HAPPY COMMUNITY ACTION MONTH

WCAC recently hosted our 3rd Annual Resiliency Awards, a celebration of individuals and organizations which have gone above and beyond in supporting the agency's mission. It was a wonderful way to kick off Community Action Month as well as a continuation of our year-long celebration of the community action network's 60th anniversary.

We are grateful for our presenting sponsor National Grid, and our additional Resiliency Awards sponsors: Webster Five, Mutual of America, UMass Chan Medical School, Cinch IT, Mass General Brigham, Country Bank, Polar Beverages, Fidelity Bank, LPA Architects, Cornerstone Bank and Bowditch Attorneys.

Special thanks to the Rev. Dr. Debora Jackson, Dean of WPI's Business School, who kicked off our awards breakfast with a truly inspiring challenge to be "people who care enough." Please join us in celebrating these truly remarkable partners dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty one neighbor at a time.

Marybeth Campbell, CEO

HONORING OUR ACTION HEROES

WCAC's Action Hero Award is given to everyday people striving to make every day better for the lives of those in our community.

In a time when so many people are facing housing instability Dominique Lee of RCAP Solutions, Inc. has been a true lifeline for WCAC's Resiliency Center Team. He has demonstrated what true collaboration is- having trained our team and provided follow-up when the emergency housing regulations changed frequently, and proved himself an invaluable resource to our Resiliency Center staff in helping to complete RAFT applications for clients. With his support, WCAC’s team helped to process over 225 RAFT applications – preventing 225 households from becoming homeless. 

The process to exit WCAC's former office space in the Denholm Building in downtown Worcester and relocate was complex and resulted in some little-known but great sacrifice on behalf of the nonprofits to facilitate the sale of 100% of the units in the Denholm Building. Through great collaboration, strategic planning, patience, and much needed humor, the "Denholm Six" as WCAC and our non-profit neighbors Easter Seals Massachusetts, Center for Living and Working, United Way of Central Massachusetts, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Central MA & Metrowest and MassEdCo came to be known, created a new place of excellence for our collective work and much greater synergy and alignment of services as a result. 

The lengthy process of meetings, planning, negotiations, setbacks, design-construction, and eventually moving to 18 Chestnut Street has resulted in a beautiful new space for our staff and is centered on the spirit of collaboration and ease of access to services for clients across our organizations and the community. WCAC was pleased to honor our Denholm Six partners and neighbors each with a 2024 Action Hero Award.

ENERGY EQUITY CHAMPIONS

Energy Efficiency has long been a way to help our clients reduce their energy burden and improve the health, safety and comfort of their homes. WCAC's 2024 Energy Equity Champions and their teams have combined to work with WCAC as Weatherization contractors for nearly 50 years. 

In addition to demonstrating excellence in the field, the trio have helped us to train our new staff. Their professionalism and dedication to the work is a great complement to the care they provide to the hundreds and hundreds of households they have served over the years. The energy efficiency landscape is changing at a rapid pace and we were honored to recognize and thank these originals! 

WCAC's 2024 Energy Equity Champions - Justin Gervais from EJT Siding; Michael Welch from Universal Home Improvement; and Ken Martinetty from Martinetty General Contractor, Inc. 

IGGY STRONG: PROVIDING YOUTH OPPORTUNITIES

WCAC's Iggy Strong: Providing Youth Opportunities Award is named for the late Police Officer, Ignacio “Iggy” Garcia, a 17-year veteran of the Worcester Police Department known for his positive impact of city neighborhoods and youth. This award is given to an individual or organization having demonstrated an exemplary commitment to WCAC’s youth development programs; supporting and nurturing a dynamic environment to foster positive educational and employment opportunities for area youth.

For the last decade, Stacie Brimmage has been a cornerstone of youth development and employment in Worcester. As YouthGROW Coordinator for the Regional Environmental Council, Stacie leads young people aged 14-18 through a curriculum focused on Professional Development, Leadership Skills, Urban Agriculture, and Social Justice through participation in the 6-week summer intensive program, fall and spring sessions, monthly workshops, and community service. She is also an integral part of the Central MA Youth Jobs Coalition and has been a partner of WCAC’s Youth Works program for many years. Hundreds of young people in Worcester have surely been impacted by Stacie’s good work and dedication to the community. As she embarks on her next journey, we wish Stacie the best of luck and acknowledge her mark on Worcester’s Youth Development and Employment initiatives. 

STEVEN M. DESMARAIS CHAMPION FOR KIDS AWARD

This award has been newly renamed in honor of Steven Desmarais, long time WCAC Board member and passionate advocate for the agency’s early education and care programs whom we lost unexpectedly last August. Steve served as Treasurer, was a member of the agency’s Audit & Finance Committee and was very active in WCAC’s financial activities. His true passion, however, was for our Head Start program. He was a frequent guest to our classrooms and relished any opportunity to spend time with our little ones.

The last vote he took as a Board member, in fact, allowed for the expansion of our early education and care footprint into new classrooms in East Brookfield and Leicester. Steve understood the invaluable impact Head Start could make and supported the effort to bring our childcare services to these additional vulnerable families. In recognition of not only his long-standing legacy of service as a member of WCAC’s Board of Directors but his tireless advocacy for the agency’s Head Start program, it was our honor to present the 2024 Steven M. Desmarais Champion for Kids award to Steve’s wife, Michele, accompanied by his daughter Judith.

2024 SARGENT SHRIVER TRAILBLAZER AWARD



The Sargent Shriver Trailblazer award is named for Sargent Shriver, noted American diplomat, politician, and activist. He was the primary architect of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty, leading to the establishment of the Community Action Network. The award is given to an individual or organization making remarkable contributions to improving the lives of those in need, having demonstrated a collaborative spirit and tireless efforts to impact policy and affect substantive change.

WCAC’s 2024 Sargent Shriver Trailblazer Award was presented to Gladys Rodriguez Parker, who recently retired after nearly three decades of service as the Senior District Representative for Congressman Jim McGovern. Among the many, many organizations she was involved with, she was an active participant in the Worcester Together initiative, a founding member of the Latino Education Institute at Worcester State University, and has been a long standing member of WCAC’s Board of Directors. She has served as a passionate voice for vulnerable families throughout Central Massachusetts and beyond, and brought her a roll-up-your-sleeves, collaborative spirit wherever she went.

#60YearsStrong #WeRCommunityAction