Member Raffle Result

Among all members renewing prior to the deadline, Phyllis Sonnenschein was the winner of the drawing and chose to give the $1,000 prize to TPC Grantee Political Asylum/Immigration Representation (PAIR) Project. We asked Phyllis about her decision and she said, “This is such an agonizing time for refugees and asylum seekers and I know how effectively and tirelessly PAIR works to make a dent in the problems they face. I believe that every program TPC is supporting this year is worthy, but my heart lately has been with immigrants as they face an uncertain future in what has become an unwelcoming and harsh place. The PAIR team is so dedicated, experienced, and competent – it is a privilege to support them with this gift.”

Grantee Impact: Doc Wayne Youth Services
TPC Liaisons: Judith Ferretti and Cassandra Trujillo

David Cohen, CEO of Doc Wayne Youth Services, chatted with TPC Liaison Judith Ferretti recently. We’re delighted to share some of the nuggets of that conversation with you. Doc Wayne’s mission is to fuse sport and therapy to heal and strengthen at-risk youth. They do so by providing sports-based group therapy to over 300 students a week in Greater Boston Public Schools and other community sites. Using youth-friendly slogan-aided language, and a behavioral and skills-development focus, Doc Wayne delivers the curriculum on fields and courts through a trained coaching staff to students who have or are at high risk of developing social, emotional, or behavioral challenges that can adversely affect their development. Interview with David Cohen of Doc Wayne Youth Services

Grantee/Member Impact: Louis D. Brown Peace Institute
Liaisons: Sue Meehan and Adriane Musgrave

Sue Meehan and Adriane Musgrave had the pleasure of attending an inspiring fundraiser for the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute at Wilmer Hale on October 25. Sue (pictured) tells us, “As grantee liaisons, it was exciting to see an enthusiastic crowd offering support for the Peace Institute’s work, including their Board members, donors, community leaders, and families. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh was honored at the event for his long-time dedication to the Peace Institute’s mission. His remarks highlighted the invaluable role the organization plays in providing basic supports for the families of victims of homicide, while also promoting ways to interrupt cycles of violence in Massachusetts communities. Executive Director Tina Chéry and her team are filling a critical need, and we are grateful that TPC members chose to make an investment in this impactful organization.”

Every spring, the Peace Institute leads the Mother’s Day Walk for Peace. Please help support our grantee by joining the 22nd Walk on May 13, 2018. You can learn more at http://www.mothersdaywalk4peace.org/.

Member Impact: Our First Felcher YP!

At last year’s annual meeting, President Susan Benford announced that in recognition of Marla Felcher’s tireless efforts to bring TPC into being and nurture it through its early years, TPC’s Board pledged funds to establish the Marla Felcher Young Philanthropist (YP) Award. Each year, Marla will select a young woman who will receive a sponsored membership to TPC. We are very pleased to announce that Marla has chosen the first Felcher YP, Laura Botero. It is hard to imagine a more impressive and accomplished young woman. (Read more…)

Young Philanthropist Update

TPC Young Philanthropists and friends came together on the evening of November 2 to discuss Bryan Stevenson’s book Just Mercy, and hear from TPC grantee the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute. The book traces Stevenson’s journey in founding the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), an Alabama non-profit that offers representation to those illegally convicted, unfairly sentenced, or abused in state jails and prisons. The EJI advocates for the end of the death penalty and mass incarceration in the US. (Read more…)