Rosie's Place Spring Newsletter 2019

SPRING 2019 Leemarie Mosca Named President The Impact of Public Policy at Rosie’s Place Our President/Executive Director on Our Enduring Commitment

NEWS

Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants Speaks at Annual Breakfast Honor Your Mother and Support Our Work Spring Wish List

Leemarie Mosca Is Named Rosie’s Place President

Q&A

FILIPE ZAMBORLINI

DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC POLICY

Director of Public Policy Filipe Zamborlini joined Rosie’s Place in August 2018, bringing to his position a background in legislative affairs, community organizing and labor relations.

What does public policy look like at Rosie’s Place?

The Public Policy Department works to seek social justice on behalf of our guests. We work to achieve this goal through direct lobbying, coalition building and guest empowerment.

Why do you think it’s important for a service-based organization to have a focus on public policy?

It seems that many organizations either serve people’s immediate needs or address the longterm impact of government policies on their lives. However, at Rosie’s Place, we feel that both are critical to the well-being of poor and homeless women who are often forgotten by social and political systems. By providing direct service to our guests, we know what systemic changes can positively impact them and then take the next steps in advocating for them.

How do our guests benefit from learning about advocacy?

When Rosie’s Place guests participate in our programming, they are learning how to use their voice to create change that will affect their lives. Historically, people in a place of power have been unwilling to welcome them. To empower our guests, we build self- and community-advocacy skills that can effectively promote policy solutions. Guests participate in policy trainings and workshops, attend intensive advocacy seminars, participate in all electoral campaigns and, ideally, connect with legislators through their testimonies and life stories.

What drew you to Rosie’s Place?

As a formerly undocumented immigrant, DACA recipient and now legal permanent resident who will become a U.S. Citizen in 2020, I personally understand what it means to experience hunger, poverty, housing insecurity and the uncertainty of tomorrow. I also understand that, to move upward and forward, it takes the collaborative effort of family, friends, mentors, advocates and people who are committed to improving the lives of others.

I am happy to be part of such a team here.

According to Board Chair Deb Pasculano, “We are thrilled that Leemarie Mosca has been selected to lead the organization. Her commitment to our guests and to Rosie’s Place’s unique approach to social justice, coupled with her well-respected position in the community, make her a perfect fit for this vital role.

“For the past 10 years, Leemarie has been an important part of Rosie’s Place, overseeing our fundraising and external relations programs. She has played a key role in our growth, doubling revenues and developing new programs over her tenure. Leemarie deeply understands poverty and other issues facing our guests, as she has served her entire career at a spectrum of human services organizations.

“Leemarie is the ideal person to lead Rosie’s Place at this time,” Deb adds.

“I am confident her dedication to our mission, demonstrated success throughout her career and strategic

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approach to growth will serve Rosie’s Place well in the coming years. Under her leadership, we look forward to all that we will accomplish to improve the lives of the women we serve!”

Leemarie is only the fifth executive in the nonprofit’s 45-year history, succeeding Sue Marsh, who served as president from 1998. Executives who preceded Sue are, chronologically, Val Lanier, Kathy Beecher and Julie Brandlen.

“It’s a privilege to lead an organization whose work I believe in so deeply,” Leemarie says. “I am inspired every day by this community—by our guests in their courage and perseverance; by our allies in their solidarity; by those who support our vision of justice; and by our staff, who show their dedication, commitment and care in everything they do.

“Kip said, ‘The journey to justice can only be made in the company of others’ and this has always resonated deeply with me. I am lucky to have such extraordinary company. I look forward to our journey ahead!”

Leemarie joined Rosie’s Place in 2008 as director of development and public relations and was promoted to vice president of external relations in 2016.

She brings two decades of development experience to the position, having previously served as director of annual fund and development operations for Horizons for Homeless Children, and before that, director of special events.

She started her development career at the Italian Home for Children.

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The Rosie’s Place Board of Directors has named Leemarie Mosca as its new president/executive director.

Leemarie is the ideal person to lead Rosie’s Place at this time.

Under her leadership, we look forward to all that we will accomplish to improve the lives of the women we serve.

- Rosie’s Place board chair Deb Pasculano

Ruby’s Story If you had told longtime Rosie’s Place guest Ruby a year ago that she would have read a statement about the rights of the elderly to a legislator at the State House, she says she would have just shook her head and laughed. That was before Ruby took part in one of the public policy trainings offered at Rosie’s Place. Over four days, she and 10 other guests worked their way through a curriculum developed to raise awareness and to engage them in the political process. Guests learned about women, poverty and social justice; the meaning of public policy; basics of political advocacy; and how their local, state and federal governments work. They also received coaching on how to share their story with elected officials, both in writing and in person.

“I was interested in how I could do something for the benefit of the community,” Ruby says, “and this course really opened my eyes to so much more.”

Ruby turned to Rosie’s Place more than 15 years ago when she was grappling with serious health issues and an abusive situation at home.

Over that time, we’ve been there for her in a variety of important ways as she raised four children on her own. We’ve helped with clothing, meals, food pantry, furniture, Wellness Center visits, utility payments and more. As her kids got older, Ruby started taking part in art and writing classes here. But she still hadn’t found the strength to say what was on her mind.

“For so long my voice was stifled by my husband,” Ruby says. “I had thoughts and ideas like any other individual, but l didn’t have the confidence to speak out.”

The issue that Ruby wanted to bring to the attention of legislators concerned better services for the elderly. Her mother lived in an apartment near her and they had both complained repeatedly to management about the extreme heat in their units. Nothing was ever done and, just as she feared, one day Ruby found her mother unresponsive, and then she passed away. Ruby was convinced the temperature in her mother’s apartment was to blame. “People are not statistics,”

Ruby says. “The elderly can be too easily pushed aside and more should be done on their behalf.”

Not only did Ruby write about this experience and share it with Representative Christine Barber (D-Somerville) at the State House (above, with fellow guests), she has taken her newfound advocacy skills in other directions. Ruby now works at the polls and is always happy to explain ballot questions and how they will affect the voters in her precinct.

Ruby sees a change in herself.

“I’m evolving,” she says. “I’m not that person who was told to be quiet anymore. I think it’s ok to be a ‘troublemaker,’ if it means changing things for the better.”

our president / executive director on our enduring commitment Dear Friends: Rosie’s Place is an incredible community and I count myself lucky to be a part of it. It is the support of our friends that makes our work possible. With you by our side, so much has been–and will continue to be–accomplished to improve the lives of our guests.

Rosie’s Place now serves more women than ever before, both at our main site on Harrison Avenue and out in the Boston community. Through our array of services, we’ve aided in the survival of some of the city’s most vulnerable women, and we’ve also created opportunity for some of those most in need of hope.

At Rosie’s Place, our help is immediate. By providing hearty meals, a three week-stay in our overnight shelter, and healthy groceries in our food pantry, we alleviate some of our guests’ most pressing needs.

We know their lives are complicated, so we ensure that our help is comprehensive, with multi-lingual Advocates assisting guests with a variety of needs through 15,000 appointments each year. Because we accept no local, state or federal funding, we remove barriers to service where we can. Women can come to Rosie’s Place as often as they choose, and meet with our team for as long as they need.

At Rosie’s Place, simply asking for help is proof enough that you need it. Undocumented women, mentally ill women, addicted women–all women–can receive our help, knowing that when they come to Rosie’s Place, they are seen and heard and they matter.

Our help is expert, with on-site staff, contract and probono lawyers offering legal advice; a job search specialist; medical and mental health practitioners; and a housing search advocate. Advice, counsel and support all offered in one place, Rosie’s Place.

Our help is a stepping stone; By offering free ESOL and tech classes in our Women’s Education Center and jobs in our Women’s Craft Cooperative, we provide women with the tools they need to succeed.

And more than ever, our help goes well beyond Harrison Avenue. We bring our services to newly-housed women to ensure they remain stable in their homes; to medically frail women, isolated at home and without family supports; to women living in public housing in resource poor areas of Boston; to mothers of children in the Boston Public Schools; and to women at area courthouses. In this way, Rosie’s Place continues to expand our commitment to the welfare of women struggling in our community.

And it’s this commitment that will continue to be our focus in the coming year. Our five year Strategic Plan aims to establish a Rosie’s Place presence in all 125 Boston Public Schools, so that mothers, guardians, and sometimes— particularly in the high schools—the students themselves, are able to receive our services where they are. We are already in 44 of these schools, offering all of the same immediate, comprehensive, expert services that a woman would receive if she came to Rosie’s Place.

Three Supporters Running for Rosie’s Place on April 15 Rosie’s Place has received three fundraising bibs for the 2019 Boston Marathon, and we’re thrilled! Our team– John Doherty, Christina Gordon and Tyler Moulton– will proudly represent Rosie’s Place at the race while working to meet their goal of raising $37,500 to support services for poor and homeless women.

John is an educator and a Dining Room volunteer at Rosie’s Place. “I am Superintendent of Schools for the Reading Public Schools, and each year we bring our student Interact Club to Rosie’s Place to cook and serve meals,” he says. “It is always a moving and worthwhile experience, where we emphasize that giving back to the greater community should be an important part of our lives. And I continue to be amazed at the work that Rosie’s Place does.” This is John’s third marathon and first Boston Marathon.

Christina, our longtime friend, volunteer and Board member, is a dedicated runner. She ran the Boston Marathon for Rosie’s Place in 2017 and says she is excited and honored to represent us again this year. “I taught English at Rosie’s Place for eight years and I was always amazed at the dedication and determination of my students,” she says. “They were women just like me (children, homework, food shopping, etc.) but were born into far less fortunate circumstances in other countries. Teaching ESOL was very inspiring, as my students were extremely optimistic women. They were moving onward and upward from extremely challenging lives. I am forever humbled by their strength and fortitude.”

Like Christina, Tyler has experience as a volunteer teacher in our Women’s Education Center classrooms. “I am very excited to be running my second Boston Marathon, this year for Rosie’s Place,” he says. “For the past two years, I have been a volunteer ESOL teacher here. I have seen the wonderful work they do at Rosie’s Place: providing meals and food, shelter, legal services, and an immense education center. The students in my classes also continually inspire me with their stories, aptitude for learning, and congeniality.”

There’s still time to support our runners by making a gift today at www.rosiesplace.org/news_and_events/upcoming_events and cheering them on at the Marathon April 15!

QUOTABLE “When I retired from teaching in 2005, I thought I had planned well enough to keep my home and pay expenses. I discovered within the next year that as taxes rose, oil prices rose and all the other monthly expenses rose, I hadn’t…Back then I received a letter from Rosie’s Place and read a story about a 74- year-old retired teacher who suddenly found herself homeless. I suddenly saw myself as that person–it would only take a life-changing illness to bring that about…I could have become that next person in need… After that story, I changed how things could go. I was able to sell my home and move to Virginia where I now live with my brother and sister-in-law. I added rooms to their house with monies from the sale of my house. I am very fortunate to have been able to do so...In a perfect world there would be no need for place like Rosie’s Place, but until we get that perfect place, I am glad Rosie’s Place is there.”

Excerpted from a letter from monthly donor Lucille Flammia, received this December, along with a box of new gloves and socks.

“Rosie’s Place has been incredibly important as part of the effort that increases access to justice. It’s three-fold: one is to help people understand what problems are legal problems…the second is to get people the information to know what they should do and where they should go, and to make use of the substantial resources we have in our community…and the third is access to counsel if liberty is at stake…There is no social service agency in the state that has been more important in creating access to justice than Rosie’s Place.”

At the heart of Rosie’s Place’s mission has always been our commitment to social justice. We believe that it is not enough to devote ourselves to helping those women who need it—we must also dedicate ourselves to changing the world in which poor women live. We work to effect policy change at the state and local level, to engage our guests in civic activities, and to empower them to advocate for themselves and their communities. At Rosie’s Place, we know that meaningful and lasting change doesn’t just happen—it has to be made. And together, with all of you, I have faith that we can do just that.

With appreciation,

Leemarie Mosca

Please support Rosie’s Place by making a donation online at www.rosiesplace.org/springnews19 or by sending a gift in the enclosed envelope. We thank you!

ROSIE’S PLACE NEWS is published three times a year to inform our friends about activities and events taking place throughout the Rosie’s Place community. OUR MISSION is to provide a safe and nurturing environment to help poor and homeless women to maintain their dignity, seek opportunity, and find security in their lives.

President/Executive Director Leemarie Mosca Director of Communications | Editor Michele Chausse Communications Coordinator | Contributor Mikayla Mercado Design Colette O’Neill We’d love to hear from you! Please contact us with your comments at mchausse@rosiesplace.org or 617.318.0210.

Lucille Flammia

Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants

Excerpted from remarks by Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Ralph D. Gants in an interview with Susan Wornick at the Rosie’s Place Leadership Council’s appreciation breakfast on February 28.

“I’m grateful for having a stable environment, a stable home over my head, my children back in my life. Just being able to feel like there’s some normalcy. I’m grateful for my job at Stacy’s Juicebar and for all the people in my life…Anything you could think of they [Rosie’s Place] helped me with. Without them, I don’t think I would have gotten through half of where I’m at now…

I don’t have to worry about being in the street anymore. I finally found home…I’m feeling at peace… excited about the future.

Everything’s finally coming together.”

Rosie’s Place guest Theresa M. talking about what she’s thankful for in a feature story by Boston Herald columnist Jessica Heslam published in their Thanksgiving Day edition.

Theresa M. Staff Photo By Angela Rowlings/Boston Herald

Communityof

Friends

For the last five years, WERS has promised Rosie’s Place an hour of volunteer service for every $500 they raise at holiday time. This February, the station provided a team of 60 volunteer students, staff and listeners to prepare and serve lunch on four days in our Dining Room!

We are so grateful to our wonderful supporters whose generosity helped make the holidays brighter for the women we serve.

Many thanks to the 67 individuals and community groups we worked with to provide 530 women with holiday gifts they could choose for themselves or others in our special “store.”

Left: At the annual party at our Franklin Field satellite office, manager Catherine Louis oversaw the distribution of toys and gifts to 175 children, 30 teenagers and 74 seniors and homebound adults. Right: Our friends at Living Proof dropped by with just a few of the 1,665 sets of full-size shampoo and conditioner they donated to us this December, which will be used by guests all year long.

More than 380 attendees were treated to a surprise during WBUR’s 16th annual reading of A Christmas Carol at the Omni Parker House in December. Longtime participant, Bob Oakes, (far left) added a wrinkle to his reading with other WBUR journalists (from left) Robin Young, Bill Littlefield, Jack Lepiarz, host Ben Johnson and Meghna Chakrabarti by appearing as the author, Charles Dickens, himself! A record $24,000 was raised to benefit Rosie’s Place.

Kindergarten students and faculty at Veterans Memorial Elementary School, Saugus partnered with Wheelabrator Saugus in December to collect 12 boxes full of toiletry items for guests at Rosie’s Place.

Students were fully involved in the effort, which included staying after school to sort the items.

TAKING ACTION AT ROSIE’S PLACE This spring, one of our legislative priorities is a bill sponsored by Representative Marjorie Decker, An Act to Protect Families Experiencing Homelessness from Having to Sleep in Unsafe Places.

When a family becomes homeless, too often the only available housing resource is Emergency Assistance (EA) Shelter. However, before a family can be approved for EA Shelter, the state requires proof that they have stayed at least one night in a place not meant for human habitation. This forces parents and children to sleep in cars, emergency rooms, bus stations, campgrounds, and other unsafe places. Families showing up at hospital clinics and emergency rooms drive up health care costs and students’ educations are being disrupted as their families search for a safe place to sleep. Based on FY17 state data, 645 families with children had to sleep in unfit places before they were found eligible for emergency shelter through the state’s EA Shelter program.

Often, homeless women come to Rosie’s Place seeking help in finding a way to be placed in EA Shelter with their children. This bill would direct the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) to provide EA Shelter to otherwise eligible families with children without requiring families to prove that they already have stayed in the type of places mentioned above. It would ensure that the state never again asks homeless families to first put their safety at risk to find a suitable place to sleep. Our guests deserve better protections and all homeless families in the Commonwealth deserve to be treated with dignity when facing homelessness.

If you would like to support our guests in this effort, please reach out to your elected official and urge them to support the passage of HD. 2406 this session. Contact information for state and federal legislators can be found at www.malegislature.gov/Search/FindMyLegislator. And to learn more or how to become involved, contact Director of Public Policy Filipe Zamborlini at fzamborlini@rosiesplace.org or 617.318.0201. Thank you!

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On the chilly morning of January 19, Rosie’s Place staff, family and friends gathered together at the Kip Tiernan Memorial on Dartmouth Street to take part in the 2019 Boston Women’s March. The group then headed to the Boston Common, carrying signs and marching to show our support for the rights of our guests and of all women in the U.S. Rosie’s Place is participating in The Boston Globe GRANT program again this year. We are thrilled that we were among the top 10 nonprofits with the most votes in 2018, which enabled us to place two quarter-page ads in the paper (including this one). The GRANT voting ends on April 30, so we ask all subscribers to act now by visiting www.bostonglobe.com/grant and selecting Rosie’s Place when they send in their ad vouchers. Thank you!

Rosie’s Place staff planned ongoing events and activities for guests during February, Black History Month. A visit by The National Black Doll Museum treated guests to an interactive presentation on the history and culture of black dolls. Movies with topical themes were shown in addition to rounds of trivia and BINGO with information on black history. The highlight of the monthlong observance was a celebratory dinner event. Staff and volunteers prepared a meal of traditional Southern and Caribbean food while guests enjoyed live music and photo opportunities.

“A Day to Love Yourself,” one of our favorite events of the year, took place once again in early March.

Our guests were treated to an afternoon of pampering and self-care, thanks to the volunteer efforts of organizer Andrew Maggiore and his family and friends.

Generous local vendors gave every woman the opportunity to look and feel her best, with a variety of wellness and beauty services ranging from skin and hair care to chair massages and nutrition.

Thanks to our long-term relationship with the Arts/Lab@MedCampus (BU Medical Community/ Boston Medical Center), we have been able to host Ghanan poet and author Dzidzor Azaglo as our Artistin-Residence since the fall. Through her spoken word poetry and weekly workshops, she strives to inspire guests to express themselves in positive, self-affirming ways and move toward healing and acceptance.

spring WISH LIST Looking ahead to summer, we are focused on providing our guests with seasonal items that will help them stay comfortable and cool. Currently we are only accepting the following items: • New regular and travel-size toiletries (including maxi-pads) • New and gently-used bras • New underwear and socks • New t-shirts • New slippers and bathrobes • Jeans • Sweatpants and yoga pants • Bathing suits

• • • • •

Flip-flops Lip balm and sunscreen Hats New and gently-used bath towels Adult paperback books and children’s books, hardcover and soft • Non-perishable food • Mugs

All donations can be dropped off at Rosie’s Place between 8:30a.m. and 4:30p.m. Monday through Friday. As always, your generous support of our work is greatly appreciated!

Special Edition Set To celebrate Mother’s Day, our Women’s Craft Cooperative (WCC) is offering a new limited-edition necklace. For a donation of $65 or more, this one-of-a-kind statement necklace, crafted by guests employed by the WCC, can be yours. It’s the perfect gift for your mother, wife, special someone or even yourself. By honoring the women who are important to you, you help make life better for the 12,000 women Rosie’s Place serves each year.

We mix colors and textures to create a necklace that is unique yet understated. Three strands of warm, gold-tone freshwater pearls hang from silky, gold cord, knotted around natural horn chain links.

The necklace extends 29’ and has a gold toggle clasp.

Matching earrings featuring the pearls pair beautifully with the necklace. The jewelry is available for $15 for the earrings alone or as a set for a special price of $75.

Special gift wrap and a card informing the honoree of your thoughtful generosity will accompany the set; please be sure to get your orders in by noon on May 6. To order, visit www.rosiesplace.org/shop to view these and many more jewelry and gift items perfect for the holiday or call Heather at 617.318.0272.

Rosie’s Place Now Offering Note Cards!

You no longer have to wait for the holidays to support the work of Rosie’s Place. In response to popular demand, we are now offering note cards featuring four scenes, each depicting a different season in New England. Noted local artist Sam Vokey-who gave us our wonderful 2018 holiday card image, Newbury Street Snowfall-has generously donated his paintings for this series. Cards are blank inside and sold in packs of 10 and variety sets of 16. View the images and order at www.rosiesplace.org/shop/notecards or contact Mikayla Mercado at 617.318.0238.

Safe and Sound Gala

DATE SAVE THE

Wednesday, May 8, 2019, 6:00PM The Cyclorama at the Boston Center for the Arts Please join us for an evening of food, friends and philanthropy at our annual Safe & Sound gala. Enjoy delicious cuisine by Boston’s best chefs and beautifully paired wines, as well as an opportunity to bid on premier, insider-only silent and live auction packages.

Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available.

To support the event or for more information, contact Kristen Leonard at kleonard@rosiesplace.org or 617.318.0232 or visit www.rosiesplace.org/gala.

Funny Women...Serious Business Wednesday, October 16, 2019, 12:00PM Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, Boston Join Rosie’s Place at our annual luncheon–the best in Boston! This year’s featured speaker is author and activist Glennon Doyle. For sponsorship or ticket information, contact Michael Oliver at moliver@rosiesplace.org or 617.318.0291 or visit www.rosiesplace.org/fwsb.

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