Greater Lowell Community Foundation Elects Three to Board of Directors

The Greater Lowell Community Foundation recently announced the election of three new board members at its Annual Meeting. Pictured, from left, GLCF President and CEO Jay Linnehan, Eric P. Healy of Groton, former U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas with GLCF Board Chair Chet Szablak. (Ben James, not pictured)

 

Lowell, MA – At the Greater Lowell Community Foundation Annual Meeting on June 13th at the UMASS Lowell Inn & Conference Center, the Board of Directors approved the election of three local business and community leaders to the board. These newly elected directors represent marketing, finance and the public sector. The new board members will each serve a three-year term.

Joining the board of directors are:

  • Eric P. Healy, CEO, NorthOut, Groton
    Eric is a seasoned sales, marketing, strategy and business executive working with leading consumer brands at worldwide advertising, digital marketing and technology organizations. He has a proven history in assembling and leading cohesive teams, driving new business, forging C-level relationships, codifying new products and service offerings, delivering innovative multi-channel solutions, positioning organizations for future success and delivering results.In the process, Healy has pioneered new businesses, new business models, new technologies, and new markets. He has served as an “entrepreneurial spirit” starting up, turning around, acquiring business units, positioning organizations for future success and delivering high-impact results for shareholders, customers and employees.
  • Ben James, CFO, SchoolCNXT, Concord
    Successful finance and investment executive with 25 years of investment, management and consulting experience working with senior executives in companies to grow their businesses and build their values. Core competencies include private equity/principal investing, financial management, executive management, strategic planning, business plan development, fund raising, budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, investor relations, management of legal and accounting functions through service providers and various other finance functions to drive company value.As start-up CFO and consultant, James built and managed all financial, strategic planning, legal and accounting functions within a lean, dynamic, entrepreneurial environment.
  • Niki Tsongas, Former U.S. Representative, Lowell
    Nicola (Niki) Dickson Sauvage Tsongas served as a U.S. Representative for Massachusetts’s 3rd congressional district as a Democrat from 2013 to 2018. She was previously the representative for Massachusetts’ 5th congressional district as a Democrat from 2007 to 2012.Prior to her election to the House, Tsongas worked as the Dean of External Affairs at Middlesex Community College, as a Board Member of Fallon Health and on the Lowell Civic Stadium and Arena Commission, which oversees several sites, including the Tsongas Arena.

GLCF President and CEO Jay Linnehan said: “I am pleased that such prominent community leaders have accepted to serve on our board of directors. Eric Healy, Ben James, and Niki Tsongas bring with them a wealth of experience and backgrounds. Their voices will be a tremendous addition to our board as we look to grow the Foundation.”

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GLCF Annual Meeting Highlights Homelessness in the Community and Impact of Philanthropy

The Greater Lowell Community Foundation recently hosted its Annual Meeting: Homelessness and Hope. Pictured, from left, GLCF Board Chair Chet Szablak, City of Lowell City Manager Eileen Donoghue, Barbara Poppe, event keynote and nationally recognized expert on homelessness with GLCF President and CEO Jay Linnehan.

 

Lowell, MA – Nearly 200 residents, business leaders, and nonprofit professionals attended the Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF)’s 2019 annual meeting “Homelessness and Hope” on June 13th at the UMASS Lowell Inn & Conference Center.

GLCF Board Chair Chet Szablak opened the event speaking about the impact of charitable giving on the local level – citing the Foundation’s $1.95 million in grants and scholarships distributed to the community in 2018.

The meeting continued with remarks from GLCF President and CEO Jay Linnehan, as he discussed the power of partnerships to address the growing issue of homelessness in downtown Lowell. “Last June, the GLCF board voted to support and facilitate an initiative to address homelessness in the downtown. Since then, the Foundation, under the adept leadership of the City Manager Eileen Donoghue and the City of Lowell, along with CTI, the Lowell Plan and SMOC (South Middlesex Opportunity Council) regularly meet as the leadership team charged with the important task of creating an action plan to address this critical issue.”

Linnehan also highlighted the growth of the Foundation which current assets total $38.6 million. “The Greater Lowell Community Foundation is a public foundation. It is your community foundation. We are here to facilitate philanthropy at the local level where we can add significant value and impact. As I look back over this past year, I am very proud of what we accomplished together – preserving wealth in the community for the community. As I look ahead, I am heartened because the best is yet to come,” Linnehan said.

Barbara Poppe, the founder of Barbara Poppe and Associates and the former executive director of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness gave the keynote address. Introduced by Eileen Donoghue, City Manager, City of Lowell, Ms. Poppe, a nationally recognized expert on homelessness and results-driven public-private partnerships was hopeful about solving homelessness in the downtown Lowell. “You’ve got many of the ingredients. You just got to put it together in an appropriate way,” she said. “The reality is you can solve homelessness, you just have to get yourself organized to do that.”

Additionally, the event showcased six recipients of the 2019 Help Alleviate Hunger and Homelessness in Massachusetts grant and their important work in the community: House of Hope, Life Connection Center, Lowell Transitional Living Center, Mill City Grows, New England Dairy & Food Council and The Open Pantry of Greater Lowell. This generous one-time capital grant was made possible from an anonymous donor that partnered with the GLCF to distribute $90,000 in grants awarded to 11 area nonprofit organizations that are battling hunger and homelessness in the community.

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About Greater Lowell Community Foundation
The Greater Lowell Community Foundation is a philanthropic organization comprised of over 350 funds, currently totaling over $38MM, which is dedicated to improving the quality of life in 20 neighboring cities and towns. The Community Foundation annually awards grants and scholarships to hundreds of worthy nonprofits and students, and is powered by the winning combination of donor-directed giving, personal attention from its staff, and an in-depth understanding of local needs. The generosity of our donors has enabled the Community Foundation to award over $15 million to the Greater Lowell Community since 1999. For more information on the Greater Lowell Community Foundation please visit www.glcfoundation.org.

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NETSCOUT Awards Fifth Grant to Merrimack Valley Food Bank in Partnership with Greater Lowell Community Foundation

The Merrimack Valley Food Bank in Lowell received a recent $10,000 grant from NETSCOUT’s Heart of Giving community program through the Greater Lowell Community Foundation. From l to r: NETSCOUT’s Mike Worthington of Wilmington and Brian Muise of Westford, MVFB’s Kelly Proulx, NETSCOUT’s Susan Tu of Westford, MVFB’s Tammie Dubois, , NETSCOUT’s Kim Hampson of Shirley, Jeannette Blanchette of Westford and Maribel Lopez of Malden with GLCF President and CEO Jay Linnehan.

LOWELL, Mass. – The Greater Lowell Community Foundation, a philanthropic organization comprised of over 350 funds, currently totaling over $37MM, dedicated to improving the quality of life in 20 neighboring cities and towns, today announced that NETSCOUT, a leading provider of service assurance, security, and business analytics, has awarded its Heart of Giving community program’s fifth grant through the Greater Lowell Community Foundation Center for Business Philanthropy. The annual grant program builds relationships with nonprofit organizations and engages employees in learning about service opportunities in the communities of Greater Lowell, Massachusetts. This grant was awarded to Merrimack Valley Food Bank to support their mobile food pantry that serves elderly and disabled clients in the area.

“We are proud to be in the 5th year of the NETSCOUT Heart of Giving Community Grant at the Greater Lowell Community Foundation. The mission of the Foundation is to connect philanthropic businesses and individuals to the needs of their communities,” said Jay Linnehan, president and CEO, Greater Lowell Community Foundation. “Giving back to the community in which it operates amplifies a company’s greater purpose and NETSCOUT demonstrates a tangible commitment to supporting important local causes.”

“With corporate philanthropy at the heart of the culture at NETSCOUT, we strive to grow our local community presence, leverage our technology resources and encourage our talented employees to actively serve our communities through our Heart of Giving program,” said Michael Szabados, chief operating officer at NETSCOUT. “Our employees selected Merrimack Valley Food Bank as this year’s grant recipient to support their mobile food pantry that provides home delivery of nutritious foods for low income, homebound elderly and disabled individuals. We look forward to participating in various service opportunities over the coming year.”

Merrimack Valley Food Bank executive director Amy Pessia said, “With the generous NETSCOUT Heart of Giving Grant, the Merrimack Valley Food Bank Mobile Pantry will be able to provide 12,960 meals to homebound seniors in greater Lowell.  Only through collaborative efforts can we improve the health and well-being of our vulnerable neighbors.  We are honored to partner with the team at NETSCOUT.”

The Grant Process
From reading a grant proposal to learning about the organizations in the community and filtering through the worthy applications in order to select the finalists, and participating in onsite work sessions with the Greater Lowell Community Foundation, employees have the opportunity to learn how nonprofits are addressing important issues in the community. From 10 grant submissions, three finalists were selected and invited to NETSCOUT corporate headquarters to share how their organizations would best serve the community, how they would use the grant funds, and their ideas for employee community service projects. The presentations were recorded for employees in NETSCOUT’s local office in Westford. The grant was awarded by NETSCOUT employees to Merrimack Valley Food Bank, to support their mobile pantry that serves elderly and disabled clients in the area and partnering with NETSCOUT employees on other service projects.

The NETSCOUT Heart of Giving corporate philanthropy program includes disaster relief, community service projects, nonprofit board service, employee matching gifts and corporate charitable contributions.

About Merrimack Valley Food Bank
The Merrimack Valley Food Bank Mobile Pantry in Lowell, Mass. is a community-based health and nutrition service program that offers home delivery of nutritious foods specifically tailored to meet the health and dietary requirements of low income, homebound elderly and disabled individuals. The program is not a shopping service but rather helps to reduce the recipient’s monthly grocery expenses. The program focuses on creating a better quality of life for each client by reinforcing healthy eating habits and encouraging clients to remain socially active, despite their disability. Proper nutrition is essential to good health and successful aging that enhances the quality of life for older adults.

About NETSCOUT
NETSCOUT SYSTEMS, INC. (NASDAQ: NTCT) assures digital business services against disruptions in availability, performance, and security. Our market and technology leadership stems from combining our patented smart data technology with smart analytics. We provide real-time, pervasive visibility, and insights customers need to accelerate and secure their digital transformation. Our approach transforms the way organizations plan, deliver, integrate, test, and deploy services and applications. Our nGenius service assurance solutions provide real-time, contextual analysis of service, network, and application performance. Arbor security solutions help protect against DDoS attacks that threaten availability and advanced threats that infiltrate networks to steal critical business assets. To learn more about improving service, network, and application performance in physical or virtual data centers, or in the cloud, and how NETSCOUT’s performance and security solutions, powered by service intelligence can help you move forward with confidence, visit http://www.netscout.com or follow @NETSCOUT and @ArborNetworks on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

About Greater Lowell Community Foundation
The Greater Lowell Community Foundation is a philanthropic organization comprised of over 350 funds, currently totaling over $37MM, which is dedicated to improving the quality of life in 20 neighboring cities and towns. The Community Foundation annually awards grants and scholarships to hundreds of worthy nonprofits and students, and is powered by the winning combination of donor-directed giving, personal attention from its staff, and an in-depth understanding of local needs. The generosity of our donors has enabled the Community Foundation to award over $15 million to the Greater Lowell Community since 1999. For more information on the Greater Lowell Community Foundation please visit www.glcfoundation.org.

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GLCF Cobblestones – Plath Family Culinary Arts Scholarship Fund

 

 

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This scholarship is awarded to two students who wish to pursue study in the culinary arts or food and beverage management at a two- or four-year college or institute of culinary arts. Candidates must be in good academic standing, demonstrate personal character and have work or internship experience in the food and beverage or hospitality industry.

Nashoba Valley Healthcare Fund Awards 18 Grants to Local Nonprofits to Improve Health

Gaining Ground of Concord received a recent $5,000 grant from the Nashoba Valley Healthcare Fund for their Growing Fresh Produce for Hunger Relief with Community Volunteers program.

 

The Greater Lowell Community Foundation and the Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts awarded $176,881 in grants to 18 local nonprofits, from the Nashoba Valley Community Healthcare Fund, to help improve the health of residents in area communities.

Priority was given to proposals pertaining to prevention of health problems, access to healthcare, elder health, youth and adolescent health, mental health and health care service provision. Recipients of the grants were selected by the Nashoba Valley Community Healthcare Fund Advisory Committee, comprised of local leaders in business, health care and education.

“These are impactful grants for our community and we greatly appreciate the hard work and diligence of the volunteer grant committee in prioritizing the needs,” said Jay Linnehan, President and CEO of the Greater Lowell Community Foundation.

“With each year that we continue to support impactful grants through this fund, the communities served are made stronger, healthier and more vibrant.  The vision for the creation of this fund is being realized through targeted, outcome driven grants.” said Phil Grzewinski, president of the Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts.

2018 Grant Recipients

  • Townsend Fire-EMS Department for Advanced Life Support Training Manikin – $14,993
  • Lunenburg Council on Aging for Eagle House Memory Café – $5,000
  • Community Teamwork in Lowell for Bone Builders Program – $10,000
  • Gaining Ground in Concord for Growing Fresh Produce for Hunger Relief with Community Volunteers – $5,000
  • Ashby Fire Dept. for Rad-57 with SPCO adult and pediatric monitor – $5,595
  • MAB Community Services, Inc. in Brookline for Nashoba Valley Vision Rehabilitation Program for Elders – $6,000
  • Montachusett Home Care Corporation in Leominster for Expanding the Medical Escort/Companion Program – $5,000
  • Our Father’s House in Fitchburg for Ensuring Health Wellness in Homeless Children – $16,000
  • Advocates, Inc. in Framingham for Advocates Community Counseling in Harvard – $10,000
  • Eliot Community Human Services in Lexington for The NAN Project – $15,000
  • Clear Path for Veterans New England in Devens for Veteran Wellness and Self-Care Training Program – $15,000
  • Habitat for Humanity of Greater Lowell, Inc. for Critical Home Repairs for Westford Elders – $10,000
  • 15-40 Connection in Westborough for 3 Steps Detect 2019 – Improving cancer survival rates in Nashoba Valley – $15,000
  • Virginia Thurston Healing Garden in Harvard for Clinical Cancer Support Programs and Services for NV Residents – $20,000
  • Boys & Girls Club of Lunenburg for Triple Play: Healthy Minds, Bodies, and Souls – $7,500
  • Montachusett Interfaith Hospitality Network, Inc. in Leominster for MIHN family shelter – $8,000
  • Seven Hills Family Services in Groton for WhisperGlide Swing for People with Disabilities – $6,663
  • Pepperell Council on Aging for Cycles for Seniors – $2,130

The Nashoba Valley Community Healthcare Fund provides annual distributions to nonprofit organizations, municipalities, and other agencies to advance the health of residents in 13 communities: Ashby, Ayer, Bolton, Dunstable, Groton, Harvard, Lancaster, Littleton, Lunenburg, Pepperell, Shirley, Townsend and Westford.

Community Teamwork Inc. in Greater Lowell received a recent $10,000 grant from the Nashoba Valley Healthcare Fund for their Bone Builders Program, shown here are active adults from a recent program held at the Chelmsford Senior Center.

 

2017 Annual Report


GLFC 2017 Annual Report

Tom Leggat Opportunities Fellowship Award for Youth

The Trustees of the Theodore Edson Parker Foundation established a fellowship award at the Greater Lowell Community Foundation in honor of former Trustee Tom Leggat. In recognition of Tom’s interest in the advancement of youth and his dedication to the betterment of Lowell, an award of up to $5,000 will be granted to at least one young promising Lowellian.

Examples of the kind of opportunities the Trustees have in mind are a post graduate year at an independent school, challenging outdoors and wilderness programs, college-level summer school, overseas travel and homestay programs, year-long internships that have obvious enrichment potential, and foreign language acquisition and study courses. The Leggat award may not be used for the purpose of conventional college scholarships.

Past fellowships have included a summer music program at Berkley College of Music, travel to Cambodia to study traditional dance, an intensive language program in China and a relief effort to a refugee camp in Nepal.

The Nomination Process for 2019 is CLOSED. Please check back in SPRING 2020.