Italian Home for Children

We’re on the run at the Flutie 5K to help kids with autism! We’ve got a great team for Italian Home – moms, dads, kids, & veteran marathoners. Join us Sunday, 10/27, at 10 AM, Leonard Morse Hospital, Natick. Every step you take will help kids with educational & behavioral challenges receive the life-changing services we provide. If you can’t make the race, please make a donation. Register at: https://lnkd.in/eR_T5ZEU

Grazie to Joe Pasquale of J&Co & his family for hosting their annual golf tournament to benefit Italian Home at the beautiful Hopkinton Country Club on Monday, Oct. 14. While the weather seemed imported from golf’s native Scotland, the mood on the green was hole-in-one happy. 33 foursomes played the course while stopping at tents for calamari, calzones, wine & good wishes. Then everyone returned to the spacious clubhouse to enjoy a delicious dinner, cozy fireplaces & a silent auction – all to benefit the kids & others whose lives IHC enhances each day. We are so grateful for this great tournament that Joe & many others have generously made possible! As always Ruby Leach of J&Co was the tireless, indispensable “team captain” who made the event run beautifully!

Our kids started the academic year with extra enthusiasm, thanks to generous donations from three loyal friends of IHC. New Beginnings gave them beautiful backpacks. Dell Technologies and Andersen came through with an array of school supplies. What a great beginning for our kids! These donors earn an A+ in thoughtfulness/compassion. BTW, the man in black from Dell in front of the entrance is IHC alumnus Jim Robards, who, with his two brothers, lived with us at the Home more than 50 years ago.

HarbourVest, our super-loyal friends, stopped by our JP campus yesterday. 15 volunteers toured Pallotta School, the Partial Hospitalization Program & Neurodevelopmental Unit. HarbourVest provided art supplies, trick-or-treat bags to decorate & Halloween masks – plus pizza & chicken fingers for Pallotta kids’ lunch! The volunteers served food & assisted kids with artwork outdoors in the bright fall sunshine. Do these visits make a difference? YES: one boy remembered the group from last year, asking, “Are we decorating pumpkins again?” MANY THANKS to HarbourVest! To see more photos, visit: https://lnkd.in/egdqD3Ew

THANKS to everyone who made SunSplash, our on-campus, end-of-summer party for kids and their families a resounding success on Thursday, August 22. Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital donated the delicious food, cooked by our stalwart kitchen crew. A group from HarbourVest Partners arrived early and worked multiple miracles: hauling tables, setting up tents, painting kids’ faces, playing games, always being cheery. Development and Facilities worked long and hard as is customary, and Senior Staff and others distributed snow cones, guided kids, greeted all. To see more, visit: https://lnkd.in/em-A3sqN  

Many thanks to all involved in our hosting the Jamaica Plain Historical Society for a presentation on the history of Italian Home by current CEO Susan Keays, LICSW former Executive Director Chris Small. More than 60 people participated in the hybrid event, in person & via Zoom. Attendees enjoyed a display of artifacts, including early documents, photographs & a letter from a 1946 donor, the future president, John F. Kennedy. Many followed Sue and Chris for a campus tour. Chris concluded with a deeply moving anecdote from his time as Executive Director. A young alumnus returned to campus to express his gratitude. He handed Chris his college diploma, saying, “I want you to have this. Without the help of Italian Home, I’d never have gotten it.” If you would like to watch the full presentation visit this link: https://lnkd.in/e9mt7X8f

Joe DiMaggio stopped by and so did a future pope! Why don’t you do the same? Join the Jamaica Plain Historical Society this Sunday, September 22, 2:00 – 3:30 p.m., for a fascinating talk about the history of Italian Home for Children. We’ve got a century-plus past that began with a long-ago pandemic & includes decades of helping kids, families & adults. You’ll hear about lives that will surprise & inspire. Current CEO Susan Keays, LICSW & former CEO Chris Small are our speakers. The event is free, at the gymnasium on our campus at 1125 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain, & refreshments are provided. To learn more, click: https://lnkd.in/ehdXrdYp This will be a hybrid event. For those unable to attend in person, please register for the Zoom option using this link: https://lnkd.in/e4scVw_A

What a wonderful Sip & Support we had last night! It was as warm & sunny as the weather! Thanks to our generous sponsors, ticket buyers & those who made event donations & participated in the raffle, we exceeded our fundraising goal. We raised nearly $17,000 for the programs & services we provide for kids & others. Our Emerging Leaders Chair, James Tambone spoke movingly about being introduced to our mission/kids years ago by his dad. President and CEO Susan Keays, LICSW mentioned the broad sweep of our programs. Associate VP of Community Programs Yota Gikas, MA, Ph.D, C-DBT shared a heartfelt email from a client whose life was changed by those services. And a GREAT TIME was had by ALL! Special thanks Deborah Karson for her fantastic photos of the party at Dorchester Brewing Company. To view the pictures click here: https://lnkd.in/eJm7ygZU

By coming to Sip and Support, you help the kids we serve to enhance or rebuild their lives. Recently, the Emerging Leaders, our Sip & Support event hosts, spent an evening serving pizza and playing games with kids in our Intensive Treatment Residence program. “This was a great experience,” said Javier de la Rocha. “The kids showed an enormous appreciation and love. This is why I love and support Italian Home for Children: their work enables these kids, along with many others and their families, to enjoy life despite their difficulties – to be kids.” Link: https://lnkd.in/eKXEmSFu

Join a fun crowd for a great cause! Roof deck + networking + barbecue = one super-enjoyable late-summer party. Hosted by our Emerging Leaders group, Sip & Support benefits kids with educational/behavioral challenges. It’s Thursday, September 12, at 6 pm at the Dorchester Brewing Company. Prolong your summer and meet new friends! For more information, visit: https://lnkd.in/eKXEmSFu