Community Organizing | My Dorchester

St. Mark's Area Main Street

Location

1914 Dorchester Avenue

Dorchester, MA, 02124

United States

42° 17' 3.516" N, 71° 3' 51.5232" W

See map: Google Maps

Phone:

(617) 825-3846

Email:

office@smams.org

Website:

http://www.smams.org/

Mission:

"SMAMS" is a non-profit corporation powered by dedicated volunteer residents and merchants. We work to revitalize our business district on Dorchester Avenue, from Ashmont Station to just south of Fields Corner. By working with the City of Boston and the National Main Street Center, we are participating in a citywide and nationwide revitalization of local business districts. (We are not a religious organization. We take our name from the neighborhood we serve, which is named after the local historic parish.)

Executive Director/CEO/President/Coordinator/Other:

Dan Larner

Upham's Corner Main Street

Location

545 Columbia Road

Dorchester, MA, 02125

United States

42° 18' 57.9276" N, 71° 3' 57.852" W

See map: Google Maps

Phone:

(617) 265-0363

Email:

info@uphamscorner.org

Website:

http://www.uphamscorner.org

Mission:

Through a partnership of merchants, residents and civic leaders, our Main Street organization will make Upham’s Corner a thriving, multi-cultural, business and entertainment center that attracts people from all over Boston. UCMS was first created in 1996, when a group of passionate neighborhood residents, merchants, and civic leaders banded together to plan and manage the revitalization of the once vibrant Upham's Corner business and residential district. With a volunteer Board of Directors and a small but committed staff, UCMS set out to create new permanent jobs, an optimal mix of retail businesses, and shopping opportunities that fit the needs of residents.

Executive Director/CEO/President/Coordinator/Other:

Zachary Cohen, Executive Director (Outgoing - mid-2011);

Key Programs Offered:

The organization operates under the Four-Point Approach, created by The National Trust for Historic Preservation, to facilitate the revitalization of Upham’s Corner. UCMS mirrors the Four-Point Approach through the use of four committees: Design, Economic Restructuring, Organization, and Promotion.

As one of the 19 programs in the Boston Main Streets network, UCMS is an enterprising program that has a track record of innovative project planning and implementation that has raised the profile of the Upham’s Corner Commercial District. Upham’s Corner is becoming more competitive in the retail and entertainment arenas of Boston and is now a highly sought location for new businesses looking for a profitable location.

Last Updated:

04/28/2011

Columbia-Savin Hill Civic Association

Location

275 East Cottage Street

Dorchester, MA

United States

42° 19' 6.51" N, 71° 3' 24.4656" W

See map: Google Maps

Website:

http://www.columbiasavinhillcivic.org/

Hours of operation (or meeting times & dates):

Meets the first Monday of each month at 7pm

Friends of Ronan Park

Location

Ronan Park

Dorchester, MA, 02122

United States

42° 18' 14.6736" N, 71° 3' 45.9972" W

See map: Google Maps

Website:

http://friendsofronanpark.org/

Mission:

In 2001, the Friends of Ronan Park (FoRP) was established under the premise that a park has the distinct ability to transform and rejuvenate a community, and should thus be nurtured and protected by everyone. Urban parks are particularly vital as they are the heart of so much daily activity for children and families. Conversely, if they are neglected, parks become a cancer that attacks the heart and spirit of a neighborhood.

One of the goals of FoRP is to encourage usage of the park in constructive, creative and fun ways as well as build towards leaving a more permanent legacy that speaks directly to all who visit and use the park. Since the inception of FoRP, Ronan Park has witnessed success through events such as Shakespeare in the Park, park clean-ups, National Night Out, the annual Multicultural Festival, and more. A recent influx of new homeowners in the community surrounding Ronan Park has sparked an increased interest in revitalizing the park

Elderly Commission

Mailing Address (if different than physical location):

Elderly Affairs
1 City Hall Square, Room 271
Boston, MA 02201

Phone:

617-635-4366

Fax:

617-635-3213

Email:

Elderly@cityofboston.gov

Website:

http://www.cityofboston.gov/elderly/

Hours of operation (or meeting times & dates):

Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Mission:

The mission of the Commission on Affairs of the Elderly is to enhance the quality of life for Boston's senior citizens through planning, coordinating, and monitoring the delivery of services to the elderly in an efficient and effective manner.

Executive Director/CEO/President/Coordinator/Other:

Eliza Greenberg, Commissioner, City of Boston

Key Partners:

Veronica B. Smith Multi-Service Senior Center: 617-635-6120

Boston City TV, BNN-TV
Zumix.org
(See communications)

Key Programs Offered:

Senior Shuttle: 617-635-3000
Nutrition Services
Caregiver Support Services
Boston Seniority: 617-635-2360 (print publication)

Last Updated:

12/02/2010

Cedar Grove Civic Association

Location

15 Rita Road St. Brendan's Church, Fr. Lane Hall

Dorchester, MA

United States

42° 16' 58.5228" N, 71° 3' 3.8808" W

See map: Google Maps

Phone:

617-825-1402

Email:

weirsean@comcast.net

Website:

http://www.cedargrovecivic.org

Hours of operation (or meeting times & dates):

Meets the second Tuesday of each month at 7pm

Executive Director/CEO/President/Coordinator/Other:

Sean Weir

Reflect & Strengthen

Locations

14 Crawford St

Dorchester, MA, 02121

United States

42° 18' 37.8648" N, 71° 4' 59.3868" W

See map: Google Maps

Mailing Address (if different than physical location):

614 Columbia Rd. #R,
Dorchester, MA 02125

Phone:

(617) 442-2355

Email:

rands@reflectandstrengthen.org

Website:

http://www.reflectandstrengthen.org/

Mission:

Reflect and Strengthen (R&S) is a grassroots collective of young working class women from the urban neighborhoods of Boston who take a holistic approach to organizing to create personal and social transformation. Our programming focuses are political education, healing form trauma, creative expression, community building and campaign work to end racial disparities in the juvenile justice system.

How to get involved/application guidelines and procedures:

For more information regarding Reflect and Strengthen please download the One Sheet. You may also contact R&S for more info at: rands@reflectandstrengthen.org or 617-442-2355.

Checks can be mailed to:
614 Columbia Rd. #R
Dorchester, MA 02125

Key Programs Offered:

Juvenile Justice Organizing: Our Sisters Behind the Wall meets the urgent needs of young women involved with the juvenile justice system through healing, workshops, and sisterhood building. The Massachusetts Juvenile Justice Task Force on

Racial Disparities aka Da FORCE is community people demanding fairness from the juvenile justice system. We are organizing against the system’s racism which causes too many youth of color to be locked up.

Girl's Rap: is our peer led support groups, guided by licensed social workers, healing circles and beef resolution mediations, where we explore what sisterhood means and how we can unlearn the ways in which sexism, racism, homophobia and classism have taught us to think, act and feel toward one another.

Street Theater: members draw on our personal experiences and political awareness to create, direct and perform over 300 productions in the last five years. We educate, inspire and celebrate the power of culture through dance, theater, song, step, poetry, visual art, drumming, photography, videography, hip-hop and other means of creative expression. We perform at protests, theaters, rallies, jails, schools, cultural centers, youth groups, subways, theaters and hip-hop shows.

What's The 411?: Our political education program addresses the ways that racism, classism, xenophobia, homophobia and sexism manifest in our communities. We explore the root causes of our struggles and make the connections between our personal experiences and the political context. By focusing on internal transformation, we are empowered to transform the context that shapes our lives.

Girl’s Night Out: Evenings spent together to deepen our bonds and enjoy our community. At R&S we believe if we don’t have anything to celebrate we don’t have anything to fight for, so we choose to honor celebration.

Sisters Rising: Our internal leadership development program. Members can step up and lead committees, plan events, and take on internships. Sisters Rising is also responsible for implementing organizational decisions made by the membership.

Last Updated:

12/13/2010

Upham's Corner Health Center

Location

500 Columbia Road

Dorchester, MA, 02125

United States

42° 18' 52.74" N, 71° 4' 2.748" W

See map: Google Maps

Phone:

(617) 287-8000 or (617) 825-9206

Website:

http://www.uphamscornerhealthctr.com

Mission:

The Upham's Corner Health Center is committed to provide high quality, low cost, culturally sensitive, community-based health and social services to the residents of Dorchester.

Our goal is to provide comprehensive health and social services of the highest quality that are affordable, physically and culturally accessible, delivered in a dignified manner, and have a positive effect upon the client's well - being.

Key Programs Offered:

Primary Care, Home Care & Behavioral Health and Social Services
415 Columbia Road, Dorchester MA 02125
Tel: (617) 287-8000

Business & Human Resources Office
547 Columbia Road, Dorchester MA 02125
Tel: (617) 825-9205

Upham's Elder Service Plan (UESP) / PACE
SAVIN HILL 1140 Dorchester Ave, MA 02125
Dudley Square 36 Dearborn Street MA 02119
Tel: (617) 288-0970

Teen Clinic and HIV & Women, Infant and Children's Program,
500 Columbia Road, Dorchester MA 02125
Tel: (617) 287-0786 ,
Tel: (617)-825-8994 (WIC)

Dental & Eye Care
636 Columbia Road, Dorchester MA 02125
Tel: (617) 825-9839

Louis D. Brown Peace Institute

Location

1452 Dorchester Ave. 2nd Floor

Dorchester, MA, 02122

United States

42° 18' 3.6576" N, 71° 3' 35.4564" W

See map: Google Maps

Phone:

(617) 825-1917

Fax:

(617) 265-2278

Email:

info@ldbpeaceinstitute.org;

Website:

http://www.ldbpeaceinstitute.org/

Mission:

The mission of the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute is clear; to create and support an environment where families can live in Peace and Unity.

Our Goals and Objectives are threefold:

Schools: To develop programs and activities that teach and instill the values of peace and enrich the lives of young people.
Families: To assist and empower survivors of homicide victims with tools that not only rebuild their lives but also their communities; through Education, Collaboration, and Policy Advocacy.
Community: To inform and educate the public about the causes and the consequences of violence on the individual, the family and the community, while transforming the community into an environment where young people are valued by adults and by their peers the for their peacemaking efforts.

Executive Director/CEO/President/Coordinator/Other:

Clementina M. Chery, President and CEO

Key Partners:

Check back later for list of community partners

How to get involved/application guidelines and procedures:

Check back later

Charge for services:

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Key Programs Offered:

Check back later for list of programs.

Transportation provided:

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Community Meeting Space Available:

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Last Updated:

11/30/2010

Fathers And Mothers Infants eLders and Youth (FAMILY, Inc.)

Location

637 Washington St.

02124

United States

42° 17' 21.7824" N, 71° 4' 16.8564" W

See map: Google Maps

Phone:

(617) 822-1234

Website:

http://familysystem.net/

Mission:

FAMILY, Inc. is a non-profit organization that serves as an organizing system, a tool for catalyzing societal change. We work with partners to create secure and nurturing environments of mutual support in which all children and families can thrive.

FAMILY, Inc. creates partnerships with individuals and institutions to connect educational, health care, economic, and other systems that collaboratively can create healthy, safe, sustainable communities throughout the world.