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The Bulletin Board
As we embark on a new journey in 2014, we are thankful
for the opportunity we have to make a difference in the
communities in which we work and live.
Some of our standout accomplishments in 2013 included
raising more than a quarter of a million dollars, through
both employee and advisor donations, to aid those tragically
injured in the Boston Marathon bombings; collecting more
than 2,000 pounds of food for the Sacred Heart Food Pantry
in Waltham, Massachusetts; reading to children during
lunch to promote and aid literacy initiatives; making wishes
come true for young children battling chronic or terminal
illness; and contributing to the host community of each and
every one of the conferences we held throughout the year.
Spreading Hope
One of the new organizations we’re excited to work
with in 2014 is the
Message of Hope Foundation
,
, whose mission
is to deliver hope to children with special needs and
chronic illnesses. Founder Emi Burke has experienced
the importance of this mission firsthand and now works
to encourage health care providers to consider the power
of hope in overcoming medical adversity.
When her youngest son, Conor, was 1 year old, doctors
told her and her husband that Conor would never sit,
crawl, walk, or speak. They were advised to put him in a
facility so that he wouldn’t be a burden on their family. The
Burkes refused to give up on their son, however, and in the
last six years, Conor has defied all the odds. In 2009, he
was one of the first recipients of a stem cell infusion for
brain regeneration. Two weeks after that infusion, Conor
got out of his wheelchair and started walking.
During one of Conor’s hospitalizations, Emi noticed dozens
of children with no activities to keep them occupied—not
even crayons or coloring books. She was told their families
had spent all of their resources keeping their children
alive that a box of crayons was a luxury item. Thus, the
Happy Hope Bag
project was born.
Last year, the
foundation partnered
with thousands of
school children and
corporate sponsors
to fill and distribute
5,000 hope bags full
of games and activity
books. The goal for
2014 is 15,000 hope
bags. With sponsors
like UPS and partners
like Dana-Farber
Cancer Institute,
Massachusetts General Hospital, and Boston Children’s
Hospital, the Happy Hope Bag project is well on its way to
spreading Conor’s spirit of hope to hospitalized children
and families in Massachusetts and throughout the country.
Join Us in Our Journey
Commonwealth’s philanthropic efforts have always been
part of the fabric of our community and continue to
distinguish our Anything but Common
®
culture. We
look forward to a great year, with continued efforts in our
longstanding programs, as well as in those newly created,
and we’re excited to work alongside you to give back to
those in need.
If you’re interested in learning more about Commonwealth
Cares, or if you would like to share your own efforts to
support your community, please contact me, or reach
out to Commonwealth Cares chair Gavin Morrissey at
x9719 or at
.
Paula O’Shaughnessy is a senior human resources generalist
and a Commonwealth Cares board member. She is available
at x9276 or at
Commonwealth Cares: Spreading Messages of Hope
PAULA O’SHAUGHNESSY
The
Commonwealth Cares
Fund, Inc.
,
is a registered
501(c)(3) charity dedicated to
empowering all of our future
corporate philanthropic efforts.
Its goals are simple: to relieve
human suffering, promote
social and economic growth,
and sustain and protect our
planet’s resources.
For more information,
including how you can make
a donation, visit the Community
tab on COMMunity Link®.
Commonwealth ended our year of
giving as we started it—with a bang
and great accomplishments.
