Fenway CDC (Community Development Corporation held its 52nd annual meeting on Tuesday, April 29, at Simmons University.
In his second keynote address, Steven Farrell, the group’s executive director, noted how it was “a very different experience” from when he delivered his first address at the 51st annual meeting last April at the same location, after only a month on the job.
Farrell said his biggest takeaways from his first year at Fenway CDC were “lead with listening”; and “be prepared to act.”
Moreover, Farrell added that Fenway CDC’s “physical house” is in very good shape, thanks to diligent work of the group’s board of directors. He also credied staff for the organization’s portfolio, which now comprises 554 safe, affordable housing units for more than 720 residents, along with 131 more units now under development, including 15 units on Beacon Hill’s Hanock Street.
The group presented three Community Service Awards to Sen. Lydia Edwards, touted as a tireless champion of affordable housing; Boston Badminton and Tennis Club, a neighborhood organization that dates back to 1891 and has over the years, generously supported Fenway CDC and the neighborhood; and Tenant Organizers of Our Lady’s Guild House, historically a “home to women looking for reasonable priced housing and a sense of community.”
The meeting also included the second of three Town Hall Community Vision Conversations to help guide the organization’s Strategic Plan for the next four years.
A third and final Town Hall Community Vision Conversation is being planned for July or August, which will include feedback and next steps, as well as board approval of the Strategic Plan.