This week on The 495, we’re joined by Marquis Victor, the founding executive director of Elevated Thought, an art and social justice organization based in Lawrence. Mass. He’s also an educator, photographer and poet. Listen on your favorite streaming platform!
Enterprise Bank is seeking nominees for the 2018 Celebration of Excellence awards and they’re looking for you to help them.
For the past decade, the Celebration of Excellence awards have recognized people and organizations who care about giving back to the community. Categories include business, education, entrepreneurship, community service and corporate philanthropy.
As Enterprise Bank prepares to celebrate its 29th anniversary this January, I spoke with CEO Jack Clancy about what the awards mean to him and the community.
“It’s amazing when you go back to the previous award recipients.” Clancy says. “They were doing great things at that time and to see what some of them have done today, it’s absolutely amazing.” There are many examples. At the first ceremony in 2008, the winners of the entrepreneurship award were Salvatore Lupoli and Michael Kuenzler, both of whom went on to become major Merrimack Valley leaders.
I asked Clancy why the awards were so important to Enterprise Bank and its mission. He responds, “It’s just a way for the bank to give back to the community and to recognize everyone who has made a difference. At our last event, we had more than 2000 people. A lot of people walked out of the auditorium that night wanting to do more and wanting to give back.”
Last year’s keynote speaker was Travis Roy, who, in 1995, injured his spine while playing his first game for the Boston University hockey team. Roy went on to get a degree in public relations, write an autobiography and start the Travis Roy Foundation, which supports research on spinal cord injuries and helps provide adaptive equipment to paraplegics and quadriplegics.
When asked if any of the winners have inspired him personally, Clancy says, “Oh yes. Every single one of them. I think of Nancy Donahue,” he says, referring to the 2016 community service award winner who has been involved in philanthropic work in the Merrimack Valley for six decades. “She walks the walk and it comes from the heart.”
He also cites 2013 community service award winners Barbara and Ira Smith. The couple founded Acton’s Household Goods Recycling of Massachusetts in response to a local crisis involving civil war refugees.
Since winning the 2013 Celebration of Excellence community service award, Household Goods has grown into a large nonprofit organization, staffed by hundreds of volunteers, and provided over 35,000 individuals with donated furniture and household items. These individuals include children, those with disabilities, veterans and victims of fire. “[The Smiths] are in their 80s, making a meaningful contribution to society,” Clancy notes. The couple continue to volunteer at HGRM six days a week.
Household Goods Executive Director Sharon Martens speaks warmly of how much the 2013 award meant to their organization. “It was wonderful,” Martens says. “It brought so much publicity to us and introduced us to many people who hadn’t heard of us before.”
When asked why it was important to celebrate excellence, Clancy notes, “There’s so much bad in the news today — I don’t think we hear enough of the good. It’s important to tell the good stories. I wish we did more of that.”
The deadline for nominations is January 11 and all application materials must be received by February 16. Applicants may nominate themselves and are judged by an independent committee of community and business leaders on their contributions to community and industry, the innovativeness of their business practices, and their track record of leadership. The ceremony will be held on May 1, 2018 at Lowell Memorial Auditorium.
For more information, visit Enterprise Bank’s Celebration of Excellence website at EBCOE.com.
An Interview with Lowell’s Nancy Donahue
Nancy and Richard Donahue moved to Lowell more than six decades ago, in 1953. They raised a family and became ardent benefactors of the arts and other community organizations. Richard, a lawyer, former president of Nike and an assistant to President John F. Kennedy passed away last year at the age of 88, but Nancy carries on their work. We sat down with her to talk about the ways Lowell has evolved since she and her husband arrived in 1953, and her longtime efforts as a volunteer and philanthropist.
In the 63 years you’ve lived in Lowell, how has it evolved?
Lowell has changed dramatically. Back then, there were department stores, movie theaters and grocery stores downtown, but it was in a difficult time economically because the mills had moved out. It perked up when Wang [Laboratories] moved downtown and other high-tech companies located in the area. When they hit hard times, so did Lowell. The building of the Burlington and Pheasant Lane malls didn’t help.
A vibrant city depends on having a variety of arts and cultural organizations. Businesses locate where employees want to live and play as well as work. Thanks to the creative economy, Lowell is now a culturally vibrant, thriving midsize city.
Why have you been so passionate about building the arts scene in Lowell?
I didn’t start out to build the arts scene. John Duff, a good friend, neighbor and president of the University of Lowell [now UMass Lowell] asked me to be the executive director of a cultural foundation he started. To raise money, we held events with world-class artists like Isaac Stern, Yo-Yo Ma and Benny Goodman. I had never done anything like that before; I just jumped in. Our success indicated interest in this type of event.
A local woman and two young actors came to talk to me about starting a professional theater in Lowell. I set up a board and ended up as president. It was a tough go, but the Merrimack Repertory Theatre is now a nationally recognized theater, in business for 38 years.
One thing led to another. Some women approached me about starting a quilt museum in Lowell, another great idea, so I helped them get it going and have been on the board since the beginning. At the same time, I was on the board of the American Textile Museum in North Andover, and the board decided to move that museum to Lowell, which had recently [launched] a national park.
Lowell City Manager Brian Martin, Councilor Grady Mulligan and I went to see Providence Mayor Buddy Cianci about Providence’s cultural district. When we returned, the Lowell City Council designated its own downtown cultural district. Now, hundreds of artists of all kinds live and work in Lowell. We offer galleries, musical events, poetry readings, theater, museums and more. Artistic expression is important because it can be interpreted and shared by everyone, no matter what the language, educational level, age, ethnicity or gender.
How do you choose which nonprofits to support?
I choose groups that I feel are making important contributions in Lowell, and whose leaders are passionate about what they are doing. My major emphasis may be in the arts, but education and social programs are also critical. So many people are doing so much good work that I am happy to be able to support them.
What part of volunteer work do you enjoy most?
All of it! I love licking stamps, polishing silver and brass, cleaning up, setting up or whatever! Also, whenever I get the chance, I do brag about Lowell and all it has to offer. I’m not crazy about fundraising, but you have to remember that you are not asking money for yourself, but for a very worthy and important organization. I happen to be lucky that I now have the ability to financially help many organizations. Before that, it was time and effort that I gave, and anyone can do that. Every little bit makes a difference.
What benefits have you felt from your life of philanthropy?
There are too many to count. The amazing people I have met, friends I have made, the incredible art that has been produced, the many social programs that have started and improved many people’s lives, and how Lowell has changed so dramatically for the better. It has been wonderful to see and play a small part in these changes.
What are your dreams for Lowell’s future?
I dream that the next generation will make Lowell an even better place to live, work and play, and that our children will be educated in top-ranked public schools from preschool through high school and beyond.
I would also like to have the bridges across the Merrimack River all lit up differently. They do this in Portland, Ore., and it is beautiful and connects the different neighborhoods in a lovely way. We’ll see.
How do you hope to be remembered?
I would like to be remembered for having raised, along with my husband, a wonderful, large family. That really is my greatest accomplishment, and I am blessed. I also hope to be remembered as someone who was good to others, treated everyone with respect and contributed to helping others and my community.
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