The Neighborhood Gala Raises over $292,000 for USES

Video by In The Car Media.

Boston, Mass. – On Tuesday, April 26 from 6:00 - 9:00pm, United South End Settlements (USES) hosted its second annual Neighborhood Gala at the Harriet Tubman House in Boston’s South End. The evening raised over $292,000 to-date and celebrated USES’s programs, services, and impact over the past year. Over 250 supporters came together to celebrate the work that USES does each and every day to strengthen families and build community.

Mayor Martin J. Walsh joined the festivities, offering remarks on the importance of USES’s “whole family” approach and the vibrancy of our neighborhood. “Investing in United South End Settlements is so important to the future of this city. It’s important because families need a place like this. Boston is strong because of the uniqueness of our neighborhoods, and our neighborhoods are strong because of all of our people.”

“What I love most about USES is the opportunity we have to work with the entire family,” says USES President & CEO Maicharia Weir Lytle. “We work across generations to strengthen families and build community by ensuring each family member has the opportunity they need to be successful. It was humbling and moving to see so many of our neighbors and friends come together last night to support that vision and celebrate our 124th year of impact!”

The program for the evening featured a rendition of “All You Need Is Love,” performed by USES’s Platinum Singers and a testimony from Tammy Pena, a USES parent and Workforce Readiness participant, who spoke about the role USES has played in helping her whole family to move forward. "I have received a lot from USES. Computer training, workforce readiness, childcare, and the list goes on. But I think it's important to say that USES has allowed me to give back as well. I feel as though I am supporting my community when I myself have received so much. That feels great."

Friends and neighbors posed with fun props at a photo booth and enjoyed food from over a dozen of the South End’s best restaurants: Above and Beyond Catering, Area Four, Barcelona Wine Bar, Dom’s Meats, Five Horses Tavern, Flour Bakery & Café, Haley House Bakery Café, House of Siam, Mela, Petit Robert Bistro, Shun’s Kitchen, Stella, and The Butcher Shop, as well as beverages from Horizon Beverage Company.

“This gala is a truly special event for our neighborhood,” says USES Board Chair Julia Johannsen. “It is a chance for the South End to rally together behind a cause which we all support: strengthening community. The energy, excitement, and incredible generosity of the guests last night embody the legacy of ‘Neighbors Helping Neighbors’ that United South End Settlements so proudly carries.”

The Neighborhood Gala generated critical revenue for USES to continue its work in early childhood education, out of school time programming, family and community engagement, workforce readiness, and senior services.

###

About United South End Settlements

USES is working to build a strong community by improving the education, health, safety, and economic security of low-income individuals and families in and around Boston's historic South End/Lower Roxbury. Underscoring our mission is the principle that healthy communities are ones where there are opportunities to engage all residents in inclusive dialogue and solutions. It is only through such engagement - neighbors helping neighbors - that a community creates “social capital” through relationships, trust, and networks that lay the foundation for problem solving and, ultimately, a common vitality that sustains all community members.