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Welcome to April's BCF in Brief — your monthly newsletter from the Brookline Community Foundation about the work, impact and community-building we're creating together in Brookline.
Our mission is to ensure that everyone who lives, learns, works, and plays in the Brookline community prospers and thrives, and we are proud to share news and updates on community-building we are creating together with you.
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Community Highlight: Racial Justice Convening | |
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On Monday, March 25, BCF’s Executive Director, Aba Taylor, served as a panelist at a community convening of racial justice leaders in Brookline. This convening was coordinated by Brookline for Racial Justice and Equity (BRJE) and led by BRJE’s Executive Director, Dr. Raul Fernandez.
Brookline for Racial Justice and Equity assembled over 100 local government, nonprofit, business, and faith leaders for cross-sector engagement and expert panels focused on eliminating Brookline’s racial inequities.
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At this convening, Aba Taylor brought valuable insights to a panel discussing disparities in resource access and wealth accumulation in Brookline and the intersection of economic and racial inequality.
As we know from BCF’s recent report, Understanding Brookline 2, median household incomes and accumulation of wealth are not evenly distributed across racial lines.
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Left to right: Kelly Harrington (Boston Indicators) and BCF Executive Director, Aba Taylor, on a panel led by Bonnie Bastien (Brookline Community Development Corporation). Photo credit: Brookline Community Development Corporation | |
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“BRJE recognizes lack of wealth as the root problem leading to inequitable access to housing, education, healthcare, and more,” says BRJE's Dr. Fernandez. “BCF’s Understanding Brookline 2 report elucidates the severity of economic inequity in Brookline and the stark racial wealth disparities.”
Dr. Fernandez sees BCF as a “central, integral player” in BRJE’s work towards racial equality in Brookline. “Not only can BCF meet the needs of disadvantaged community members, but also it can help to develop a strategy and comprehensive plan to lift people out of poverty.”
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Dr. Raul Fernandez, Executive Director, BRJE | |
At BCF, we are committed to creating a more just and equitable community, and working hand-in-hand with BRJE allows us to make a meaningful impact. We look forward to future collaboration with Dr. Fernandez and BRJE. | |
The Chobee Hoy Fund for Brookline: New Fund | |
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The late Chobee Hoy was a Brookline real estate agent who committed decades of service and philanthropy to the Brookline community. As Ms. Hoy told the Brookline Hub in 2011, she was committed to supporting “the disenfranchised; young people, old people, all the people in between, people afflicted with lack of education, mental illness, poverty and everything that is connected to that.”
In Chobee’s honor, a Brookline community member created a new fund held by the Brookline Community Foundation. The Chobee Hoy Fund will support a wide range of emergency needs, including food insecurity, housing, childcare, mental health issues and more.
You can contribute a gift to this fund here to continue Chobee Hoy's legacy in Brookline.
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At the Brookline Community Foundation, our mission is to help ensure that all members of our community can thrive. Rooted in values of sustainable support and community-first principles, we believe that together, we can create a lasting impact.
We invite you to consider joining the Brookline Legacy Society.
Joining the Brookline Legacy Society is a simple act and provides various giving avenues, allowing you to choose a method that resonates most with you. Whether it's designating BCF as a beneficiary of your IRA, including a bequest in your will, or designating a percentage of your life insurance policy, your Brookline legacy can and will have a profound and lasting impact. Crafting an estate plan is more than a financial decision; it's an opportunity to preserve the values and causes that matter most to you, and ensure they will remain a priority for years to come.
If you have already incorporated BCF into your estate plan, please inform us so that we can express our heartfelt gratitude for your thoughtfulness and generosity.
Please reach out directly to Amy Silberstein at asilberstein@brooklinecommunity.org to discuss how you can tailor your estate plans to align with your philanthropic goals.
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In Case You Missed It: Sale of 40 Webster Place | |
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For decades, Brookline Community Foundation has called 40 Webster Place our home. After careful thought and consideration over many years, BCF sold 40 Webster Place to DND Homes, a real estate developer with several successful projects in the greater Boston area.
The sale of 40 Webster Place will allow BCF to shift operations into an accessible and size-appropriate space while reinvesting significant resources back into the community.
Guided by community voices and insights and working with a network of local nonprofit organizations and community groups, BCF will reinvest proceeds from this sale to catalyze economic mobility, creating dedicated pathways to opportunity and advancement for those most impacted by economic and social inequities.
Read our formal statement about the building sale here.
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