(L-R) ABCD President and CEO, Sharon Scott-Chandler, Esq.; Encore Boston Harbor President, Jenny Holaday; Assistant Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Katherine Clark; Massachusetts State Representative Christine Barber; Encore Boston Harbor Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Jacqui Krum and Director of ABCD Head Start & Children’s Services, Flossy Calderon.

Assistant Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Katherine Clark, tours ABCD’s Medford Head Start Early Learning Center

Last month, Assistant Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Katherine Clark, toured our Medford Head Start and Children’s Services Early Learning Center, and met with parents, and staff to discuss ongoing challenges within the early education system and the impact on families. The center is the result of a collaboration between Encore Boston Harbor and ABCD to increase access to early education and care services for all families.  

“We are so grateful for Assistant Speaker Clark’s visit to our Medford Head Start and Children’s Services,” said ABCD President and CEO Sharon-Scott Chandler. She helped the $40 billion for Head Start and child care funding to become law through the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act, and has been and incredible leader and longtime advocate of early childhood education. That funding was a lifeline for programs during the pandemic, and allows us to better meet the needs of children and families in Greater Boston moving forward.” 

Scott- Chandler explained that the state-of-the-art center was developed through the support of our community partner, Encore Boston. She said, “We don’t do this alone. Collaboration is at the core of our work. We want to thank Encore Boston Harbor President, Jenny Holaday and her team for making possible this center and the vital services it provides.”

Community Heroes Celebration Commemorated ABCD’s Diamond Jubilee, 60 Years of Anti-poverty Work in Greater Boston

ABCD President & CEO Sharon Scott-Chandler, Esq., Secretary of HUD Marcia L. Fudge, and Joe Kennedy III at the CHC 2022.

ABCD hosted the first in-person Community Heroes Celebration (CHC) in three years at the Omni Boston Hotel. Event Chair Russell Norris, General Manager, Slalom Boston helped honor 16 extraordinary community partners, collaborators, volunteers and leaders who uplift underserved and under-represented people and families throughout Greater Boston. 

Former ABCD President and CEO, John J. Drew, a national leader in the community action and nonprofit sector who retired in June after a 51-year storied career with the organization was inducted into the ABCD Hall of Fame. Recently retired after 41 years, former ABCD medical director for family planning, Dr. Gary Gross received the Lifetime Health Equity Access Champion Award. Dr. Gross helped form the Massachusetts Family Planning Consortium and bring Title X funding to Massachusetts, with ABCD as the grantee. The CHC also featured keynote speaker, Marcia L. Fudge, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and Karen Holmes Ward of WCVB-TV who served as emcee.

A Message from Sharon Scott-Chandler, Esq.,

President and CEO: Remembering Thelma D. Burns

Dear ABCD community, friends and partners:

Earlier this week at Morning Star Baptist Church in Dorchester, we celebrated the life and legacy of long-time ABCD board member and community activist, Thelma D. Burns. The Boston Globe couldn’t have said it better when they wrote, “To Boston, Thelma D. Burns was ‘love personified.’”

Thelma was an active ABCD board member for more than 35 years, serving as the chair and as a long-time executive committee member. Representing the Dorchester neighborhood, she served in various capacities through the years including as the leader of the ABCD Dorchester Neighborhood Service Center advisory board. In 2016, ABCD honored her extensive contributions to the Boston community by renovating and naming a stunning building for her.



An educator, community activist, advocate and volunteer, Thelma was always at the forefront of social justice initiatives. She was the recipient of a Robert F. Kennedy Fellowship, and chaired or served on a number of other community boards including Central Boston Elder Services, the Mayor’s Senior Advisory Council and the Roxbury YMCA.

Thelma was a parent at the Christopher Gibson Elementary School in Dorchester in 1965 when a young teacher named Jonathan Kozol was fired for reading Langston Hughes poetry to his 4th graders. With other parents, she protested the firing and boycotted the school. Kozol wrote the book Death at an Early Age about the experience, winning the 1968 National Book Award. They remained lifelong friends.

It is Cold Outside and the Winter Fund Season is Underway!

Give to the ABCD Winter Fund this Giving Season:  Your generous donation supports individuals and families who are struggling with utility and fuel costs, and those in need of emergency housing, warm clothing and food this winter. Visit bostonabcd.org/winterdonate to make a donation. 

Help us make Holiday Meals: Consider donating holiday basket essentials such as canned vegetables, stuffing ingredients, gravy and pumpkin pie mix at one of ABCD's Food Access Centers or neighborhood sites. Meal and clothing donors should email give@bostonabcd.org.



Give a Toy: Too many parents worry they won’t be able to afford toys for their children this holiday season. Donate a new unwrapped toy for children 0-12 years old at one of ABCD's neighborhood sites by December 9th. To become a Toy Drive Donor, simply complete this online form and an ABCD staff member will be in touch.

Exciting news! ABCD recently launched our first FOOD POP-UPS location in South Boston with South Boston En Accion Inc. FOOD POP-UPS visit neighborhoods across Boston to provide fresh produce, meats and other essential goods – at no cost, and are just one of many new initiatives designed to strengthen ABCD’s food security program. View eligibility information and pre-register for upcoming FOOD POP-UPS on Monday December 5 in Roslindale, Thursday December 8 in Mattapan and at bostonabcd.org/mobilefood. Supplies are available on a first-come, first-served basis. We do our best to accommodate dietary restrictions. 

ABCD wants to ensure that children, elders and families are warm during the frigid winter season, when budgets are tight all around. Reviewing the 2023 LIHEAP benefit guidelines about eligibility requirements is the first step in seeking out fuel assistance. Residents of Greater Boston can visit bostonabcd.org/heat  to learn the many ways to apply, and find a listing of neighborhood centers where application assistance is available by appointment. 

Boston, Brookline or Newton residents can visit bostonabcd.org/heat  or call 617-357-6012. Residents of Malden, Medford, Everett, Winchester, Melrose, Woburn or Stoneham can also visit bostonabcd.org/heat or call 781-322- 6284.  The online system for first-time fuel assistance can be accessed by visiting toapply.org/MassLIHEAP.

It's in the Bag

During the month of November, ABCD has been selected to receive $1 from every $2.50 Community Bag sold at the Stop & Shop on 713 East Broadway in South Boston. The Stop & Shop Community Bag Program makes it easy for shoppers to support their communities and environment by buying durable, reusable shopping bags. Look for the bags at registers and on the reusable bag rack. You can also purchase these bags in bulk — they make great gifts for friends, family, colleagues and group members. For information on bulk orders, email stopandshop@bags4mycause.com.

ABCD Community Heroes Celebration Group 1

ABCD Community Heroes Celebration Group 2

ABCD Community Heroes Celebration Group 3

Contact ABCD Connect for information about programs and services.

Insight Editor: Jamie McIver   Layout: Darren Szeto

Action for Boston Community Development | 617.348.6000 | bostonabcd.org