Emcee David Brown with Project Place Executive Director Suzanne Kenney
On Sunday, March 6th over 350 guests attended Project Place’s 13th Annual Spring Forward Brunch at the InterContinental Boston. We are grateful to all who made this day a stunning success and helped us reach our fundraising goal of $200,000. These funds will support programs and services providing job training and stabilization to 1,400 homeless and low-income men and women each year.
Attendees mingled and listened to the smooth jazz of The Next Band during the cocktail hour of the event. Bidding was high on the silent auction items, including a Signed Jerod Mayo Patriots Jersey, an OARS Outdoor Adventure Trip for Two, and a getaway to Stowe, VT. In the ballroom, the Nick Grondin Group provided guests with the musical entertainment, and a short film directed and produced by Emerson Productions told the story of two Project Place clients.
Project Place graduate Alvin Campbell tells his story
Noted Brunch attendees included Honorary Chair Mrs. Angela Menino, State Reps. Byron Rushing and Aaron Michlewitz, and City Councilors Bill Linehan and guest speaker Andrea Campbell. City Councilor Campbell, talked about the need for services like Project Place in Boston, and the personal way the agency has touched her life and the life of her brother Alvin. Alvin, a graduate of Project Place’s Work Ready program, spoke about the transformation he has undergone since being released in 2014 after a decade in prison: “Project Place has been instrumental in helping me get on my feet. In the classroom I learned how to write a resume, and I connected with other clients about our similarities and struggles,” said Alvin, “I feel like I have so much ahead of me. I have ambitions.”
Project Place supporters of all ages attended the brunch!
In the live auction, the crowd was particularly excited about the priceless opportunity for a cooking lesson and dinner for four with Joanne Chang at her award winning restaurant Myers +Chang. Attendees dug deep to make impactful pledges during our Fund-a-Need Pledge drive. More individual contributions were made than ever before. The Fund-a-Need will support our newest program, Working Opportunities for Women, providing mothers with employment training and support services and advanced credentialing classes. We would especially like to thank our sponsors: VPNE Parking Solutions, Jean Tempel, Rodman Ford, John Hancock, Rick & Nancy Kelleher, Joanne Chang & Christopher Myers, the Mahoney Family, Highland Street Foundation, Eastern Bank, Urbanica, Maloney Properties, PWC, Brookline Bank, Ernst & Young and Jan Cooper. Thanks to our dedicated supporters and Brunch attendees, we can continue to provide jobs, housing and hope for individuals experiencing homelessness in Boston.