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ACTION and Massachusetts Celebrate 10,000
Homes Weatherized
Pictured left
to right: ACTION Executive Director Tim Riley,
ACTION client Stephanie East, Senator Bruce Tarr, MA
Department of Housing and Community Development
Chief of Staff Steve Carvalho, Congressman John
Tierney, Secretary Jay Gonzales, Gloucester City
Councilor Greg Verga, Mayor Carolyn Kirk,
Commissioner Mark Sylvia, Department of Housing and
Community Development Energy Conservation Unit
Director Ken Rauseo, ACTION Vice President for
Energy Services Elliott Jacobson.
Read about it in the Gloucester Daily
Times!
Community Leaders Awarded at
ACTION's 2011 Annual Meeting
 June
8, 2011 - At ACTION's 46th Annual
Meeting and Dinner held June 8th, we
recognized members of the community for their work in
making Greater Cape Ann a better place to live.
Every year ACTION presents
Community Action Awards to honor individuals and groups
that have contributed to the organization’s mission of
improving the
quality of life for disadvantaged residents of Cape Ann
and beyond, by minimizing the effects of poverty,
promoting economic security and advocating for social
change.
Recognized at
the 2011 Annual Meeting and Dinner were the First
National Bank of Ipswich with the Community Service
Award, former Gloucester Public Health Director Jack
Vondras with the Public Service Award, and Gloucester
Police Chief Michael Lane with the Community Leadership
Award.
Receiving the
Community Service Award on behalf of the First National
Bank of Ipswich (FNBI) was bank President and CEO Russ
Cole. ACTION and FNBI have partnered on a number of
community initiatives, including financial education and
savings programs as well as ACTION’s annual Project
Uplift holiday toy drive for disadvantaged children.
ACTION chose to
honor Jack Vondras in recognition of his productive
seven years as Gloucester’s Public Health Director.
During his tenure as Director, Vondras worked to
establish the Gloucester Family Health Center and
brought millions of new dollars in grant funding
into the City to support much needed public health
programming and services.
Chief Michael
Lane earned the Community Leadership Award for his years
of commitment to keeping the City of Gloucester safe.
Chief Lane has worked with ACTION to address substance
abuse issues and homelessness in the community and has
been a valued partner and public servant. At the event,
Lane spoke of the need to recognize chronic substance
abuse and mental health issues as a disease and not a
crime.
Receiving an
award in absentia was National Community Action
Foundation Director David Bradley, who was later
presented with ACTION’s Lyndon Baines Johnson War on
Poverty Award at the Southern New England Community
Action Conference held June 20th in North
Falmouth.
The Annual
Meeting and Dinner was also a chance for ACTION staff,
board members, supporters, and partners to hear from
individuals who have directly benefited from the
organization’s services. Speaking at the event was Ron
McArdle, a gentleman who found himself staying at the
ACTION Emergency Homeless Shelter after becoming a
victim of elder abuse and losing his home.
McArdle’s story was featured by
WGBH and can be viewed at
http://www.wgbh.org/programs/Greater-Boston-11/episodes/May-9-2011A-growing-elder-abuse-problem-28631.
ACTION Energy Services Receives Green Award from
Northeast Arc
June 5, 2011 - At an awards ceremony held June
5th by Northeast Arc, ACTION received the Green Award in
recognition of the agency’s energy conservation
initiatives.
Northeast Arc is a non-profit
organization that has delivered lifelong support
services to people with developmental disabilities for
more than 55 years. The organization launched a Green
Initiative two years ago to “reflect on our reverence
for the environment and the duty we feel to spend our
energy and financial resources wisely.” To that end,
Northeast Arc sought assistance with conducting energy
audits and weatherizing its residences, and was directed
to ACTION Energy Services.
ACTION has a long history of
operating energy conservation programs through its
Energy Services division. The division assists
disadvantaged households with paying their heating
bills, and also offers home weatherization (such as
insulation and weather-stripping), heating system
repairs and replacements, energy conservation education,
and replacement of inefficient appliances and light
bulbs.
Partial funding for these
projects is provided through a partnership with major
energy provider National Grid. Through Northeast Arc’s
Green Initiative, ACTION and National Grid teamed up to
weatherize the homes of low-income, disabled residents
of 10 houses in Beverly, Gloucester, Lynn, Salem, and
Swampscott, with improvements totaling over $50,000.
COMPASS Student Unveils Harbor & Home Mural at
the ACTION Shelter
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Read the story in the
Cape Ann Beacon
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Watch the unveiling on
October 22, 2010 -
ACTION unveiled the Harbor
& Home mural outside our Shelter during a
special public event. The mural was painted by
COMPASS student Cole Herbst, in partnership with ACTION,
Cape Ann Art Haven, and the ACTION Shelter. Pictured
left to right: Cole with Gloucester Mayor Carolyn Kirk
(center) and his mother, the crowd outside the entrance to the Shelter,
ACTION Executive Director
Tim Riley with Cole.
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