Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
It's Nightside with Dan Ray. I'm telling you easy. Boston
News Radio.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Welcome back everyone. We are about to begin the twelfth
annual Knightside Charity Combine. We've done it now for this
is our twelfth year, and we start off as always,
We're going to talk about representatives of about twenty great charities.
Sit back, relax, no phone calls, But as we have
for many, many years, going to start off with the
official charity of Nightside, and that is the Shadow Fund.
(00:29):
With us is the assistant dean at the Massachusetts School
of Lord, Diane Sullivan, who founded the Shadow Fund. Diane,
it's going to be getting close to twenty years that
you've been doing this.
Speaker 3 (00:38):
It is, Yes, it's a good solid eighteen years.
Speaker 1 (00:41):
Dan.
Speaker 2 (00:42):
Wow. How many people has the Shadow Fund helped during
that period of time?
Speaker 3 (00:48):
And I wish I could give you a number. I cannot.
We have helped thousands, I would say at this point,
until we get several calls a day and we're you know,
we're inundated with requests. There used to be a few
other charities besides us that help the animals, but were
the sole standing charity at this point, so we're pretty busy.
Speaker 2 (01:10):
So you help people who need you just don't do
veterinary care for people, but if somebody really qualifies and
it needs to help financially people who do not have
enough money to help take care of their pets or
get them to a vet. It's you know, I've told
you before that there are people who are successful, you know,
(01:32):
people who will call and inquire, inquire of me and saying, oh,
I understand you guys. Support a charity called the Shuttle
Funded gets free veterinary care for people. I said, where
do you live Weston and what he won? A lawyer
in Boston like you, Oh, really, Oh it's great, it's great. No, no, no, no,
this is people who need the help. You have a
coterie of veterinarians who do a lot of this work
(01:55):
for you at in some cases the cost that they need.
You do everything from literally helping someone get a critical
shot for an animal that they might not be able
to afford, to actually sometimes surgery. There's a lot of factors.
How can people get in touch with you directly if
they really truly do need help? And please, folks, if you,
(02:17):
if you're comfortable, make a contribution to the Shadow find Okay,
how can they get in touch with you.
Speaker 3 (02:23):
Simply either call me or email me. Diane Sullivan the
Math School of Lawn eight dixtate one zero eight hundred.
I'll repeat that nine seven eight dixtate one zero eight hundred,
or you can email me. You can go to the
Math School of Law's website and I'm listed there, or
(02:46):
you can simply email me at Diane da n E. F.
Sullivan at mslaw dot edu.
Speaker 2 (02:55):
And of course people also can go to the website
which is Shadow fundne dot org. N E stands for
New England. There is a shadow fund in California which
is unrelated. This one is named after the first dog
that you were able to help many many years ago.
Speaker 3 (03:11):
Uh yeah, that's right, Ida.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Wonderful cause, a wonderful organization. I just again thank you
for the I call you saint Diane.
Speaker 3 (03:20):
Okay, oh well that's not true.
Speaker 2 (03:25):
Let me tell you if you're not a saint, no
one is. In terms of the I'm serious Shadow Fund
inne dot org. I encourage everyone jot it down. A
five dollar contribution to a five thousand dollar contribution, whatever
you could afford. It's helping some person who needs to
get veterinary care for their pet. Diane, thank you for
(03:47):
what you do. Please say had to all our friends
at the Massachusetts School of Law and we'll talk sooner.
Speaker 3 (03:51):
Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you, Dan, and thanks
for everything you do to support the Shadow Fund and
your listeners the same. Thank some of them. Ganet Forms
being one who have been long term supporters.
Speaker 4 (04:05):
I thank you.
Speaker 2 (04:07):
She's an unbelievable human being as well. She's a saint
as well. Thanks, Diane, appreciate it.
Speaker 5 (04:12):
Okay, Danny Holiday, Merry Christmas.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
All right, We're going to take our next charity is
one that's also very close to my heart, and that
is the Mark Fidrick Foundation. Everybody I think who's a
sports fan remembers Mark Fidrich, the picture for the Tigers,
who actually in nineteen seventy six was the talk of
(04:37):
the baseball world. Local guy here from central Massachusetts died
very young in an accident, but his wife Anne is
with us and he has carried on his cause the
Mark Findrich Fidrick Foundation and Fidricks tell us what the
Mark Fidrich Foundation continues to do for young people related
(04:58):
to sports.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
So we provide grants to a number of programs that
provide sports related activities for individuals with special needs. And
it could be a child or an adult. It could
be a physical disability or intellectual disability. We take all
(05:21):
comers and some of the programs that we support our
unified sports which go on at middle schools, high schools,
and now even in the elementary grades. That's under the
umbrella of Special Olympics. We also support Special Olympics, do
(05:42):
some water ski collectives in Webster that does a great
programming with some disabled children. It's just amazing to see
the smiles and for these individuals to have the opportunity
to participate in sports where they may not have had
(06:05):
that opportunity.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
Well, you know me, and I'm sure that Mark is
looking down at us and so appreciates the work that
you've done in his memory. How many years have you
been providing help to so many of these organizations that
either reach out to you or you've reached out to.
Speaker 4 (06:27):
So it's thirteen years that we've been, you know, raising
funds and then distributing funds annually to a variety of
organizations that as I mentioned, So, yeah, it's been. And
my daughter is really the brainchild behind all of this.
She says mommy. We get to keep things going that
(06:50):
Daddy used to do. So yeah, we get ourselves together
and we're doing it well.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
We all loved his spirit, and his spirit lives today
through the through the Mark Fiedrich Foundation, and through your
efforts and the efforts of your family. How can some
of my baseball fans maybe make a contribution to help
you help other people? What's what's the website?
Speaker 4 (07:16):
So Mark Fiedridgefoundation dot com gives a donate tab on
that page. You could go through PayPal or you if
you prefer to write a check. The address is also
listed there.
Speaker 2 (07:29):
And Fidridge, which is not an easy name to spell,
is f I d y r h am I.
Speaker 4 (07:35):
Correct, Uh, we mix up on the vowel, so f
I d yep r y h r y ch Okay.
Speaker 2 (07:45):
Well, thank you very much for that. But I think
any baseball fan can look up Mark Fiedrich uh and
the impact that he had on on Major League baseball
as a as a young guy from central Massachusetts, and
he continues to have an impact of positive impact. And
thank you so much for what you do, and thank
you for participating in with us this year of the
(08:05):
Nightside Charity combine.
Speaker 4 (08:07):
Dan, I can't thank you enough for your help and
I wish you all the best.
Speaker 6 (08:11):
Merry Christmas.
Speaker 2 (08:13):
Merry Christmas to you as well. Thanks so much. All Right,
we are going to take a very quick break here,
and when we get back, we're going to be talking
about helping men and women in uniform adopt a platoon's
southea style. We're coming right back on Nightside.
Speaker 1 (08:32):
Now, back to Dan ray Line from the Window World
Nightside Studios on w b Z the news Radio.
Speaker 2 (08:40):
Next up, Kelly coin Conroy. I met Kelly coin Conroy
on several occasions and she is the proud mom of
a West Point graduate who soon be a captain in
the US Army. He has been deployed and was when
his unit was deployed. Kelly coin Conroy come up with
the idea of adopted platoon selfie style. Kelly coin you
(09:03):
got to explain that one to people who might not
be familiar with adoptor plun platoon sealthie style. Welcome.
Speaker 7 (09:09):
Thank you, Dan for giving me this platform to talk
about something that I feel passionate about. In about twenty
twenty one, I hooked up with a group from Fort Drum,
New York, and got a list of some soldiers that
needed packages. And then once they gave me the list,
I realized it was kind of a daunting task because
they had so many names and that was only one person.
(09:32):
So I just reached out to my community and everybody
just came together and started to send me money, send
me different things to go inside the boxes and grind
all the bars and snacks and different items for them,
cards and letters, and it's just grown and grown. And
I'm lucky enough to say that in these few years,
(09:53):
we've sent over a thousand packages to deployed soldiers to
ten different countries. We've had several different platoons, and we've
been lucky enough to be able to follow them from
the beginning of their deployment until they return home.
Speaker 2 (10:08):
But the thing that's interesting is that you continue this
beyond your son. At that time, he was a lieutenant
soon to be a captain, a lieutenant Conroy's deployment. So
what kept you doing this even after your son came
back home?
Speaker 7 (10:27):
Just so rewarding.
Speaker 3 (10:28):
You know, every once in a while, we'll hear from
different members of the platoon. They'll send us a note
or thank you, they'll send us some cards. There are
some of those there, I call them kids. Them A
lot of them are just like eighteen to twenty one
years old.
Speaker 7 (10:42):
They don't have a whole lot of people in their lives.
They can sometimes come from, you know, tough situations. So
they get a box from me in a note or
a pod or a birthday card, and it just lifts
their spirits. And we just want to make everybody, you know,
feel a little better, you know, boost them around. We
all go back to the statistics of twenty two a day,
(11:05):
and you just hope that maybe as they realize that
there's somebody out there that cares and that's thinking about them,
it will help them get through the days they missed,
the times they missed from their families, the holidays they
give up a lot.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
And the reference to twenty two a day. As you
and I both know the number of suicides that occur
for veterans in this country every day twenty to a day,
which is that's too much. So how can folks I
join your cause and help out in many forms and fashions.
What's the website?
Speaker 7 (11:39):
The website is adoptor Platoon.
Speaker 3 (11:41):
Sealthistyle dot com and on there is pretty much everything
we do.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
And you also have a great website. By the way,
everybody should visit the website just to see the amount
of activity. It's adopt a Platoon, Selthistyle dot com, Kelly Coincnray.
I'll tell you're a gift to this nation. Your son
is a gift to the nation as well, but you
are very much a gift to the nation. Thank you
for what you do and thanks for joining us tonight.
Speaker 7 (12:07):
As always, thank you so much.
Speaker 4 (12:09):
I appreciate this opportunity.
Speaker 2 (12:11):
You bet you we'll talk so Merry Christmas. We are
now going to talk with Jennifer de Luca, who's with
the group that maybe you're aware of called the Fisher
House Boston. There are fisher Houses across the country, but
this is fish the Fisher House Boston. Jennifer, welcome tonight's side.
How are you.
Speaker 8 (12:32):
I'm very good, Dan, thank you so much for letting
me come on and talk about Fisher House Boston.
Speaker 2 (12:38):
I'm sure a lot of people have some idea about
Fisher House, but let's nail it down exactly. What is
Fisher House, how long has it been around and what
do you try to accomplish.
Speaker 8 (12:51):
So Fisher House Boston is unique to most other Fisher Houses,
other Fisher Houses on VA properties and take care of
veterans there and how to the families. We recognized a
gap in care ten years ago for military families that
(13:14):
needed specialized treatment at our world renown Boston medical centers.
So we started the Fisher House Boston serving all of
our world renown Boston hospitals by providing lodging for military
families that need to come to Boston from all fifty
(13:35):
states to receive treatment from Children's Hospital Dana Farber, Mass
General Brigman Women's all of them, and it's free of charge,
because we believe they've already paid the price when they
raised their hands and said they'd served this country.
Speaker 2 (13:53):
How many families do you accommodate in some form of
fashion every year?
Speaker 5 (14:00):
Oh?
Speaker 6 (14:00):
Boy, so I'll tell you.
Speaker 8 (14:02):
As of November one this year, we've provided sixty two
hundred nights of lodging to over eleven hundred families, saving
them two point five million dollars. And in the ten
years since starting the program, we've provided twenty six thousand
(14:26):
nights of lodging to over four thousand families, saving them
nine point five million.
Speaker 2 (14:34):
Unbelievable unbelievable, Jennifer, how can people? Do you need volunteers?
Do you need financial support? What? What do you are
you in most need of?
Speaker 8 (14:46):
We need financial support. We run solely on donations. We
receive no government funding or state funding. It is truly
our communities. And you know, Dan, I say all the time,
the best healthcare in the world means nothing if you
can't access it. So we provide that access with the
(15:08):
help of people like your listeners. So I would ask
everyone to visit Fisherhouse Boston dot org and Fisher is
spelled Fisher House, Boston dot org. And again all the
(15:30):
information is there.
Speaker 2 (15:32):
Oh that's perfect, Jennifer, A great explanation. Thanks for breaking
it down for us, a very impressive set of statistics.
And hopefully some folks might take the opportunity in the
next few days to visit your website and maybe help
out a little bit, because it is a great cause
that you folks have espoused for so many years, and
(15:52):
I thank you so much on behalf of all the
veterans in their families that you've helped for all that
you've done for them, and hopefully my my audience, well,
maybe write a few checks in your direction. Thank you
so much. Merry Christmas.
Speaker 8 (16:06):
Okay, thanks Jam, thank you, same to you. Thank you,
You're very welcome.
Speaker 2 (16:11):
We've got to break here. Goodbye, goodbye, Jennifer. We'll talk again.
We come back on a talk about Handy Capable Fitness,
feeling fit. I have a very interesting guest. We'll also
talk to. Well, we have another an hour and a
half of great charities to talk to. We've started off strong,
we'll continue. We'll be back right after the news break
(16:33):
at the bottom of the hour.
Speaker 1 (16:35):
It's night Side with Boston's News Radio.
Speaker 2 (16:41):
Back on Nightside, our twelfth annual Nightside charity Combine, and
we're delighted to welcome back James Norris. He's the founder
and president of the Handy Capable Fitness Incorporated. It's a
five all one C three organization headquartered in Malden, Massachusetts. James,
welcome back to Nightside.
Speaker 5 (16:59):
How are you, hey, Dan, Thank you so much for me.
I really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
So tell us briefly what your organization does. And then
one of the things that you've done is you have
written three books for children to help them better understand
other children who might have a physical impediment and show
that really people can accomplish a great deal whatever some
(17:27):
of those physical impediments might suggest.
Speaker 5 (17:30):
Otherwise, that's correct. So Handicapable Finish started to kind of
out on my own Finnish journey, and what I wanted
people to realize is that despite having a disability, could
live a fin active lifestyle. And how we choose to
do that, or how we help people do that is
providing them grants for things that is finness, crimen, gym
(17:52):
memberships or anything that's going to help them live that
active lifestyle. So we work with anybody from veterans to
children to anybody in between.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
And the individuals that you help. Is there an age bracket?
I know you have a great focus on young children,
on children that.
Speaker 5 (18:13):
There is there is children, but we help anybody. I mean,
we've helped get veterans wheelchairs all the way in Kansas,
to teenagers you know that wanted to skateboard wheelchair so
that they could go skateboarding with their friends. We've done
everything in between. So really, if you want to get up,
(18:36):
get active, we want to help bridge the gafts to
make that happen.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
And you have written three books. Tell us about the
three books that are available. People at your website not
only can contribute, but they also can buy the books.
Tell us about the three books, that's correct.
Speaker 5 (18:54):
So so the series is called Flow four Kids sl
O and Number four Kids dot com. And what it
is is it just snapshots in my life growing up
with a disability and just showing the kids that yes,
there's things that make us different, but those things are
actually our superpowers and that with hard work and determination,
(19:17):
we can accomplish anything that we set our minds to.
Speaker 2 (19:22):
So there are actually four books you've written. I miss
mis wrote it, miss said it. It's four. It's four
books you've written in this series Feeling Accepted Coast to
Coast yep.
Speaker 5 (19:32):
So there's there's dreams that are been published. I'm working
on the fourth one.
Speaker 2 (19:39):
As all right, all right, so give us the website
how people can get in touch, either to contribute and
support or perhaps purchase books.
Speaker 5 (19:50):
Okay perfect through its handy ahn d I Capable v
A P A B O E Fitness dot com.
Speaker 2 (19:58):
Handy Capable Fitness dot com. Perfect thank you for what
you do. I know that you have dealt with a
disability that occurred when you were quite young, but you
have overcome so much, and you're an inspiration to me
and to everybody who knows you. Thanks James, I appreciate
(20:19):
it and saying my good friend. Okay, thanks you. All
right now we're gonna take you up above the Clouds.
And the organization is called Above the Clouds and with
us is Greg Bonnie Giorno. How have I done with
that pronunciation? Greg? Not bad?
Speaker 5 (20:37):
You did?
Speaker 3 (20:38):
Okay?
Speaker 7 (20:39):
Right now?
Speaker 9 (20:39):
Not back? Compared to a lot of.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
People, all right, tell us about Above the Clouds sounds
to me like a great program. You get some young
people up above the clouds.
Speaker 9 (20:50):
That's right. Well, first, thanks for having having me on
the show tonight, along with all the other great organizations
that you're promoting here. But Above the Clouds were based
nonprofit to five o' one c three based out of
norwayd Airport and started about twelve years ago husband and
wife team Gary and Martha Oberstein, and they saw a
connection of utilizing the utilizing general aviation world, which is
(21:14):
a general aviation basically individuals that have their own aircraft,
and utilizing those as tools to help bring joy and
hope through the wonder of flight, if you will, to
children and teens who have serious illness or disabilities and
or underserved facing other adversity in their life. And so
it gives these kids an experience that they may not
(21:37):
have had access to otherwise, and that's bringing them to
the airport, teaming them up with one of our volunteer
pilots that has their own aircraft, and we kind of
give them an experience during the day where they come
meet the pilot. We have volunteers on the ground and
they help facilitate anything that we might need during the
During the day, they do a walk around of the
(21:58):
aircraft and they they'll actually go for a flight and
they'll they have options to explore different areas. Sometimes we'll
fly in towards Boston and fly around the city. Other
times we'll fly down towards Jilatt Stadium and do a
circle around the stadium, or out towards Kate Crod kpe
Crod Bay, or if if they live in the area,
they can go for a flight in the area. And
(22:20):
so it's a really special exciting treat for these kids
to go for a flight. We call them dream flyers
and uh and there and there, and pilots love to
share the excitement and enjoy a flight. So it's a
real great combination for these pilots that have aircraft to
give back to the community using you know, they're very
generous with their time in their aircraft and it's it's
(22:41):
all donated to the organization. And so that's one of
the events we have called Dream Flight Days, Dream Flyer Days,
and then we also do Aviation Discovery Days and that
entails the kids, usually groups of kids. We have about
twenty different partner organizations throughout Boston that feed us kids
and we'll do events that Logo Airport get behind the
scenes and check out the aviation industry. We've tapped into
(23:05):
Cape Cod Community College down in Plymouth Airport. They have
an aircraft technician program and so they'll go down there
and it's a beautiful high tech facility at Plymouth Airport
and we'll do about a two to three hour event
down there and they'll get to explore all different aspects
of aviation.
Speaker 2 (23:22):
It sounds greg like a great program. I assume you
could still use some more volunteer pilots who might want
to take some kids up on flights. How can folks
get in touch with you either to take advantage of
the great service that you offer maybe contribute some financial
support or maybe even volunteer as a pilot. What's the
(23:42):
best website?
Speaker 9 (23:44):
Yeah, so I'll go to Above the Clouds kids dot org.
Above the Clouds we have the kids in the end
there Above the cloudskids dot org. And our website has
all the information as far as who we are, what
we do, and if you like to volunteer as a pilot,
you can sign up there. If you like to volunteer
as someone on the ground, we always need flight coordinators
and joy makers we call them. If you'd like to donate,
(24:07):
you can. There's a link on there as well to
help donate. And so we just hired a new executive director,
Ray Santos, and so he's he's taken us to new levels.
And so we're getting ourselves organized again for twenty twenty
five and looking forward to a great season of flying kids.
We're pushing all about almost a thousand kids we've flown
over the last ten years.
Speaker 2 (24:25):
Well, Greg, thanks for what you do and thanks for
listening to Nightside and joining us this year, and we'll
keep in contact this time goes on, but again a
great program. Greg Bungeiono Bongono.
Speaker 9 (24:37):
I believe thanks Dan, thank you having me. I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (24:42):
Thank you, Greg. Okay, thanks so much. All right, now
we're going to take you back to the ground and
we're going to talk about Minis with a Mission. Joining
us is Laurie Low Lurie, Welcome to Nightside.
Speaker 3 (24:54):
How are you, hi, Dan doing fantastic? How are you doing?
Speaker 6 (24:58):
Thank you so much for very well.
Speaker 2 (25:00):
Tell us tell us what what is Minis with the
Mission all about?
Speaker 5 (25:05):
Sure?
Speaker 3 (25:05):
Yeah. Mini of the Mission is an all volunteer nonprofit.
We partner with local outreach programs and charities as well
as communities to provide opportunities for all people to receive
the healing and joyful benefits of connecting with our rescued
miniature horses and donkeys.
Speaker 2 (25:29):
Mint horses and donkeys.
Speaker 5 (25:30):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (25:31):
And is there a geographic area that you serve or
do you or how far does your does your mission extend?
Speaker 1 (25:39):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (25:39):
So we are have our miniature horses and donkeys in
the Ipswich and Newberry area, So we do a lot
of our outreach with the north Shore communities. However, we
do know as far as to the Boston Schools, which
is a really exciting an impactful program because a lot
(26:00):
of the Buston school children have never seen a miniature
horse or a donkey, so those are a lot of
fun to do those.
Speaker 2 (26:07):
And what type of facilities do you, uh, do you
bring your your minige minis too? I assume a variety
of facilities we do, and we really.
Speaker 3 (26:20):
Say, honestly, any place where there's a need of joy
and healing and and that is often anywhere in the
world that we live in today. But we have a
very great partnership with Veterans Home Base. We also work
with Care Dimensions, so their programs such as their hospice
care and Camp stepping Stone. We also have worked with
(26:42):
the Denvers Recovery Center and the Recovery High School, many
councils on agings in our local communities as well as
Northeast ARC and some of the school programs and I'd
already mentioned like the Boston City school programs.
Speaker 2 (26:56):
So I assume that if folks want to avail themsel else,
they could contact you. If other folks want to help
and contribute, because obviously it costs some money to run
a great program like this, how can people get in
contact with you to either to help you or to
participate in the program. What's what's the website?
Speaker 3 (27:15):
Thank you? The website is Minis with a Mission, and
there are several ways to support us. As you had mentioned,
Generous donations do help us care for the rescued courses
and donkeys, as well as administrative cost of the nonprofit.
We love our volunteers who work passionately and tirelessly. We
are an all volunteer organization. We have volunteers of many
(27:38):
ages and different interest levels, and we find a way
to make them feel welcome. And we would love to
hear from you.
Speaker 2 (27:47):
So I assume it's Minis with a Mission? Is it
dot coma dot org, dot org, dot org? Okay, Minis
with a Mission all one word dot org glory. Thank
you very much. Thank you for what you do. I
know you bring a lot of joy to a lot
of people of all ages. Have a great Christmas and
holiday season. Okay, thank you, Laurie Ll good bye. We'll
(28:09):
take a break, coming back for two more. We'll wrap
the hour and then we will have another full hour
of ten more great charities here on our twelfth annual
Nightside Charity Combine. Coming back on Nightside right after this
short break.
Speaker 1 (28:24):
Now back to Dan Ray Live from the Window World
Nightside Studios on WBZ News Radio.
Speaker 2 (28:32):
Just a very quick correction. The website minisw a mission.
It's dot com dot org. It's Minis Withthemission dot com.
Now I want to welcome Arthur Bembery. He's with a
group called part Takers. Welcome Artha. Tell us about Partakers.
You've been around now for well twenty five years, since
nineteen ninety seven.
Speaker 10 (28:51):
Yes, Hi, good evening. Thank you so much for having us.
I appreciate the opportunities. We have it around for just
nineteen ninety seven. And we're an organized that offers educational
opportunities and rentering opportunities for people that are incarcerated and
for folks that have been impacted by incarceration post in
consceleration when they get out. We work with aranging colleges
(29:14):
in the area Tufts University, Emerson Vandeis, Boston College, and
Boston University to provide these educational opportunities. We also have
a rentering force of four hundred volunteers from the surrounding
the Boston area and the communities that are matched with
the students inside and outside when they segue back into
(29:36):
the community. Our recentive is aranged is two percent compared
with the national three year average of sixty three percent
in the local average here in Massachusetts of thirty two percent.
So we're very proud of the work that we do.
Ninety percent of the folks in our reentry program go
on to establish stable housing, eighty percent of them, if
(30:00):
I have gone on to obtain employering upon now the
release from prison.
Speaker 2 (30:06):
Those are amazing statistics, art that you should be really
proud of those. How many folks have participated in this
program over the near quarter of the century that you've
been operational now, well, actually it's more than a quarter
of a century now that I get my math right here,
go right ahead.
Speaker 10 (30:23):
Dort reminders. During that time, we've had over four hundred
preeple go through the program. Some do get out early
before they graduate with a degree and they go on
to erol in our re entry program and go on
to find other forms of employer and others go on
to continue your education through to the various colleges that
(30:44):
they've been connected with. So it's been a raging journey
and it's great to have this type of support from
the universities because that was not always the case on
the conservative side. Keeping somebody in prison can range from
a to one hundred and fifty thousand dollar fore and Massachusetts.
So our work that we do, I'm establishing a pathway
(31:06):
for folks to stay out at FRIS and it's definitely
better than us sending those resources on that.
Speaker 2 (31:11):
Okay, so you've made a very strong case. How can
my listeners help you out? Give us the website and
what do you need volunteers? Do you need support? What's
the website?
Speaker 10 (31:20):
First of all, takers dot org, ww dot parth, takers
dot org.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
And part Takers is p A R T A k
E r s like partaking.
Speaker 10 (31:33):
Exactly Partakers dot org. And our need is obviously donations
are always welcome, but what we really need is for
folks to get involved, for folks to become mentors. To
go on the website, click on it see how to
become involved at the organization because we encourage people to
join us in being agentsy change and changing the narrative
(31:56):
surrounding people that have been infected by a conceleration.
Speaker 6 (32:00):
It's a.
Speaker 2 (32:02):
All right, congratulate you, Congratulate you on what you do.
Thanks for being in touch with Nightside and we wish
you all the best in the in the in the
years to come. For everybody who goes in and does
their time, pays their price, they should be given an
opportunity to get out and get themselves straight straight and
straightened out and onto a very productive life. And you're
doing that for a lot of people.
Speaker 10 (32:22):
Thanks Arthur, Yes, and thank you for the opportunity to
just shitty. In fact, we make with your listeners.
Speaker 2 (32:28):
You're you're very welcome. All right, We're going to move
and talk with Ellen van Erin. I hope I supper
announced that name correctly. She runs a program called Companion Animals.
Speaker 1 (32:40):
Uh.
Speaker 2 (32:41):
It's basically services facilities down on Cape Cod visiting hospitals
with companion animals. Ellen, how long has your group been around?
Speaker 11 (32:52):
Well, actually I don't run the programpty and I just
want to I don't want to take credit.
Speaker 2 (32:56):
For that week, Kay, Sure, no problem.
Speaker 1 (33:00):
So how long?
Speaker 11 (33:02):
But the group spit around since nineteen eighty six. It
basically started because there was a woman who was in
a rehabit She had a dog at home that she missed,
so a group of her friends got together and they
started to go in and visit her in the hospital
with their animals, and then from there the organization grew.
We are approved by the American Kennel Club, so we
(33:26):
are an approved training group and basically we have twofold
We train owners and their dogs to become part of
a therapy team and join our organization. And then from
there we go and we visit various facilities on the Cape.
We go into Belmouth Hospital, a Cape Cod Hospital, Spaldi Rehab.
(33:49):
We have also visit the various nursing homes that are
available on the Cape and group homes and day programs
for students with disabilities. We have a children's program where
we go into elementary schools and we help students with
the literacy programs. We make one time visits when requested
(34:09):
to different libraries. We've participated in suicide prevention walks to
provide to try to provide some emotional support to the participants.
And basically what we really need is we're looking for
more people to become involved and become a therapy team
on the Cape with us and join us and have
(34:29):
us come with us to our various facilities.
Speaker 2 (34:32):
Wed my next question, which was the help that you need.
How can folks get in touch with you? You have
a pretty impressive website, I believe Companionanimalprogram dot org is
that the website.
Speaker 11 (34:45):
No, actually it's Companionanimalprogram dot com. And on that day
on the website, people can find out the different places
that we visit, can find out about our training program.
We run a six week training program just teaching the
handlers and the odds how to behave in a different facility.
(35:07):
They go through devaluation. We provide mentoring for the teams
to ensure that they're comfortable in the different facilities. And
we are actually having an open house on Friday, January
third at six point thirty at the Requoite Congregation Church.
Anybody all of that.
Speaker 2 (35:26):
I hate to do this to you, Ellen, but I'm
a little bit tight on time here. I just want
to make sure people have that website. All this information
is available at Companion Animal Program dot com. Com. Yep, perfect,
Thanks Ellen, Thank you so much. I appreciate you so much.
Speaker 11 (35:41):
Dan, we really appreciate the opportunity.
Speaker 2 (35:43):
Bybye, You're welcome. Now, I'd like to talk with a
representative of the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress, Joshua Joshua Kamirov.
Joshua tell us about the mass Down Syndrome Congress.
Speaker 6 (35:58):
Yeah, great, Thank you so much, Dan, I really appreciate
the opportunity and just hearing all the incredible, uh, you
know work that other charities are doing out there. So
the m d s C has been around for forty
years now, and you know, we really just started by
parents who you know, had young children who with with
(36:19):
Down syndrome and wanted to be able to you know,
provide support for them in their schools. And we've just
you know grown tremendously over the years and we have
all sorts of programs and you know, big thing that
that we really focus on is providing supports throughout the
entire lifespan. So we have an incredible program called Parents
(36:40):
First Call that is really like a hallmark of m
d SC that provides that has uh, you know, forty
plus parent volunteers around the state who when somebody gets
a diagnosis, whether it's prenatally or whether it's at birth,
that we're able to match them you know, very thoughtfully
(37:01):
and be able to provide and support there. But then
on the on the other end is to provide you know,
support for individuals as they age, which is you know,
really important considering that people with downstad them now are
living a heck of a lot longer than they were,
you know, several decades ago.
Speaker 2 (37:17):
How many folks over the years, how many families have
you helped?
Speaker 6 (37:23):
I mean, you know, right now we serve about eight
thousand families across the state, and you know, you know,
specifically with new and expectant families through our Parents' First
Call program that I spoke about, then we serve about
one hundred and fifty every year with those sort of Yeah.
Speaker 2 (37:45):
I don't mean to get emotional, but you do in
God's work.
Speaker 5 (37:48):
I truly mean that.
Speaker 2 (37:50):
What's the easiest way for people either to support your group?
I assume that financial contributions would be welcome, or to
see about to get some help if they feel they're
in need. What's the website?
Speaker 6 (38:04):
Yeah, the website is m d s C dot org. So, yeah,
Massachusetts Down centde Congress m d s C dot org.
And yeah, for certainly at the end of the year,
you know, financial donations that allow us to provide support
for more families you know, throughout the year is hugely
important to There are so many other ways to get
involved as well. We have a Buddy Walk program that
(38:26):
we run every October. Anybody can start a team. We
have you know, scores of teams, and we have an
employment program. It's really important. I spoke about the lifespan
and how important it is to make sure the individuals,
you know, have rich lives, not just as as children
and through their you know, education that we have support for,
but as well into the adult years and so our employment.
(38:50):
Our employment program is called your Next Star and we
have a shop that you can find if you just
go to MDSc dot org. You'll get there, you'll see it.
But our employment program.
Speaker 2 (38:58):
I just want to give that website a little bit
most slowly, and that is m D S C. M
M is from Massachusetts. D is for for Daniel, S
is for Sam, for Charlie dot org, m d SC
dot org. Joshua, thank you very much, Thank you so much.
I'll be happy. All the families, thank you so much
for what you're doing. I hope some of my listeners
(39:19):
will be will be generous. Merry Christmas.
Speaker 6 (39:22):
Okay, thank you, Jim, You're welcome.
Speaker 2 (39:24):
When we get back, we have ten more great charities
lined up. Right after the eleven o'clock news here on
Night Side