Watertown Boys & Girls Club
Cummings Foundation $100K for 100 Grant Winner Celebration: (from left) Paul Casey, Cummings Foundation Board of Trustees, Dr. Deborah Kochevar, Cummings Foundation Board of Trustees, Renee Gaudette, Watertown Boys & Girls Club Executive Director, Anthony Paolillo, Watertown Boys & Club Board Treasurer.
Watertown Boys & Girls Club is one of 100 local nonprofits to receive grants of $100,000 each through Cummings Foundation’s “$100K for 100” program. The Watertown-based organization was chosen from a total of 597 applicants, during a competitive review process.
Watertown Boys & Girls Club provides after-school and summer programming for youth ages 7-18 from Watertown and the surrounding communities. The mission of the Club is to inspire and enable all young people to reach their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens.
Representing Watertown Boys & Girls Club, Renee Gaudette, the Club’s Executive Director, joined approximately 300 other guests at a reception at TradeCenter 128 in Woburn to celebrate the $10 million infusion into Greater Boston’s nonprofit sector. With the conclusion of this grant cycle, Cummings Foundation has now awarded more than $220 million to Greater Boston nonprofits alone.
“We are extremely grateful to the Cummings Foundation for their generous support of Watertown Boys & Girls Club’s summer camp programs. As a result of this grant, we will be able to offer therapeutic support services for up to 80 campers over the next four years during the summer, a service that was previously only available during the school year. This will allow us to serve youth who may have been unable to attend summer camp due to needs beyond our capacity,” said Gaudette. “Thanks to the Cummings Foundation, this funding opportunity will allow all young people to experience the benefits of summer camp in a safe and supportive environment. Most importantly, this grant will allow us to fulfill our mission ‘to inspire and
enable all young people, especially those who need most, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens.’”
With the $100,000 grant, Watertown Boys & Girls Club plans to provide therapeutic support for children with depression, autism, ADHD, and other mental health issues attending their summer camp programs. The Club offers two unique camp programs, Swim Camp, held at Watertown Boys & Girls Club, and Summer Adventure, held at Hale Reservation in Westwood. Campers, whose parents have identified that they have additional mental health needs, will be supported by staff members certified in Mental Health First Aid. This added support will allow youth, who may typically struggle with a traditional camp experience, the opportunity to be fully engaged and immersed in all summer camp activities.
The $100K for 100 program supports nonprofits that are based in and primarily serve Middlesex, Essex, and Suffolk counties. Through this place-based initiative, Cummings Foundation aims to give back in the area where it owns commercial buildings, all of which are managed, at no cost to the Foundation, by its affiliate Cummings Properties. Founded in 1970 by Bill Cummings of Winchester, the Woburn-based commercial real estate firm leases and manages 11 million square feet of space, the majority of which exclusively benefits the Foundation.
“We are indebted to the nonprofit organizations like Watertown Boys & Girls Club that have a meaningful positive impact on the local communities where our colleagues and clients live and work,” said Joel Swets, Cummings Foundation’s executive director. “We are delighted to invest in their important programs and services.”
This year’s diverse group of grant recipients represents a wide variety of causes, including homelessness prevention and affordable housing, education, violence prevention, and food insecurity. Most of the grants will be paid over two to five years.
The complete list of 100 grant winners is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org.
Cummings Foundation announced an additional $10 million in early May through its new Sustaining Grants, which extend “$100K for 100” funding for previous winners for 10 more years. Beginning in 2019, the Foundation will increase its total giving through these two programs from $20 million to $25 million.
About Watertown Boys & Girls Club
Watertown Boys & Girls Club provides after-school and summer programming for youth ages 7 – 18. The mission of the Club is to inspire and enable all young people to reach their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens. Members participate in programming in the areas of Healthy Living, Academic Success, and Character & Leadership Development. Through positive relationships with adult
mentors, youth members receive support and guidance on a daily basis. To learn more, visit www.watertownbgc.org.
About Cummings Foundation
Woburn-based Cummings Foundation, Inc. was established in 1986 by Joyce and Bill Cummings. The Foundation directly operates its own charitable subsidiaries, including New Horizons retirement communities in Marlborough and Woburn. Bill Cummings released his self-written memoir, “Starting Small and Making it Big: An Entrepreneur’s Journey to Billion-Dollar Philanthropist,” in March 2018. Additional information is available at www.CummingsFoundation.org and cummings.com/book.