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18 • COMMUNITY ADVOCATE • Friday, January 22, 2021 PEOPLE PLACES&
Schoen | from page 1
Schoen attended Harvard University in 2017 where he began working at Y2Y, a shelter for young adults experiencing homelessness. He was moved by these individuals who, despite being kicked out of their homes, remained honest and authentic to who they were. They also encouraged him to embrace his own identity and gave him the space he needed to come out as LGBTQ+.
This support influences Schoen today as a young LGBTQ+ executive director as he works to instill hope and inspire others to be true to themselves, despite many challenges.
Breaktime is launched with a mission to end young adult homelessness
While working at Y2Y, he met Shu and they connected over their passions for service and community. According to SPARC and True Colors United, the community of young adults experiencing homelessness is 89% people of color and 40% LGBTQ+. This inspired the two young men to launch Breaktime with a mission to end young adult homelessness.
Breaktime helps individuals in transitional housing gain stability so they can achieve sustainable employment and the financial security needed for long-term housing. It works with ages 18-24, something Schoen feels is especially important.
Ever since Breaktime launched, they have seen a dangerous stigma that associates someone’s value with their housing status. Homelessness, as Schoen said,
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Connor Schoen
can be dehumanizing and damaging to one’s sense of self-worth. He wants others to understand that these individuals are in a temporary situation and it doesn’t define who they are or what they’re capable of.
Connor also emphasizes empowerment and that simple acts like treating people with dignity and respect, being inclusive and telling someone they matter really do make a difference.
Adjusting to COVID-19 with new initiatives
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the men had to shut down construction for Breaktime Café, a space designed to provide job opportunities to young adults experiencing homelessness. This pushed them to develop their ability to create change, and they did.
After seeing an opportunity to address the worsening food crisis in Massachusetts, Breaktime partnered with the city of Boston and over 30 local nonprofits to form the Double Impact Initiative. Together they created employment opportunities for 25 young adults who produced and delivered 600,000 meals across the Greater Boston Area.
In 2021, Breaktime is excited to announce the Breaktime Corps Model, which will focus on staffing food pantries and other nonprofits combating hunger. Their goal is to create over 100 job opportunities for young adults experiencing homelessness. Eventually, they hope to expand their efforts across Massachusetts and beyond.
An honor of a lifetime
While being named Forbes’ 30 Under 30 for Social Impact is a testament to the work they have done thus far, it also proves that change is possible. Schoen sees it as a “huge vote of confidence” for the young adults they work with and their potential.
“It’s the honor of my lifetime to be able to serve in this role. I feel like all of my passion and everything I’ve wanted to do with my life has really built up to this.”
For more information visit wwww.breaktime.org/donate.
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NORTHBOROUGH -
By Liz Nolan, Contributing Writer
Northborough Town Hall welcomed Becca Meekins as the new Assistant Town Administrator in early October. Overall, her transition from the same role in Grafton has been smooth. She is looking forward to being able to shift her focus from supporting the town during a pandemic to fully contributing what she has to offer.
Meekins was drawn to Northborough for its phenomenal reputation and the exposure opportunities to different projects, people and experiences.
“Getting to know the staff has been great and the staff has been so welcoming,” she said. “It’s a fantastic team of dedicated employees.”
Meekins gives the staff “a lot of credit for doing things that had to be done to be sure the organization was comfortable moving forward in a pandemic.”
She is trying to acquaint herself with the stakeholders, but that is a challenge when face to face contact is limited. She has volunteered to be the required technical support host for some of the Zoom board and committee meetings. It’s an opportunity for the community to see her and for her to put faces to names.
Since community events have been cancelled, Meekins ment. The shared collaboration and ideas may help limit having to reinvent the wheel. “I feel like having those connections are really valuable,” said Meekins. “I hear what other communities are doing and the creative ways that they have figured out to solve a problem, and can take those and adapt those to Northborough’s challenges.” A huge part of her role in NorthborAssistant Town Administrator Becca Meekins ough will be Human Resources management. Meekins said intends to immerse into the community with a face in the safest way she can. The strengths she brings to her role from Grafton include her many professional connections with local governthe people aspect of the job is the most critical part of the job. Her focus is on how to support the staff as they navigate the pandemic landscape. “When this ends, we want people to be able to have the mental capacity to hit the gas a bit and feel like they are ready to go again,” she said.
She gives credit to the town for establishing its new Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She said that local politics is the place that can have the most long-lasting changes.
“They are ready to start talking about changes that need to be made, which is half the battle,” said Meekins. “A diverse voice is important. It’s a countrywide challenge as we have learned over the last few years.”
Meekins looks forward to contributing something meaningful to Northborough.
“I am excited to be able to see Northborough without the pandemic lens on,” she said. “When this ends, I will have a clearer picture of how to use my skills to help Northborough keep progressing forward. There is light at the end of the tunnel. I can’t wait to be able to experience Northborough for all I know it is.”
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PEOPLE PLACES& Rev. Lee Atherton Marlborough-based end-of-life coach driven by faith
MARLBOROUGH -
By Deborah Burke Henderson, Contributing Writer
Reverend Lee Atherton is a professional officiant and life coach. She offers highly personalized services for anyone facing one of life’s momentous transitions.
Inclusive and welcoming, Atherton believes that no matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey, you are welcome. An ordained minister and former hospice chaplain, she founded CoachRev @The CrossRoads nearly a decade ago to help others navigate and honor life’s transitions and milestones – meeting them at whatever crossroad in their lives.
“I will help guide your journey to discover what is most meaningful for you and for those you love,” Atherton explained, “before, during, and after death.”
Helping people live their dying
As a trained end-of-life coach, Atherton “helps people live their dying, make decisions and choices that honor their unique values and beliefs, and navigate the white waters of grief with hope and grace.”
Atherton remarks that her work is tremendously fulfilling. She calls it powerful. Amazing.
“It is such an incredible
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honor to be invited into someone’s end-of-life journey,” she added. “It is hard to put words around the experience.”
She coaches those grieving both in-person and online. Her monthly online newsletter “Stepping Stones” and daily emails (under the header “Tossed Pebbles”) offer messages of comfort, encouragement, and thoughtful reflection.
Workshops on the ‘Five Wishes’
Atherton also conducts workshops centered on the “Five Wishes” advanced medical directives and offers customized retreats, workshops, and webinars to support those grieving.
“It is so important to make these critical decisions in the
Rev. Lee’s service dog, Shadow, is an integral partner in CoachRev @The CrossRoads helping people in need
PHOTO/COURTESY OF REV LEE ATHERTON
living room, not the hospital room,” Atherton said.
Service dog Shadow - an integral partner
Atherton’s Black Lab service dog, Shadow, is an integral partner in the CoachRev team, helping others in desperate need.
Shadow accompanied Atherton last fall to visiting hours for a 21-year-old woman who had taken her life. There were people so shocked by this young woman’s passing they couldn’t speak or intermingle.
“Shadow senses anxiety and stress. He sat next to several guests and put his head on their laps. He helped them relax. They opened up to him about how they were feeling. That’s what I call a ‘God incident,’ when something bigger is at work.”
Atherton as Fire Chaplain
In her “spare” time, Atherton volunteers as chaplain for the Hudson and Littleton Fire Departments, is a member of the Massachusetts Corps of Fire Chaplains and serves on a Critical Incident Stress Management Crisis (CISM) team. CISM teams throughout the state and the country respond to first responders who have experienced a crisis.
Certified as a CISM response dog and an instrumental partner in the CoachRev team, Shadow is also present, helping firefighters and other first responders, as well as other individuals and family members touched by tragedy.
Methods of self-care
“Staying grounded has a lot to do with family and the outdoor world,” Atherton said, adding, “I love gardening, growing things, and watching the koi in my fishpond.
She advises others, “Take care of you in the midst of it all. Be aware of how you feel and what you need. Don’t be afraid to step back. Pause when you need that moment of stillness. Do things for yourself that will help keep your emotional well from running dry.”
Shadow would probably add, if they haven’t already done so, discover the unconditional love of a pet.
To learn more about Lee Atherton and CoachRev @ The CrossRoads, visit www. CoachRev.com or email Lee@ CoachRev.com.
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