Changing, Learning, Growing
Hearth's Annual Meeting 2005
This year's Annual Meeting was held at the Massachusetts State
House in front of the Grand Staircase, near the Hall of Flags.
The site was chosen because it reflects Hearth's dedication to people
of Massachusetts as well as Hearth's efforts to work with the government to create policies that help aid
frail elders. The title Changing, Learning, Growing
refers to the exciting metamorphosis the organization is currently experiencing.
In September the name was changed from The Committee to End Elder Homelessness (CEEH) to Hearth. There were many reasons behind the change, and one main concern was the connotation of the word "committee." When the seven founders came together to tackle the problem of elder homelessness, they set out a five-year timeline. Fourteen years later the "committee" was going strong, and elder homelessness was still an issue. The organization had changed. It had grown far beyond a committee, and it was time to reflect that growth.
During those first fourteen years of growth CEEH/Hearth built five sites of service-enriched permanent housing. Each one was different and was created from the lessons learned during the previous project. These lessons are now being put towards growth: Hearth's plans for nearly 300 more units of affordable, permanent housing for elders-in-need.
Special Guests
Hearth was pleased to be joined by many old and new friends at the State House. Representative Anne Paulsen acted as the legislative sponsor to the event, welcoming everyone with warmth and encouragement. State Representative Lida Harkins presented the legislative update on behalf of Speaker of the House Salvatore DiMasi.
Hearth Founders Ellen Feingold and Anna Bissonnette paid tribute to Elsie Frank and Ruth Cowin, Hearth founders who passed away this past year. |
This year's Keynote Speaker was Secretary Jennifer Davis Carey (above) of the Executive Office of Elder Affairs (or EOEA). EOEA has been a supporter of Hearth's mission since the beginning, and we were very pleased to have her join us. |
 Providing updates on Hearth was Board Chair Mary Parker, Board Member Chris Colbert (above), and President Elisabeth Babcock. |
Awards
Three outstanding supporters of Hearth's work and mission were presented with Distinguished Service Awards. Without the help of the community our work would not be possible. The three following awardees regularly go above and beyond to further the goals of Hearth.
- Bob Frank, Director of Communications and Technology at the Center for Collaborative Education, has been volunteering at Hearth since the opening of the Anna Bissonnette House in 1997. His willingness to help out whenever needed makes him invaluable addition to our organization (top).
- Aristotle Bakalos of CBT/Childs Bertman Tseckares for donating his architectural services to the recent Bishop Street Extreme Makeover (center).
- Joe Masterson, President of Com-Ton Contracting, was indispensable during the Extreme Makeover, even bringing in his daughters to help paint and furnish the rooms. Whenever anything goes wrong, Joe is there to fix it (bottom).
To all of our volunteers and supporters, thank you!
Our Sponsors
Hearth would like to thank the Keystone Sponsors of the Annual Meeting for their support of our work and mission:
- Paradigm Properities, LLC
and
- Partners Health Care
.