Tag Archive for: Family

TOWN CRIER
TOWN CRIER

New center named for Rita O’Brien Dee

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Tewksbury resident Rita O’Brien Dee, surrounded by friends, family, and colleagues, was honored by Community Teamwork in Lowell for her half century of service to the organization. The Rita O’Brien Dee Center for Behavioral Health & Development will be a resource for Community Teamwork and providers across the community who are working with children with behavioral, emotional, and developmental challenges.                                                                                                              (Paige Impink photo)

By PAIGE IMPINK News Correspondent paige@yourtowncrier.com

TOWN CRIER – Oct 16, 2021

TEWKSBURY — She thought she was attending a board meeting to accept a donation from a supporter of Community Teamwork, a vital services organization she works with in Lowell. But, when Rita O’Brien Dee saw her face on colorful t-shirts and friends and family under a festive tent, she realized something else was go­ing on.

Community Teamwork CEO Karen Frederick wel­comed O’Brien Dee and explained the surprise.

“We’d like to welcome Rita and acknowledge more than a half century of service to the community, and to the Commu­nity Teamwork family by dedicating The Rita O’Bri­en Dee Center for Behavioral Health & De­velopment,” said Freder­ick.

Through a generous anonymous donation and a subsequent grant from the Greater Lowell Com­munity Foundation, Com­munity Teamwork was able to establish the program, located at the James Houlares Center on Phoenix Avenue in Lowell. The center will be the headquarters for programs and services that promote healthy social-emotional development for children, in­crease children’s success in school, strengthen children and families, and mitigate adversity through trauma-inform­ed care.

According to Child and Family Services Division Director Meghan Siem­bor, “This opportunity could not have come at a better time… This opportunity enables us to meet a critical need and ad­dress a significant public health issue — children’s mental and behavioral health.”

Siembor praised O’Brien Dee.

“Her love for children is unparalleled as is her passion for giving back to the community,” said Siembor. “It truly is an honor for me and the staff across the Division of Child and Family ser­vices to be able to develop this Center in her hon­or.”

O’Brien Dee was visibly moved.

O’Brien Dee has been involved with Commu­nity Teamwork for 56 years. As a single parent raising five children on her own, she faced difficult struggles trying to work, put food on the table, and keep a roof over the heads of her family.

O’Brien Dee started her career as a teacher aide at Head Start, and earned her Associate’s Degree and quickly be­came an early childhood teacher at the center. O’Brien Dee was in the classroom for 27 years.

Upon retirement, O’Bri­en Dee joined the Head Start Policy Council and Community Teamwork’s Board of Directors. O’Bri­en Dee is also a member of many CTI committees and supports numerous initiatives.

According to data collected by CTI, mental health has emerged as a prominent community need, jumping from the fourth-most cited community need to the second-most cited need from the prior survey cycles. The impact of the pandemic is notable.

Key information also points to mental health as the most pressing is­sue in the community behind the need for better housing, according to CTI’s data for the great­er Lowell community.

O’Brien Dee is known in Tewksbury for her participation in the Friends of the Library, the Tewksbury Historical Society, and is an active member of the Tewks­bury Senior Center, Gar­den Club, the Democra­tic Town Committee, and is a former election wor­ker.

O’Brien Dee has been an inspiration and example of giving back to the community, not just in Tewksbury, but in the greater Merrimack Val­ley.

If you would like to donate to help support the new Rita O’Brien Dee Center for Behavior­al Health & Develop­ment, please contribute to the Greater Lowell COMMUNITY Foundation c/o The Rita O’Brien Dee Center for Behavioral Health and Development

http://homenewshere.com/tewksbury_town_crier/news/article_9bbbe5f6-2c57-11ec-b58a-cfe577fff7e4.html

https://www.commteam.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/TOWN-CRIER-ARTICLE-ON-ROBDrev.docx

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woman speaking

Community Teamwork Salutes Family Advocates & Launches Free Tax Program

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Dec Jan Feb Pix scaledCommunity Teamwork paid tribute to five elected officials for their success in advocating for essential programs and supports for families and children. It also launched its Free Tax Preparation Program that includes helping qualified families obtain the Earned Income Tax Credit.

U.S. Representative John Tierney, State Senator Eileen Donoghue, and State Representatives Dave Nangle, Kevin Murphy and Thomas Golden received awards for “Helping All Families Achieve Self Sufficiency.”  Echoing the sentiments of all those being honored, Congressman Tierney noted that this “team always works together and it never stops. We’re all working toward the same goals for our residents.” Photo left to right: (l-r) State Rep. Thomas Golden, State Senator Eileen Donoghue, State Rep. Kevin Murphy, U.S. Rep. John Tierney, CTI Executive Director Karen Frederick, State Rep. David Nangle, Head Start parent Jessica Lima and Community Teamwork Early Learning Director Christopher Hunt. Below: Head Start parent Jessica Lima.

Frederick thanked the entire delegation including  Niki Tsongas, who was unable to attend, for  their  tireless commitment to families and people in need.  “CommunDec Jan Feb Pix scaledity Teamwork couldn’t have a better team to advocate for all of us.” Early Learning Director Chris Hunt noted that this extraordinary team has helped us  achieve a 2.3% rate increase for the Head Start program, so needed to help us deliver quality services to as many families as possible.”

Parent Jessica Lima testified to the value of their work and that of Community Teamwork: “I’m a full-time mother and a full-time worker. It would be impossible for me to afford regular child care without the Head Start program. For a few years, my father was always there to provide that care. But he passed. I’m so grateful to everyone, to Community Teamwork and Head Start.” State Senator Donoghue noted that Jessica’s story brings to life the need: “instead of a budget line item, today when we listen to Jessica’s story we realize that it’s real people who are affected by these important programs.”

Tierney and the delegation praised Community Teamwork’s central role in providing Free Tax Preparation through the federally-funded Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, including its Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). IRS Tax Advocate Joel Zarella said that the EITC program “helps many families stretch their annual income for essentials including food, heat, bills and so much more. The program also saves families a great deal of money on tax preparation services.”

Frederick thanked CTI’s partners Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union, Mills42 Federal Credit Union and UMass Lowell for providing qualified volunteers and expanded hours and locations for people to get their taxes completed. Frederick also noted that Community Teamwork has expanded the tax program to include homeless families and individuals living in local shelters as well as hotels and motels. “Homelessness is at an all time high, with well over 2,000 people living in shelters, hotels and motels at this time. Our outreach to these families will help when it counts most. For all qualified families, the VITA and the Earned Income Tax Credit programs put much needed money back into the hands of hard-working community members who are struggling to make ends meet.”

To learn more about the VITA Free Tax Preparation Program and EITC contact Gail Fortes at 978 654-5640 or gfortes@commteam.org.

 

 

 

 

Take Action to Fund Homeless Families

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Dear friend,

Join Community Teamwork and the Massachusetts Commission for the Homeless to take action online to support increased, critical funding for the Emergency Assistance and RAFT programs, which serve children and families experiencing homelessness.

During the coldest time of the year, we cannot afford to ignore the needs of children and families experiencing homelessness. Your active support can make the difference for families in our community and across Massachusetts. Just in the Merrijmack Valley we have learned that over 300 families are living in hotels and motels and many more in shelters.

Click here to ask your State Representative and Senator for their active support for supplemental funding for two key programs serving families experiencing homelessness: the Seven Day Temporary Emergency Accommodations Program (SDTEA, part of the RAFT homelessness prevention line item 7004-9316) and the Emergency Assistance family shelters, motels, and services program (EA line items 7004-0101 and 7004-0103).

Click here to read the REGIONAL HOUSING NETWORK BLOG and learn more about the recent Statewide report on RAFT. On November 17, the RHN released the first ever statewide report on the Massachusetts Residential Assistance for Families in Transition, or RAFT, program.  All 11 administering agencies contributed to take a look at the impact of the program across the state.  Click on the link to our report to find out what we discovered  raftinmass2016web

Thank you for taking action!

RenewUI x F
RenewUI x F

Emergency Unemployment Passes Senate

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RenewUI x FA critical three-month extension of federal unemployment benefits for 1.3 million jobless Americans, including nearly 60,000 Massachusetts residents, won a key procedural vote in the Senate today. The 60-37 vote has given supporters hope that the House will next move to pass the Emergency Unemployment Compensation.

As we wait for the House vote, thousands of families and individuals are already feeling the full impact of having lost their benefits as of December 29th, 2013. This means they are going without some or many of the basics including food, medications, heat and shelter.

We encourage you to contact your federal representatives to extend the Emergency Unemployment Compenstion (EUC) program as soon as possible.

To find your U.S. Congressman:

http://www.house.gov/representatives

 

Facing Foreclosure? Contact the HomeCorps Program.

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Community Teamwork along with the Massachusetts Association for Community Action and sponsored by the Attorney General’s Office announce the HomeCorps Borrower Initiative program.

HomeCorps’ goal is to help distressed borrowers in Massachusetts who are facing foreclosure.

Services include:

  • Free legal consultation if you are facing foreclosure
  • Free advocacy to help you access affordable housing, maximize your income and offer financial counseling
  • Some funding is available for rental assistance.

How do you qualify?

There are no income quaifications, however you must be facing foreclsoure or have gone through the foreclosure process and need help accessing housing.

To contact the HomeCorps program, first call the Attorney General’s Office and then go online to fill out the referral applications:

Hotline: 617-573-5333    TTY;  617-727-4765

www.eform.ago.state.ma.us/ago_eforms/forms/hc_ecomplaint.action

Community Teamwork’s HomeCorps Coordinator can help you with the referral application: call Gail Fortes Veloz at 978-654-5676.

 

 

 

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Coats for Kids 2017

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x main logoIn partnership with Anton’s Cleaners, Community Teamwork is pleased to announce that families can pick up clean, gently used coats every starting in December (and through January) at Saint Anne’s Church, 10 Kirk Street (the entrance directly on Kirk Street).

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family

Nurturing Families

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familyNurturing Families is a fun, activity based parenting education group, held once a week for twelve weeks in the Fall and in the Spring.  The curriculum is designed to provide parents and children with experiences that support the development of healthy, meaningful relationships.

Parents are brought together in a supportive environment to share experiences, gain confidence in their parenting abilities and learn about the various techniques used in developing family bonds, managing stress and much more.

Dinner is provided to all that participate.  Transportation and child care are available to those families in need.

When:   Fall/Spring
Where:   Houlares Early Learning Center
Cost:   Free
For more info contact:   Tracy Young, 978-726-2623, tyoung@comteam.org

RSVP to:   Kristen Tremblay, 978-654-7153, ktremblay@comteam.org

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