Blue Jean Ball Raises over $75K!

The lucky guests who attended Riverside’s 4th annual Heart & Soul Blue Jean Ball were treated to an evening that included great food, extraordinary music and a touching description of the positive impact of Riverside services on communities dealing with the aftermath of tragic events.  Our keynote speaker, Robert Judge, Vice Chair of the Selectboard in South Hadley, Massachusetts, delivered an eloquent talk on the trauma suffered by his community after the suicide of a high school student who had been relentlessly bullied and the important work done by the Riverside Trauma Center to help the town heal.  Susan Wornick of WCVB-TV served as auctioneer and bidding on both silent and live auction items was fierce.  In all, over $75,000 was raised to support Riverside programs!  Music from legendary soul singer Mighty Sam McClain had everyone out on the dance floor. 

It was a very special evening that, without the support of our sponsors and supporters, would not have been possible.  We want to thank Ronna and Stephen Miller and Audrey and Mark Robinson, the Co-chairs of the Event Committee for their vision and commitment and the entire committee for all of their hard work. 

Plans are already in the works for next year’s event.  We hope to see you there!

-Blue Jean Ball 2010 Photo Gallery-

A Heartfelt Thank You to Our Heart & Soul Blue Jean Ball Sponsors:

“Gold Record” Event Sponsor

Harvard Pilgrim HealthCare

“Good for the Soul” Cuisine Sponsor

Needham Bank

“Jazz it Up” Reception Sponsor

East Coast Benefit Plans, Inc.

“Win or Blues” Auction Sponsor

Stephen and Ronna Miller

WTF Consulting

“In the Groove” Program Sponsor

W.B. Mason

Supporting Sponsors

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts

Dedham Institution for Savings

Michael and Linda Frieze

Hub International

Riverside Annual Report Highlights Year of Growth

Riverside's Annual Report for FY10 has just been released, highlighting a year of extraordinary growth and success.  For more information on Riverside services and how Riverside played a role in some of the year's most compelling news stories, please click here to view Riversides Annual Report.

“Fore” a Good Cause:

Bulfinch Group Golf Tournament Supports Riverside

On a gorgeous June day, 113 golfers took to the links at the renowned Golf Club of Cape Cod for the 3rd Annual Bulfinch Group Charity Tournament.  The tournament raised $6,000 to support Riverside’s youth suicide prevention and anti-bullying efforts.

The Bulfinch Group, a financial services firm headquartered in Needham, has provided support to Riverside in a number of ways over the past few years – donating holiday gifts for people in need through our “Light up the Holidays” program and providing sponsorship for last summer’s “Strike out Teen Suicide Brunch.”

“The Bulfinch Group is proud to support Riverside Community Care, a vital nonprofit organization located right here in our community.” explains Seth Medalie, President of The Bulfinch Group.  

The Bulfinch Group is particularly interested in issues affecting area youth, such as bullying and teen suicide, and Jim McCauley, Director of Riverside’s Youth and Family Services, was on hand at the tournament to describe the services we offer local families.

Riverside Community Care is grateful to have community partners like The Bulfinch Group and applaud their commitment to raising awareness about important issues in the community.

Riverside Trauma Center Awarded FEMA Grant:

Helping Massachusetts Communities Overcome Natural Disasters

For many communities in the Commonwealth, record-breaking rainfall in New England this spring led to dangerous levels of flooding.  The damage to homes and businesses has already resulted in over 30,000 claims filed by Massachusetts residents for assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

We are pleased to announce that, in recognizing the psychological impact of these types of widespread disasters, FEMA, in conjunction with the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health (DMH), has given the Riverside Trauma Center a $241,000 grant to assist those affected by the flooding.  The 9-month grant, part of a program known as “Mass Support,” will enable the Trauma Center to assist communities and individuals in Essex, Norfolk and Worcester counties.  Trauma Center staff will be reaching out to people directly affected and providing training to help communities better react to and manage stressful situations.

At Riverside, we are proud to be helping cities in towns in Massachusetts “weather” the effects of this natural disaster.  We are also grateful for the confidence in our trauma response services shown by FEMA and DMH in awarding this grant.

-click here to view video-

Riverside Guidance Center Program

Tapped to Coordinate Domestic Violence Prevention Grant

We have all been horrified by evening news stories of women killed by their abusers.  As part of a national effort to address these grim statistics, Riverside is delighted to announce that the Guidance Center’s Children with Voices: A Child Witness to Violence Program has been selected to coordinate services for a $380,000 federal grant from the Department of Justice’s Office of Violence Against Women. The grant will be administered through the City of Cambridge’s Police Department.  The goal of the program is to reduce and prevent domestic violence homicides and hold offenders accountable by refining and tightening existing relationships between police, courts, and community providers in the communities of Cambridge, Arlington, and Belmont.  

Children with Voices: A Child Witness to Violence Program is one of the Guidance Center services that became part of Riverside with the recent merger of our two organizations.  The program focuses on enhancing and facilitating services for child witnesses of domestic violence and their caretakers. 

As coordinator for the grant, the program is charged with putting together a Domestic Violence High Risk Assessment and Response Team made up of representatives from all three police departments, the courts, community shelters, batterer intervention programs and other community providers.  The Team will identify high risk cases of domestic violence, coordinate protective services, and provide training to all of the police officers in three communities involved.

At a press conference to announce the program, Gerry Leone, Middlesex District Attorney, explained, “We know that combating domestic violence requires a comprehensive approach and that means coming together like we have today, working on the front end to prevent tragedies before they occur.  Dr. Ilana Amrani-Cohen, Director of Children with Voices, added, “We are fortunate to work with community partners who embrace cutting-edge interventions and innovative practices which bring safety and security to families.”

Riverside is proud to be part of this important effort.

Good Fun for a Good Cause:

Concert Raises 15K to Support Children's Services

Eyes bright with wonder and the sounds of laughter filled the Creative Movement and Arts Center in Needham when 250 children and adults came together on April 30 for a performance of the amazing “Airborne Comedians” who wowed the crowd with their high energy juggling antics.  The event, which was a fundraiser for Riverside’s Early Intervention program in Needham, attracted a sell-out crowd of families who feasted on organic pizza, drinks and delicious nut-free, lactose-free cupcakes donated by Stone Hearth Pizza, Whole Foods Market, and Stix desserts.

More than $15,000 was raised to support Early Intervention services that help infants and toddlers with delays in their development reach their highest potential.  We want to thank our sponsors:  Camp Micah, Jordan’s Furniture, Second Time Around, Johnny’s Restaurant, Roche Bros., and Amerasport.  A special thank you to the Creative Movement and Arts Center for the donation of space and to the event planning committee of Jodi Sokoloff, Elizabeth Navisky, Stephanie Albertson, and Dana Elisofon.

Riverside Tapped to Provide Mentoring and In-home Therapy Services

Riverside has been selected as one of the human service organizations that will provide Therapeutic Mentoring and In-home Therapy Services to children and families in the Cambridge/Somerville, Central Massachusetts, and Metro Boston areas.  Funded through the Child Behavioral Health Initiative, these new services will be available to eligible youth under the age of 21 who are covered by MassHealth and their families.  They represent the latest phase in the Commonwealth’s efforts to improve access to community resources for youth with mental health issues.

Therapeutic Mentoring is designed to help youth develop specific independent life skills as part of an overall treatment plan.  For example, a mentor working with a teenager eager to find an after school job, but with a phobia about taking public transportation, might help them map out the bus route to the mall and ride with them a few times until they become comfortable with the journey.  Or, a mentor might help a young girl, paralyzed with anxiety around making decisions, learn how to evaluate her options in order to register for college classes.

The goal of In-home Therapy is to maintain youth in the community, rather than in a hospital or residential program, by offering short-term intensive counseling in the home.  The clinical team will work to stabilize the current situation and, if necessary, provide follow-up or referrals to other services.

Riverside is already providing services as part of the Child Behavioral Health Initiative through our two Community Service Agencies and Emergency Service Programs.