Join our celebration with organizations dedicated to providing equity in our community, June 22, 2024 11:00 – 3:00, on the First Parish Church front lawn in the center of Berlin, MA. Learn how these organizations are helping our communities.
State Senator, Robyn Kennedy
State Representative, Meghan Kilcoyne
Paul DePalo, Governor’s Councilor
Anne Rawls, PhD, Bentley University (see bio below)
Berlin Family Food Pantry
Many Hands Thrift Shoppe
NEADS
Lasagna Love
Hope for Housing (Central Mass Housing Authority)
Fresh Start Furniture Bank
Berlin Lions Club
Nashoba Neighbors
Berlin Social Justice Network
Agenda
11:00 am – 3:00 – all organizations will be onsite. Take place quiz to learn more and to enter a raffle for gifts from local Berlin businesses.
12:00-12:45 pm Speakers Robyn Kennedy, Meghan Kilcoyne, Paul DePalo, Dr. Anne Rawls
11:30-3:00 Food
1:00-3:00 Diversions live jazz band. See below.
Robyn Kennedy:
Senator Robyn Kennedy, born and raised in Worcester, MA, serves as the State Senator of the First Worcester District with a specific focus on the care economy, from childcare to elder care, investing in our workforce, improving regional public transportation, and reducing the gap on racial and health inequities. She most recently served as the Chief Operating Officer at the YWCA Central MA. She has also previously served as the Deputy Chief of Staff to former Lt. Governor Tim Murray and the Deputy
Assistant Secretary for Children, Youth, and Families at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Service
Representative Meg Kilcoyne: In 2020, Meg was elected as the FIRST female State Representative of the 12th Worcester District. Since then, she has hit the ground running to deliver for the towns of Berlin, Boylston, Clinton, Lancaster, Precinct 4 of Northborough, and Sterling.
Paul DePalo was elected to represent District 7 on Governor’s Council in 2020 and re-elected in 2022. He lives in Worcester with his two daughters.
As an educator, Paul developed and taught in alternative public-school programming for adolescents coping with trauma and social-emotional disabilities. He was also a Principal Resident in Boston Public Schools. He has been recognized for his pro bono work in education law.
Dr. Anne Warfield Rawls, Professor and Chair of Sociology at Bentley University, Specialty: Race, Racism, Exclusion, Inequality and Emancipation Scholarship, will speak on “The Importance of Black Labor, Equality, and Juneteenth.”
The Berlin Family Food Pantry has been established to give some measure of support to Berlin, Massachusetts residents experiencing difficulty providing food for their family. We depend on volunteers from the community to provide both food and service to our clients, who themselves may be volunteers. We will gladly accept non-perishable food donations at our table. See our list of needed items here.
CMHA leads a collaborative response to homelessness that fosters long-term housing stability through prevention, shelter & safety net, moving beyond homelessness, and public ed & advocacy. Visit our table to learn how our Hope for Housing gift card fundraising is a win-win!
Fresh Start Furniture Bank collects donations of furniture and home goods from the public and distributes them, for free, to people in need.
Our volunteers have helped over 3,000 families turn empty spaces into homes. We have also kept over 130,000 items out of the waste stream. Visit our table to learn more of our impact.
Lasagna Love is a global nonprofit and grassroots movement that aims to positively impact communities by connecting neighbors with neighbors through homemade meal delivery. We also seek to eliminate stigmas associated with asking for help when it is needed most. Visit our table to learn more about our mission: feed families, spread kindness, and strengthen communities.
NEADS is a local non-profit organization that specializes in raising and training exceptional Service Dogs that help people with physical disabilities, hearing loss, children with autism, and veterans with PTSD. Visit the NEADS table to learn how NEADS Service Dogs change lives and how you can become part of their journey.
Lions Club: Our service is built on three mission pillars that boldly define what we aim to achieve everywhere we serve; Improve health and well-being; Strengthen communities; Support those in need.
Nashoba Neighbors is a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization that provides needed services and community connection for members in Berlin, Bolton, and Lancaster, Massachusetts as they age at home.
DIVERSIONS
Surrounded by international artists-musicians, Earl Lawrence offers us Diversions, six-piece modern jazz ensemble designed to convey inspiration and serve the international community through public performance, studio creations, and commissioned installations.
Flutes, multiple saxophones, combined with a full percussion section-combining the influences of Afro-Cuban Latin Jazz. Learn more.