We were BACK IN BLACK!
We are profoundly grateful to everyone who made the evening a success. We exceeded our fundraising goal of $325,000, and everyone had a great time celebrating in person.
SEE PHOTOS HERE
SEE THE 2022 PROGRAM BOOK HERE
DONATE
Make your year-end gift to Madison Park!
It is not too late to support Madison Park’s daily work to make Roxbury strong. We count on your support to keep our programs running throughout the year.
If you make a gift of $1000 or more, you will be eligible for the Massachusetts Community Investment Tax Credit (CITC) and receive a 50% tax credit on your state taxes. If you make a gift of $2,500, you will get $1,250 back at tax time! Make your donation here: https://fundraise.givesmart.com/form/E5Ar6Q?vid=vsqoy
If you have questions about donating or CITC, please contact Griffin Thomas at gthomas@madison-park.org or 617-849-6254.
MANY THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS
Equity Partner
Silicon Valley Bank
Winn Residential
Community Investor
Dellbrook | JKS
Eastern Bank Foundation
NEI General Contracting
Roxbury Amplifier
Trinity Financial
Cultural Influencer
BlueHub Capital
Boston Children’s Hospital
Klein-Hornig LLP
Peabody Properties
Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH)
Marsh McLennan
M&T Bank
Neighborhood Champion
Akiki Auto
Awaken Christian Church
Bank of America
Campaign for Catholic Schools
CohnReznick
Dana Farber Cancer Institute
DREAM Collaborative
Alison Gottlieb
Susan Haas
Hunneman Real Estate
ICON Architecture
Kaplan Construction
The Life Initiative
Marsh, Moriarty, Ontell & Golder
Massachusetts Housing Investment Corporation
McPhail Associates
Peter Munkenbeck
Northeastern University
Origin Property Group
RBC
Redstone Equity
Resonant
Ivelise Rivera
Esther Schlorholtz
Stull &Lee
Alicia Toney
VIVA Consulting
THANK YOU TO THIS YEAR’S PERFORMERS!
Cornell Coley
Kim Tavar
VLA DANCE
Alondra Bobadilla
The Fred Woodard Collective
THANK YOU TO THIS YEAR’S PARTICIPATING FOOD BUSINESSES!
The Pearl
Ethnica Catering
MIDA
Fresh Food Generation
Jamaica Mi Hungry
Sweet Teez Bakery
Rhythm N’ Wraps
Slade’s Bar and Grill
Gourmet Kreyòl
Starbucks Coffee
Bully Boy Distillers
The Urban Grape
Samuel Adams
THANK YOU TO THIS YEAR’S HONOREES AND AWARD PRESENTERS!
EMBRACING PROMISE AWARD
Boston Children’s Hospital’s Office of Community Health
Over thirty years ago, Boston Children’s Hospital was one of the first academic medical centers in the country to expand the traditional missions of patient care, teaching, and research to embrace a fourth mission — community. Boston Children’s community mission is to improve the health and well-being of children and families in our local community. The Office of Community Health brings together hospital and community resources to address health disparities, improve health outcomes, and promote health equity. Our community efforts are focused on offering programs and partnering with others that offer support and services that benefit Boston’s children and families, specifically those most affected by the social determinants of health.
The Office of Community Health is led by Shari Nethersole, MD, Vice President for Community Health and Engagement. Dr. Nethersole is also a pediatrician at the Children’s Hospital Primary Care Center. The expertise informs Boston Children’s community mission of two leadership groups, the Board Committee for Community Health and the Community Advisory Board. Both Boards have diverse representation from health care, education, government, and business sectors as well as grassroots organizations and provide the Office of Community Health with feedback from the communities reached through our programs and partnerships.
EDNA V. BYNOE NEIGHBORHOOD CHAMPION AWARD
Hugh Johnson
Village In Progress Block Captain and Haynes House resident
Hugh Johnson is a Village in Progress Block Captain and the recipient of the 2022 Edna V. Bynoe Neighborhood Champion Award. The oldest of eight children, Hugh was born at Boston Medical Center. His first home was on Auburn Street (now Dewitt Drive) in Roxbury. Hugh attended the William Bacon School and graduated from Boston English High School, still located in the Fenway.
After graduating from high school, Hugh entered the U.S. Army and spent five years serving his country, including two tours of Vietnam. After returning to his beloved Boston, Hugh had a career rooted in public service, especially working with veterans and the incarcerated.
Hugh enjoys helping keep the area around Madison Park Village safe, but he is not only active in Madison Park’s public safety efforts. He volunteers his time at the Smith House and Dewitt Center food distributions. He is also active in our civic engagement and health and wellness programs. He even got his grandson involved in our youth programs.
Hugh is grateful to his mother, who inspired him to be involved in the community. Hugh says he “stands on the shoulders of others who saw something in me that I couldn’t see in myself.” Hugh and his wife Cheryl live at Haynes House. They enjoy spending time with their six amazing grandchildren.
2022 COMMUNITY CATALYST AWARDS
Tito Jackson
CEO, Verdant Medical – Former Boston City Councilor and Mayoral Candidate
Yhinny Matos
MPDC Youth Workforce Development Manager
Yhinny Matos was born in the small southern town of Barahona in the Dominican Republic. A few years later, in 1979, she landed in Boston to receive medical care and never moved back. A daughter of immigrants, she didn’t see her father until about six years later when he moved to be with his family. Yhinny has two siblings, an older sister and a younger brother. She is also a mother to a 20-year-old aspiring pilot. Yhinny graduated from Bay State College, Emerson, and recently in 2021, obtained an MBA from Cambridge College.
Her main passion is in the performing arts, beginning her career as a folkloric dancer at six. Fast forward to age 13, when she joined BPS’s citywide dance company, All City Dance Company, where she was a principal dancer throughout high school. Upon graduating high school, she auditioned for Phunk Phenomenon, where she danced for three years. Transitioning to breakdancing, she became one of four “b-girls” performing nationwide with the notable Floorlords, where she danced for thirteen years. She then began her own dance company, United Roots. While running the dance company for seven years, she got performing arts/teaching contracts with Puma, Reebok, Staples, Gillette, and Converse. She was also on the radio as a co-host for Big City’s “ Way Back When” radio show.
Yhinny has always had a dedication to the arts and youth development. In her early 20s, she worked as an accountant for a travel firm for about two years, then transitioned to arts marketing at Artists for Humanity, where she was employed for over ten years. She then acquired several positions at the Salvation Army Kroc Center, where she left as Marketing and Program Manager after eight years. Now working as Youth Workforce Program Manager for MPDC, she oversees programming for youth ages 14-21 and the scholarship program.
Yhinny believes that arts combined with youth development are her true calling. Forever grateful to MPDC, Yhinny hopes to continue building and designing dynamic programming for Boston’s future.