Delete

*|MC:SUBJECT|*
View this email in your browser
NEWSLETTER
March 2022
Dear Partners and Supporters,
 
We are celebrating the one-year anniversary of Work to THIVE!  Why are we doing this work, what have we accomplished, where are we going?  Read on to learn more.  And thank you for your interest and support!! 


In partnership,
Chris Albrizio-Lee, President and CEO

Melora Rush, Communications Manager
 
In This Issue:
Why is Work to THRIVE important?
Work to THRIVE is MassHire Metro North Workforce Board's initiative to address the gap between publicly funded workforce development programs and those communities and individuals most in need and currently disconnected from needed services. 

Work to THRIVE’s mission is to reach those who are currently disconnected from the traditional Federal and Massachusetts workforce development system by leveraging MNWB’s community ties and partnerships to help the most vulnerable populations.

Looking forward, MassHire Metro North and Work to THRIVE envision a region where, working together, all residents and businesses can thrive. A region where residents are not just “scraping by,” but where they can earn a living wage and have access to opportunities that will allow them to live a life of dignity.


As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, MNWB is uniquly positioned to leverage our expertise and to build upon our community, education and training partnerships for the benefit of residents in need in the communities hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The majority of our work will focus on the Metro North communities of Chelsea, Everett, Malden and Revere. 

Read more about our work below and at WorktoTHRIVE.org
One year in - our accomplishments!
MassHire Metro North Workforce Board is excited to announce it has received a $50K donation from @CVSHealth to support MNWB’s Work to THRIVE initiative! This generous donation will be used to create the Metro North Workforce Resiliency Fund to support residents in Chelsea, Everett, Malden and Revere who are in need of workforce development assistance related to accessing training and/or employment.  WtT will partner with The Neighborhood Developers/CONNECT to distribute the funds.

We hope that this donation will inspire others to support Work to THRIVE! WtT aims to grow the Fund with contributions from other Metro North companies, foundations, and individuals.  Please consider supporting our work!
Read the Press Release
Spotlight on Cambridge
OUTCOMES from Digital Literacy support for Students at the Cambridge Community Learning Center!

27 students at the Cambridge Community Learning Center were served by Work to THRIVE!  Our 6 month survey showed positive outcomes from our work!

Who are they?  What was achieved?   

The Covid-19 Pandemic ended in-person classes at the Cambridge Community Learning Center (CLC) over a year ago.  Instructors scrambled to get online instruction going and a huge obstacle came in the way of lack of computer access and internet access.  Over the summer of 2020, libraries and other community organizations were able to loan students laptops and hotspots, but that was a short term fix.  But ... the equipment had to be returned in the fall. 

Work to THRIVE has been able to help CLC bridge the gap by providing over 25 students with Chromebooks and mobile internet hotspots to allow them to continue CLC classes and to look for new and/or better jobs! 

This was the first grant for Work to THRIVE and we are so grateful for the generous support of the City of Cambridge’s Covid-19 Nonprofit Grant that allowed us to do this work in partnership with CLC!!

Sumra Khan   (Chromebook)
“It's helpful for finding a job and for school because my laptop is broke so it's taken a lot of time and money to repair. Right now, only I'm working and not my husband so I can't afford to buy a new one and the old one they want $300 to repair.
This will help me find a better job for me and my family.”
Curtis Mervin  (Chromebook & Hotspot)
It helps for school class access to internet. I can do a lot more job searching and looking for other carees and I can teach myself more about technology. I can always stay up to date about what's going on in the world. Without a Chromebook I can't research or look up the things I need.
I can also get in touch with my family as my phone is not working.

Click here to see more pictures and student quotes!

Digital Literacy Support for Chelsea Community Schools

Next up for Work to THRIVE is a partnership with the Chelsea Community Schools (CCS)!  A generous $25K grant from the Enel North America Donor Advised Fund and the Tulsa Community Foundation will allow us to provide Chromebooks and laptops to about 40 students at CCS!!   

At this time, CCS is in the process of distributing Chromebooks and hotspots with a year of free internet to 24 students!  We look forward to sharing some of thier stories in later issues of this newsletter.

We hope this will lead to not only support for CCS students, but for an ongoing connection between the Metro North STEM Network and MassHire Metro North Youth Programs to Enel Green Power!
Students at the The Immigrant Learning Center in Malden benefit from a $10K grant from the Adelaide Breed Bayrd Foundation!
Work to THRIVE is partnering with The Immigrant Learning Center (ILCTR) in Malden for its third digital literacy effort!  Once again, based on the needs of the students, Chromebooks and/or Mobile Hotspots with a free year of internet access will be provided to low income students at ILCTR.  As in our other programs, Chromebooks will remain the property of the student for thier use in pursuing further education, training, job search and related activities.
 
WtT in the News
Work to THRIVE in the BBJ!
Thanks to Raija Vaisanen, associate director at the Massachusetts Workforce Association, Work to THRIVE got a boost in an article in the March 25, 2021 issue of the Boston Business Journal.  Read Here
 
How to Support our Work

Work to THRIVE is new, but growing!!

We hope that our first newsletter has inspired you!  Check out our website at https://WorktoThrive.org


And if so moved, we would be grateful for your support:
 

Donate
Check out our Website!!
Subscribe to our Newsletter

 

LIKE, FOLLOW, and FRIEND

Help us grow our social media presence -
visit us on our pages below and like, follow or friend us.
Facebook Facebook
Twitter Twitter
LinkedIn LinkedIn
 Our Website Our Website
Copyright © 2021 MassHire Metro North Workforce Board, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
186 Alewife Brook Parkway, Suite 216, Cambridge, MA  02138

Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.






This email was sent to *|EMAIL|*
why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences
*|LIST:ADDRESSLINE|*