Volunteers of America Massachusetts

We are so thrilled to be hosting our annual holiday toy drive, which benefits children whose parents are in recovery.
There is still time to help us make this a memorable and cheerful holiday for all!
https://interland3.donorperfect.net/weblink/weblink.aspx?name=E11682&id=2

We are thinking of our VOA family throughout the country after such devasting tornadoes and storms, but our hearts especially go out to those in Kentucky.

We are so thankful for Greystar Apartments and their generous coat and jacket donations!! With over 125 coats, we cannot wait to distribute these among our programs and facilities.
We are looking forward to a season full of giving!

Veterans facing homelessness deserve more - CommonWealth Magazine

Check out today's Commonwealth Magazine article co-written by VOAMASS President Charles Gagnon and Mayor Curtatone!

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/opinion/veterans-facing-homelessness-deserve-more/

Veterans facing homelessness deserve more - CommonWealth Magazine WHILE CONTINUING TO contend with the evolving challenges of the pandemic, we must return attention to a crisis that long predated COVID-19 – homelessness in our region. This crisis is made worse by a lack of affordable housing and high demand for it. This is a combustible formula that threatens ou...

It's summertime (ignore the cool rain outside!) and that means it's time to launch our annual Operation Backpack campaign! Together - from company office drives to individual families - we and our donors help families prepare for the school year. OBP is truly an essential effort where you can make a huge difference in the lives of families that could use a little extra support! Please contact VOAMASS at (617) 522-8086 to find out more information or email Andrew at [email protected].

It was a special Mother's Day weekend celebrating I Remember Mama with staff, clients at our Shiloh program, and good friends. Thank you Sen. Chang-Diaz, Rep. Santiago, and John Barros for spending the morning with us and even filling Mother's Day gift bags distributed across the city to our special senior women!
Please consider making a contribution today!
https://www.voamass.org/home-page-featured/celebrating-26th-annual-i-remember-mama/

The City of Somerville (Official) is committed to ending veterans homelessness. Our ongoing partnership with Somerville is dedicated to providing opportunities to homeless veterans across Massachusetts to find a home again. Learn more about Somerville's efforts to do good on behalf of the people in the community: https://www.somervillema.gov/departments/health-and-human-services/veterans-services

: Featured on the blog this week is Vijay Krishnan, Clinician at Shiloh House, residential Co-occurring enhanced treatment program for women. Read her insight about clinical work in the dual-diagnosis field: http://bit.ly/Dual-diagnosis-symptom-presentation

Our VOAMASS community cares. Bria Gadsden and Brianna Millorr dropped off care packages for our clients in residential treatment. Self-care matters to the individuals we serve. Thank you!

Looking to share some love with your community? Check out our volunteer opportunities: https://www.voamass.org/get-involved/volunteer/

Located in the South End, Men's Hello House (MHH) provides a structured environment for clients to learn and develop the skills and tools necessary to live a full life, substance-free. MHH is currently under construction and will be back in business after it is fully renovated. Stay tuned! http://voamass.org/

Mass Bay Veteran’s Center Program Director Anthony Joseph said the center has had a lot of success because it’s a small, intimate program run by dedicated staff. If you know someone who is struggling, tell them about our home for veterans. Learn more about MBVC on our website: www.voamass.org

This month the seniors and staff at our Residence - Senior Living and Memory Care communities started receiving their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine! Many of the senior residents had a difficult time over the course of the last year but we're so grateful for our dedicated employees and their efforts over the past year to ensure the seniors we serve stayed safe and healthy during such tremendous uncertainty.

At VOAMASS, we understand there is a direct correlation between job instability and mental health. We take a customized approach to care to make sure individuals receiving our services are stable and self-sufficient before they enter the job market. Learn more at www.voamass.org.

Happy Inauguration Day 2021! Catch the recap featuring Lady Gaga and Amelia Goodman, the youngest poet in U.S. history to be invited to perform at the presidential inauguration. May we continue to see the light, love, and hope spread well into the future.
https://www.c-span.org/video/?507998-1/presidential-inauguration&live

How Resilient Are You?

: Resiliency requires certain characteristics that we are all capable of practicing. Learn more about during the . This article gave us a spring in our step!:
https://thriveglobal.com/stories/how-resilient-are-you-3/utm_source=Newsletter_General&utm_medium=Thrive

How Resilient Are You? There are certain characteristics inherent to resiliency.

Discover the all-new Concord Park | Concord Park

renovation project is really coming along - we are excited to share that the $15M project is nearing halfway complete, thanks to our trusted partners, South Coast Improvement Company and their hard work! The renovation is a total make-over for the 20 year-old building, including a new wing of 16 apartments, a movie theatre, and more! https://bit.ly/concordparkrenovation

Discover the all-new Concord Park | Concord Park Concord Park Senior Living is Getting a Facelift! You may have heard that Concord Park will be making some exciting changes! To prepare for another 20 years of service to the West Concord neighborhood…

Over the weekend, we honor and celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Today and every day, we hope to live up to his ideals.

: VOAMASS is focused on helping individuals maintain their well-being at home. To learn more about our telehealth services, call (617) 770-9690 or visit our website: https://www.voamass.org/our-services/behavioral-health-services/

: More energy at home, at work, and in life starts with gratitude. Here are simple steps to help you have the energy you need to succeed. Check it out on Thrive Global: http://bit.ly/microstepsthrive

Somerville veterans testing bio-monitor patch that could help during pandemic

Real-time intervention involves hard work and dedication. We are proud to provide a biosensor pilot for veterans at our Somerville Mass Bay Veteran Center with the help from Mayor Curtatone, City of Somerville (Official), Cherish Health and Health eVillages. We are stronger together. Learn more about the biosensor pilot to improve healthcare access and management on behalf of the veterans we serve.
https://whdh.com/news/somerville-veterans-testing-bio-monitor-patch-that-could-help-during-pandemic/

Somerville veterans testing bio-monitor patch that could help during pandemic SOMERVILLE, MASS. (WHDH) - Somerville veterans are testing a promising new medical device that could help them and other seniors survive the coronavirus pandemic. Sumit...

VAOMASS Next Step Apartments offer a sober housing alternative for men and women committed to their recovery journey. Next Step is one of the many ways VOAMASS provides wrap-around, affordable support for individuals graduating from our residential programs and reentering their communities. Learn more about out residential programs: https://www.voamass.org/our-services/residential-treatment-services/

The vast majority of justice-involved individuals are released back to the same communities they came from. This time, they’re either sleeping on the streets or living on a friend’s couch. VOAMASS understands the need for re-entry services, and we're here to help reduce recidivism across Massachusetts because, well, we believe in second chances. Learn about our highly successful re-entry and diversion services: https://www.voamass.org/our-services/re-entry-services/

To our VOAMASS community: This holiday season, our hearts have grown three sizes bigger because of you. On behalf of the clients we serve, thank you for giving without hesitation. It is the selfless act of giving that brings hope to our clients. 2020 has been an incredible example of what we can do when we come together as a community to provide for those who need it most.

The women in our residential program at Shiloh House decorated home-made cookies over the holidays! We are so proud (and full) of cookies and gingerbread and wanted to share the delights prior to eating them all. We hope you find a way to share moments with your loved ones today and into the NY 2021!

What will you remember when you reflect on the year 2020? For us at VOAMASS, we see through 2020's chaotic fog. We see the same fearless dedication, generosity, compassion, inspiration, and transformation that's always been here, but in 2020 was so piercingly present. We see you, our kind neighbors and community members, and for all the little things, too, we are so grateful.
Proskauer, Brookfield Property, Brighton Marine​, Massachusetts Military Support Foundation Inc.​, Danvers Police Department (Official), Tufts University, & The Home Depot Foundation

Captured in the act is Thomas Pittman, Case Manager at Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) as the Grinch. Tom drove around Boston delivering toys to families in need as the Grinch. Our SSVF team including Eileen Merisola, Program Director and Max Maydoney, Case Manager helped Tom in full Grinch attire coordinate drop off's to surprise the kids! Each child got to pull a hand-picked gift out of a big sack as if they were at the foot of Santa's sleigh themselves, surrounded by magic.

: Reframing perspectives on failure can help us get through challenging times. Learn more and listen to this Thrive podcast episode: http://listen.meditativestory.com/HendersonThriveNL?utm_source=Newsletter_General&utm_medium=Thrive&c=R0If-gCwYFwSB0lBeYxrXg&h=8afc3f2add5daf8e1

to Jessi Naff, LMHC and R-DMT (Registered Dance/Movement Therapist) who was recently promoted from Clinical Supervisor to Program Director at Shiloh House, our Women's Co-occurring Enhanced Program. Jessi has been with VOAMASS for four years now. We continue to be in awe by Jessi's remarkable ability to bring creativity, dance, and energy into her therapeutic work, and know she will continue her kind dedication to her colleagues and clients as the acting director! Congrats, Jessi!

MA's Long-Term Care Residents Begin Vaccinations This Week

We are looking forward to receiving vaccinations soon at our Senior Living Residences including Concord Park in Concord, Nashoba Park in Ayer, and Forestdale Park Senior Living in Malden. The health and well-being of our seniors and frontlineworkers remains a top priority amidst the management of COVID-19 across our residential communities. Read more on Patch Boston below:

MA's Long-Term Care Residents Begin Vaccinations This Week About 173,000 seniors across some 2,000 long-term care facilities will begin receiving COVID-19 vaccinations Monday.

Hope is at the heart of everything we do. We hope you and yours experience peace, love, joy, and hope this holiday season. Happy Holidays!

Veteran Derek Fuller was homeless and heartbroken when he arrived at VOAMASS Mass Bay Veteran Center. Today, he is living in permanent housing and has secured stable employment. Learn more about Derek and how VOAMASS provided him with what he needed to pursue a speedy recovery, and find purpose again when he needed it: http://blog.voamass.com/veteranfindshomeagainwithvoamass/

Brookfield Properties has partnered with VOA affiliates across the country to deliver warm wear and coats to adults, children, and families in need. for your kind donation to VOAMASS - our clients and their families who may otherwise not have winter wear will be warm this winter because of you.

A toy is so much more than a token of love. Toys help bring families together. Because of you, parents receiving VOAMASS services are able to set aside their struggles and open a gift with their kid, a moment that would otherwise not be possible without your generosity. Thank you for your support of this year's VOAMASS Annual Holiday Toy Drive!

Proskauer thank you for being a long-time friend, partner, and sponsor of ! We are grateful for your contribution to this year's fundraiser for veterans. On behalf of the veterans we serve, thank you.

We're Volunteers of America of Massachusetts. We're here, serving on the frontlines everyday by supporting the most vulnerable with compassionate, quality care. And we've been doing it for over 100 years! Learn more about our array of outpatient and residential treatment services for individuals spanning across life experiences and need: http://www.voamass.org/

Casner & Edwards, LLP has been providing critical sponsorship to our organization for years! Thank you for your generous contribution to this year's Veteran's Leadership Awards, our annual fundraiser on behalf of veterans in need.

Research shows that job applicants with criminal records are proving to be a viable workplace solution and a valuable talent force for many organizations. VOAMASS offers programs that focus on successful reintegration for offenders and services for finding gainful employment.

Learn more: https://www.voamass.org/our-services/re-entry-services/