Danny's Place Annual Report 2023

2023 Annual Report Planning 543 Massachussets Ave. Acton, MA 01720 dannys-place.org

Impacting Lives, Building Our Future

Letter from the Chair and Executive Director.

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Katie Gorczyca

BOARD CHAIR

Cindy McCarthy

Reflecting on the past year, as we sit in our new space together, we are filled with hope, deep appreciation, and a sense of endless possibilities.

This year marked twenty years since the inception of Danny’s Place, and we could not be more proud of the journey to get us to where we are today. Our focus on providing a safe, non-competitive space where kids can be kids, learn essential life skills and cultivate peer connection is critical in today’s environment.

When the former St. Elizabeth's Church in West Acton became available, we could not believe that we would be lucky enough to call this our new home. The youth of our community come to Danny’s Place and feel a sense of feeling “at home.” This year we have also intentionally and carefully expanded our team to support the growth of our physical space.

Our expanded staff offers our participants a warm welcome and creates an environment for the youth that affirms someone is listening to them and that they matter.

We could not have gotten to where we are today without the partnership, support, and encouragement from our community. We are so grateful for all who have contributed in some way this past year. This year has been a leap of faith in many ways, and with a vibrant sense of connection and community, our dreams are coming true.

Sincerely,

Katie

Katie Gorczyca, Executive Director

Cindy

Cindy McCarthy, Board Chair

Our Mission We provide young people with experiences to explore, create, and discover their happiest, healthiest selves - through inclusive community programming, social-emotional experiences, and supportive resources.

Community is at the heart of what we do.

We are more than the space inside our walls, we are a community. Danny's Place is dedicated to supporting children and teens in Acton-Boxborough in a variety of ways. From our direct programming to our collaborative efforts and committee work, we support our community through three Levels of Impact.

1.

In-house programming (Grades 3 - 12)

From game clubs to crafting to financial literacy and everything in-between, we remain committed to providing these programs at no- or low-cost to participants, thanks to the generous help of our supporters.

2.

Community Initiatives Our community initiatives are open to all Acton-Boxborough residents, and include special events, speaker series, and prevention trainings.

3.

Policy Shaping

Our ongoing, active involvement in coalitions, committees, councils, and through resource networks, allows us to share our learnings and perspectives to inform policyshaping efforts that affect our entire community.

Beacon of Hope Expanding our horizons.

Creating opportunities for youth that foster a sense of belonging, self-confidence, and emotional intelligence is essential to build our next generation of community leaders. Danny’s Place provides a space for kids to discover their authentic selves, with programs that offer opportunities for engagement, skill-building, friendships, and fun.

In Fall 2022, we launched our Beacon of Hope growth campaign to address our community’s needs. With the help of our supporters, we will: continue to provide a safe and joyful space where kids can be kids, and through our new multi-room building, grow to serve more youth in Acton and Boxborough each year while maintaining small group settings guarantee that our programs continue to stay responsive to the specific needs of our community, and strengthen our role as a community connector and advocate for our young people ensure that all of our programs stay accessible by maintaining our commitment to offering programs that are free or low-cost, and by increasing safe access to our visible neighborhood location (currently walkable from a majority of our district’s schools) by continuing to collaborate/advocate/work with Town planners to develop safe, low-cost transportation options for all youth in our community.

Children and teens need a space to be themselves and explore who they are in a supportive, non-competitive environment that promotes healthy socialization, a sense of curiosity, and connection to helpful resources. Danny’s Place provides this for our community.

On Our Way We are now at 50% of our total fundraising goal of $2.3 million, and well on our way to reaching the full funding goal. Thank you to our over 135 donors and funders for helping us reach this milestone. From these amazing supporters across the community, we were able to move into our new space at 543 Massachusetts Ave in September 2023.

Welcome

to 543 Massachusetts Avenue We are thrilled in our new home - right in the heart of West Acton.

Situated on a prominent corner, our new spot is instantly recognizable within our community (and within walking distance of many district schools).

With two floors of programming rooms, 543 Mass Ave is a perfect space for us to grow. We designed each floor to adapt to a variety of uses flexibly. The first floor includes a lobby for easy transitions, a private conference room, a cozy library with four nooks for breakout groups, designated staff areas, and an open space offering room for movement and leading out into a new courtyard. The second floor features several large workstations for meetings, studying, group work, and crafts, in addition to a contained nook with a lofted ceiling for wellness-based activities. We can now run concurrent programs and grow our impact significantly, and we remain committed to keeping our offerings at low or no-cost to participants.

The young people of Danny's Place are quickly making this space their own, and we are so happy to see it! We provide a safe and welcoming space to let kids be kids so they can make space for healthy social interactions, self-exploration, and building the confidence and emotional intelligence to become the next generation of leaders.

Wellness Nook

The perfect setting for small group work, conversations, brainstorms and centering - Danny’s Place kids are already making this cozy upstairs space their own.

Program Highlights Despite the challenges posed by a one-room location, we had a busy final year in our Villageworks suite. Whether a round of speed chess, a running club, or a financial literacy lesson, our programming places social-emotional learning at its center and is a positive experience for kids and parents.

Sparks & Me Our seminal program, for 5th & 6th graders, continues to grow in popularity. In exploring and creating diverse types of art forms, participants learn emotional awareness, stress management, and community building, helping them answer fundamental questions around their identify, their strengths, and their passions.

William L Ryan Community Service Award We were honored to receive this community service award at the June graduation ceremony. It means so much to us to be recognized by the school district for the work we do in our community and for our kids.

We are honored to be among the many other change makers and advocates serving the youth of Acton-Boxborough.

Our Core Program Areas

Mental Health & Wellness

Penguin Club From chess to outdoor games, participants love the exploratory and experiential approach of this drop-in style after-school club, offering 3rd-6th graders “a fun place to try new activities,” A recent partnership with Discovery Museum provided access to the Discovery Woods as part of programming.

Fosters healthy habits, provides a support structure, and reinforces self-worth and the capacity to manage challenges

Self-Exploration & Life Skills Encourages learning through different modalities, fosters connections with peers through non-competitive settings, and builds self-advocacy skills and respect for others

Leadership & Community-Building

Parent Info Nights You asked, we listened. In February, a local parent approached us to offer a community screening and conversation of the multiple award-winning documentary Chasing Childhood. Offering support and access to resources for the whole family is central to our work.

Provides opportunities to find one’s voice, deepen interests, and build self-confidence while developing an understanding of community service and civic involvement

Program Highlights U-Project: Creating Positive Change in the Community Danny’s Place created U-Project to support Acton-Boxborough High School students in developing and executing their original community service project ideas by providing mentorship and financial support. As the leaders of their own projects, students develop essential life skills, earn community service credits, gain experience for their resumes and college applications, and make valuable connections to local leaders and peers while contributing to their community.

Last June, our 2023 cohort of youth project leaders celebrated their work with community members at our U-Project Celebration. From a school courtyard landscaping renovation to the construction of a high school softball storage shed to the design and implementation of an original Danny's Place program focused on art and social justice awareness, we were honored to be able to support these phenomenal teens in fulfilling their projects.

Coloring Equality Vaishnavi, a high school senior at Acton-Boxborough, received U-Project support to develop and implement Coloring Equality - a Danny's Place program for 4th-6th graders that examines social justice issues through an artistic lens. Each session aims to introduce children to integral topics while offering an opportunity to express their ideas about them through different creative mediums and styles. The group shares and discusses their views on the topic and how it is expressed through their artwork, helping build community among participants. We are thrilled to be able to offer this terrific program to our community and know that Vaishnavi will make a positive impact in whatever she does after high school.

Our Impact At Danny’s Place, the impact of our programs is holistic. Program participants view Danny’s Place as a safe and joyful space where they can be themselves. While we are working hard to grow the number of programs we offer and the number of young people we serve, it remains critical that we stay authentic to the mission of our program of deep connection. Our programs are conducted in small group settings to foster healthy socialization and connect young people to the resources they need.

425 total youth served from 330 youth served last year

35

Programs for young people

Surveys say...

100% of surveyed program participants in our Mental Health & Wellness programs reported a personal experience of less stress in their lives, and more focus on their personal priorities 100% of program participants would recommend Danny’s Place Programs to a friend 100% of surveyed program participants in our Mental Health & Wellness programs reported an increase in their own resiliency, self-acceptance, and an increase in the ability to access coping skills and stress management strategies.

"My child always looked forward to and loved going to Penguin Club every week. It was a unique experience, there isn't really anything else like it out there."

“I feel so relaxed during the Sparks group time, there’s nice music on and no one judges me on what I am making with my art.”

Sparks & Me Participant

Penguin Club Parent

“

Coloring Equality Makerspace with ABPIPSTEM ConnectNite

“

3

New Programs Launched

I can be myself and know that I’ll find differences and connections with others. I feel energetic and happy, I have been making new memories and I get to know more about my friends. Danny’s Place is a safe space for me and it’s very important because I get to let out my goofy side where I’m not allowed to in school, I can be silly and meet new people.

- Danny's Place ConnectNite Participant

2024 Goals Expanding Our Programming As we grow into our new space, we are thrilled to have the opportunity to expand our programs to meet the various needs and interests of young people in the community.

Over the coming year, we plan to:

Growing Our Whole-Family Approach Our weekday programming provides an accessible, friendly environment for kids to learn new skills and be themselves, but we strive to support parents, too. Having a “whole family” philosophy means we offer content and support to parents and caregivers to help them address important topics with their kids and teens. Through our Parent Info Nights, we bring in experts to examine topics, such as roadway safety or teen anxiety, and offer actionable steps.

In 2024, we look forward to creating opportunities for parents and caregivers to socialize and sample similar programming themes with an adult focus.

expand our focus on life skills, including areas such as meal planning, time management, media literacy, and advocacy skills incorporate opportunities for neurodiverse kids introduce new options for performance and self-expression provide additional options for promoting mental wellness and resiliency Stay tuned to all of our program offering updates at dannys-place.org/programs.

Staff Spotlight Programs Manager What do you enjoy about the programs you facilitate?

During all of my first program gatherings I have a ritual of asking our participants what makes Danny’s Place different from their classes at school. Without fail, I have been touched by their responses which echo a shared sentiment that they feel welcome to show up as their authentic selves, free of expectations to perform rather than to simply be.

K a el

e i g h D e S il v a

Renn Duffey

What is a recent program moment that made you smile?

Shortly after expressing my desire to ensure that a participant felt integrated into our group after being out the week prior, I opened my inbox to an unexpected email of appreciation and gratitude from their parent. I was beaming with joy and relief to learn that this participant felt a sense of belonging and credited it towards the co-created environment of calmness and nonjudgmental acceptance that we had built.

Program Coordinator for Self-Exploration & Life Skills / Mental Health & Wellness What do you enjoy about the program(s) you facilitate?

I am always excited and surprised by the creativity of the youth we serve. Whether it’s a new and interesting plotline in our collaborative storytelling programs, or a creative solution to solve a problem, our youth breathe creativity into every program we run.

What is a recent program moment that made you smile?

There are so many, it’s hard to choose! I think a top moment for me was watching our Penguin Club kids use their imaginations and creativity in two different ways- one, by planning, writing, and designing a short movie plot, and the other by playing a one-shot Dungeons and Dragons campaign. Both groups were so excited, creative, and passionate about their characters, and it was amazing watching them interact with each other and the world around them.

My favorite feedback from one participant was that the way I redesigned the Dungeons and Dragons magic system to be more user friendly was inventive and helped him understand things easier. He even said I should sell the new system, though I didn’t have the heart to mention copyright infringement.

Upcoming Events The 19th Annual

Golf Tournament

Monday, August 5th, 2024 8:15am Shotgun Start The Haven Country Club 369 Cross Street, Boylston, MA Register at www.dannys-place.org/golf

Stop-in-Saturdays We offer Stop-In Saturdays during select weekends throughout the year to give families an opportunity to see our space, meet our staff, and take part in fun activities.

Stay tuned for 2024 dates.

Year-End Showcase Wednesday, June 5th, 2024 A celebration of the community service achievements of our high school U Project award recipients.

Visit dannys-place.org/programs for our latest listing of events and programs.

Our Supporters Thank you to all of our donors, sponsors, funders, program partners, and amazing volunteers, who made our programming and events a success.

Thank you to our over 135 donors and funders who make our work possible. We appreciate each and every one of you.

We also want to take this time to thank our growing cadre of volunteers, who have put in so much effort to help us achieve all of these goals.

Program Partners

Girls on the Run

ThinkGive

Nature Pathways

Workers Credit Union

Corporate Supporters Bridge Bank Campion & Company LLC CFgO Deloitte Eastern Bank Fetch Goldman Sachs Insulet Corporation Material Impacts

OpenDoor Education Pfizer Salesforce Sanofi SW Real Estate Consulting True North Ale Company Wilmer Hale xtalic

Foundation Supporters Acton-Boxborough United Way Acton Lions Club

The Sudbury Foundation The Public Good Projects CHNA-15

Who We Are Staff Katie Gorczyca

Executive Director

Cristina Morales-Alvarez Operations Manager

Kaeleigh De Silva Programs Manager Renn Duffey Program Coordinator Ash Subramaniyam Program Leader

Board of Directors Cindy McCarthy President

Dave Sirois Treasurer

Anne Halligan Jeff McCarthy Travis Minor Nicole Regonini Kristina Rychlik

Find Yourself Here

543 Massachussets Ave. Acton, MA 01720 dannys-place.org