LETTERS:

A Letter from the Board Chair 

The theme of this year’s annual report – IN IT TOGETHER – validates our strong connection with those we serve. ABCD is IN IT TOGETHER with the children and families who get a boost toward success in Head Start; the teenagers who learn about the world of work and take home their first pay checks in ABCD SummerWorks; the Foster Grandparents who in their later years give so much to children in our schools and child care centers; the housing advocates who don’t give up until a homeless family has a roof over their heads. I could go on and on.

In my second year as Board Chair of this very significant and impressive organization, I continue to be proud and impressed by the quality, breadth and significance of its work supporting the needs of our low-income people and communities. From Head Start to Fuel Assistance to Housing to our Alternative High Schools – there is no stopping ABCD from making a difference for people and neighborhoods.

Among our newer initiatives – Generations Advancing Together Through Education or “GATE” – creatively combines the need for child care with skills-training to meet labor market needs.  Then there is the expansion of Early Head Start with a new center in Mattapan helping to meet the critical needs of our infants, toddlers and pregnant mothers. ABCD’s Front Door program has now provided 27,000 membership cards throughout the community, using cutting-edge technology to ensure that every customer is connected with all services for which they are eligible. And the numbers grow daily! 

I hope you enjoy this report with its photographs and stories that bring to life the important work done here and its impact on so many lives. I thank my fellow dedicated board members, the outstanding, hard-working ABCD staff, the neighborhood agencies, and the thousands of volunteers and supporters who do so much every day for ABCD and our community.