at the time that Chung reflects on the decision as “inconceivable.” Moreover, the ingredients were such novelties that even staples such as tofu and fermented pastes had to be made from scratch.

Five years later, the dream of a better life led the family to the U.S. Shortly after settling in Flushing, N.Y., however, they encountered a shocking setback when their life savings of $60,000 in cash was stolen by an acquaintance. Chung, 11 years old at the time, watched his parents — in their 40s, with limited knowledge of English and no local connections on which to rely — go to work seven days a week in restaurants owned by others.

“The devastation to our family is forever ingrained in my head,” Chung says, recalling his mother coming home from a 15-hour shift with blisters covering the soles of her feet. “We were living in poverty, and I remember being hungry. I had to grow up fast. But in hindsight, learning from my parents’ work ethic, which is unmatched even today, and having to figure things out are the same qualities that helped me succeed as an adult.”

In constant search of better opportunities, the Chung family moved to Pennsylvania and New Jersey before settling in Shrewsbury in 1996. They opened their first Massachusetts restaurant on Cambridge Street in Worcester that year, then closed it to open another on nearby Main Street in 1998.

Bowing to his parents’ desire to see their son in a white-collar desk job, Chung graduated from Northeastern University in 2004. But after working for 3 1/2 years in the finance industry, his passion for restaurant entrepreneurism eventually won them over. The family opened Sapporo Korean Barbecue & Sushi Restaurant in Westborough in 2007.

Though they may seem like disparate careers, Chung’s experience in finance provided him with many transferable skills for running a restaurant, including professional behavior in all interactions, communicating effectively with individuals from varying walks of life, and projecting leadership while retaining the humble nature so valued in
Asian culture.

Rear, l-r: Jay Chung’s grandfather, Pil Sun Lee; Jay Chung; Kang Lee, grandmother; Jin Sook Lee, aunt. Front, l-r: Jin Soon Chung, mom; Moon Chung, father.

Still, Chung recalls struggling that first year to educate newcomers about the cuisine and convert them into regular customers.

“Not a lot of people at that time knew about Korean food, especially in the suburbs,” says Chung, who lives in Westborough. “In the beginning, our core customers kept us alive. Korean food became more mainstream, and we started doing well.”

Eventually, Chung began evaluating locations for a second restaurant that would combine authentic Korean cuisine, sushi and creative dishes with craft beers and cocktails in a contemporary setting. He ultimately zeroed in on Westford, recognizing its economic similarities to Westborough and believing that area diners would be open to trying something new. For all his previously learned lessons, however, challenges remained after Seoul Kitchen opened in December 2014.

“It’s funny. After you run one restaurant, you think, ‘I’m going to know exactly what to do this time.’ Then, almost from the beginning, you make so many mistakes, and everything that could go wrong, does go wrong,” Chung says, recalling construction delays, unrelenting snowstorms that trapped people in their homes that first winter, freezing pipes, and staffing, boiler and sewer issues. “Finding the right people and getting business going just takes time.”

The key to Seoul Kitchen’s subsequent success, Chung believes, is the consistent quality of the food — still cooked by Moon Chung — and that it’s presented in a pleasing ambiance by upbeat professional servers who create a positive dining experience that guests want to repeat. He has a long and committed history of giving back through local fundraisers, but hopes that his vision for expanding Eat To Give will have a real impact on combating hunger, the scourge of addiction and homelessness.

“I understand the pain, cost and financials of what I’m asking,” Chung says, “so I’m incredibly grateful for the support of my fellow restaurant owners — and all of our customers.”                    

Filed Under: Community Tagged With: charity, Eat To Give, Korean food, Nonprofit, Restaurant, Seoul Kitchen

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Seoul Kitchen Restaurant

142 Littleton Road, Westford, MA 01886
Website
Directions
(978) 399-0016
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Seoul Kitchen Restaurant

Seoul Kitchen is a new, family owned and operated restaurant in Westford that captures exciting and authentic Korean flavors in a modern and welcoming setting. Featuring fresh and creative sushi served alongside craft cocktails, our dishes can be best described as bold and creative, yet traditional. Come join us for a fun night out with friends at our 25 seat bar and surrounding seating area, or for a family dinner in the comfortable dining room. 142 Littleton Road / Westford, Mass. / (978) 399-0016 / EatSeoulKitchen.com
Address
142 Littleton Road, Westford, MA 01886
Website
Directions
(978) 399-0016
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