By Beth Treffeisen
The Fenway Community Development Corporation (Fenway CDC) held their annual Fenway Ball and fundraiser with a record-breaking success at the Prudential Skywalk on Thursday, June 15.
The Fenway CDC raised more than $175,000 at the event. The support will enable the Fenway CDC to serve over 1,000 adults, children, and youth this year through their programs and services.
The Ball brought friends of the neighborhood together to celebrate the accomplishments of the Fenway CDC. Through the partnerships Fenway CDC builds, they strive to improve the quality of life of residents and build a healthier community.
“We live and work in a remarkable neighborhood,” said Leah Camhi the executive director of Fenway CDC. “In these challenging times we need to work together in collaboration and partner together like never before.”
The Fenway CDC works to continue to improve the economic and social well-being of more than 1,000 low and moderate-income adults, children, and youth each year. In addition, the Fenway CDC helps residents access affordable housing, social services, job skills training, employment opportunities, and advance their education.
By working with members of the neighborhood, the Fenway CDC works to create civic engagement and community planning and organizing efforts to educate resident leaders to make positive changes in the Fenway neighborhood.
“The Fenway CDC gets buildings, manages them, and maintains affordable housing,” said Gregory Haig the Board President. “They work to get hundreds of people and their families housing throughout Fenway and that’s who you are helping here tonight.”
He added, “They also work to connect people to careers and we do that because of your donations. It helps them become a part of the community.”
Arlene Ash, a professor at UMass Medicinal School and long time Fenway resident said she was first drawn to working the Fenway CDC when she moved to the neighborhood in 1978.
Ash noticed some old buildings that looked like they where falling down and wondered what would happen to them. She was amazed when she later came back to see them transformed into affordable housing units.
When she later learned it was because of the Fenway CDC she said, “Wow, something is going on here.”
“The Fenway is a combination of a lot of people with not so much money and some with a lot…and of all shapes and sizes,” said Ash. “It is important that we protect the diversity and vibrancy of this neighborhood.”