This week, more than 100 guests – many of whom supported REACH’s recent campaign to renovate and move into new office space – joined us for an open house to see the fruits of their generosity. Catering was provided by Moody’s Delicatessen, and the whole evening was made possible by a generous member of REACH’s Board of Directors. REACH staff conducted tours of the space which allowed attendees to see the full extent of the work REACH does – from prevention, to fundraising and communications, to hosting support groups, art therapy for children, meeting spaces for community partners to come together, childcare, and of course advocacy. Almost every guest told us as they were leaving that they learned something new about REACH’s work.
Executive Director Laura Van Zandt said, “When survivors of domestic violence take a step toward envisioning a future beyond domestic violence, they face a vast unknown – a frightening, dangerous, possibly impoverished unknown. Taking that step can be full of ambivalence, sadness, and fear so when they open the door to that uncertain future, we want the message to be clear: You are worth it. You deserve this.”
REACH also unveiled the temporary installation of our new donor wall last night, which features the names of donors who gave toward the move effort. Significant grants from Robert Kraft and the New England Patriots Charitable Foundation, Jane’s Trust, and the Cummings Foundation along with numerous individual donors made it possible for us to renovate, furnish, and move into this space. You can read more about the process that went into the design of the new space in REACH’s blog posts chronicling the process here, here, here, here, and here.
