Author: abcd-admin

Learning English While a Parent

Imagine moving to a new country as a parent and trying to support your young children with their education in a new culture. Now imagine facing this challenge when you are not yet fluent in the local language. Thousands of immigrant parents in Boston face this challenge every year. Fortunately, ABCD offers ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) for…

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ABCD YEA! participants discover their limitless potential

Program designed for underserved 13 year olds kicks off July 15th Explaining how a good idea can be transformed into a law that changes lives for the better, Maia Raynor, legislative aide to State Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz, told a room full of 13 year olds that each of them can get involved and make a difference. Raynor’s presentation was part…

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ABCD’s 22nd Annual Field of Dreams Benefit Set for June 18th

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 10, 2019                                   CONTACT: Joe Halpern 617.348.6236 office) 781.572.0755 (mobile) Lee Phenner 339.368.1140 (mobile)           ABCD’s 22nd Annual Field of Dreams Benefit Set for June 18th Partnering with the World Series Champion Boston Red Sox & corporate sponsors, money…

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‘It’s why I’m still moving’: 95-year-old finally retires from foster role

Some moments deserve a dance party. A unique celebration for a special group of volunteers who, despite their age, never lost sight of what they have to offer. Among them is 95-year-old Miriam Manning. We first met Manning in 2015. At 91, she set out every day for the Dorchester Headstart on Geneva Avenue, where she volunteered as a ‘foster…

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ABCD urges Baker administration to release full $30 million in fuel assistance

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   CONTACT:  Cherrelle Norris  617.348.6224(office) 617.455.7212 (mobile)              ABCD urgently calls on Governor Baker’s administration to release the full $30 million in fuel assistance as promised In a surprise turnaround, the Baker administration will impound majority of funds, putting tens of thousands of the most vulnerable low income households at risk  …

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Families left in the cold as fuel assistance runs out

BOSTON – Families living on tight budgets are facing another tough week with brutal wind chills and snow in the forecast. But some households across the state can’t pay for home heating oil as their fuel assistance benefits run out. Cynthia Lewis and her husband have lived in their 100-year-old Dorchester home since 1969. All four of their kids grew…

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Stricter background checks could ensnare thousands of child care workers

Should someone convicted of assault for a schoolyard brawl decades ago be banned from working in child care? What if that person was charged but never convicted? A sea change in state and federal laws governing criminal background checks for child care workers, intended to improve safety in day care, could force out thousands who have a prior offense, even if they’ve…

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Government Shutdown Shutting Some People Out of Food Assistance

“We don’t have any food right now … There’s no food in our house.” Family means everything to Yonealya Harris. She lives in Hyde Park with her three children and relies on her mother for help babysitting. “I work, my children come here after school, and she helps me out with them,” she said. Harris, 27, also relies on food…

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ABCD Calls on Governor, Legislature for Fuel Assistance

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                             Contact: Cherrelle Norris 617.455.7212   With bitter cold blanketing Mass., ABCD Calls on Governor, Legislature, to provide $30 Million for Fuel Assistance Tens of thousands of low-income families, seniors at risk as bitter cold hits state; many have used up their heating benefits   (BOSTON, MA) — Action for Boston Community Development joins fellow community…

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Poor families hit hard by government shutdown, Boston advocacy group warns

An advocacy group for low-income residents in Greater Boston said Tuesday that the ongoing partial government shutdown is taking a devastating toll on millions of Americans who depend on federal food and housing aid. In a statement, Action Boston for Community Development, or ABCD, said the shutdown has hit the nation’s most vulnerable residents with “life-threatening hunger and hardship, with funding running…

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