LIFT

We were thrilled to have LIFT-Boston's partnership with the Circle of Promise, the City of Boston, and Mayor Thomas M. Menino featured in David Bornstein's "Fixes" column in The New York Times. Bornstein cited our clients' achievements over the last year and our goals to expand our stabilization services and to support families holistically in order to improve academic performance among Boston Public Schools' students. Read an excerpt from the article below, and read the whole article here.

The LIFT-Boston Region will be hosting "Breakfast LIFTs" each month starting in January.  Please join us for a light breakfast and an hour long presentation and conversation about our work and vision for the Boston region.  You will also have the opportunity to meet Board members, staff and volunteers.

Written by: Rachel Starnes, Communications Intern, Boston University

The LIFT office in Roxbury held its first annual holiday client appreciation party on December 2^nd at the Vine Street Community Center. The celebration was a student-led effort in which students from Northeastern, Boston College and UMass Boston coordinated all the food, entertainment and gift give away. With over 20 clients and their families in attendance, the spirit and appreciation that LIFT clients and volunteers have for one another was truly evident.

On Wednesday November 30th, LIFT honored its partners—the City of Cambridge and Harvard University—for their “Distinguished Service” to the community at its 10th Anniversary Celebration held at the Microsoft New England Research and Development Center.

Our LIFT Site Coordinators are responsible for the day-to-day operations of their centers and the cultivation of our community partners including human service organizations, universities, schools, government entities and businesses. They work tirelessly to make their local communities aware of LIFT and the many ways we work to improve the lives and opportunities of individuals and families. They are at the frontlines tackling our country's most difficult issues and the torchbearers who ensure that LIFT’s mission and core values are paramount in all that we do, and because of their passion and dedication, we celebrate their contributions and accomplishments in FY11.

LIFT-Boston is proud to introduce its founding Regional Board members — Carolyn Casey, Molly Day, Paul Francisco, Steve Kenney, Kristine Laping, Elliot Lobel, Lenore Lobel, Charlie Rose, and Monalisa Smith — who will serve as a team of advisors to guide LIFT-Boston's operations in Cambridge, Somerville and Roxbury.  We are very excited about the diverse skills and backgrounds each member brings to the team, and grateful for their dedication to our mission and the expansion of our impact in the communities we serve.

On June 23rd, LIFT and Mayor Menino hosted community members from across Boston to officially launch the opening of LIFT-Boston's newest center in Roxbury as part of the City of Boston's Circle of Promise initiative.  Recognizing the impact of a strong, stable family on a student’s academic performance and emotional well-being, the Circle of Promise and LIFT-Boston will work to provide comprehensive wraparound social services to the parents of children in targeted Boston Public Schools. Through this innovative partnership, LIFT-Boston's Roxbury center has already served nearly 300 individuals and families to secure employment, stable housing and public benefits, and connect to other social services for healthcare, childcare and food assistance.

In his remarks to the 170 guests in attendance, Mayor Menino thanked LIFT for the assistance already provided to families in Boston and announced that through the Circle of Promise and the City of Boston's partnership with LIFT-Boston, we will work with 1,000 families to chart a path out of poverty this year.  He also reiterated that the 100+ non-profits in the city must work together to “make sure young people have [that] opportunity as they start life.”

Today, Mayor Thomas M. Menino, in recognition of LIFT-Boston’s partnership with The Circle of Promise, officially launched a new center for families of Boston Public School (BPS) students and neighborhood residents to access vital resources. Located at the Boston Centers for Youth and Families (BCYF) Vine Street Community Center in Roxbury, The Circle of Promise/LIFT-Boston Center is a continuation of the “comprehensive community integration plan” that Mayor Menino implemented early in 2010, with the BPS and community partners “to transform public education in Boston.”