Celebration of Community
Community Movement of Generosity
Give Back, Give Time, Give a Gift
Bridgewell’s 2022 Celebration of Community a Success!
Bridgewell held its “Celebration of Community” earlier this fall – and it was an astounding success! The Celebration of Community, formerly known as the Bridgewell Day of Giving, is a multi-week series of events including a service project at Newhall Fields Community Farm in Peabody, a family day, a blood drive and team participation in the Flutie Foundation 5K for Autism in Natick.
“Bridgewell’s Celebration of Community spreads awareness of what we do, how we support the community and improve the lives of those in our care,” Chris Tuttle, Bridgewell President & CEO, explained. “Our celebration included opportunities for people to support the Bridgewell mission and give back to our community.”
The celebration kicked off with a community service project on October 4, with more than 50 Bridgewell members volunteering at Newhall Fields Community Farm in Peabody, harvesting produce for Citizens Inn Haven from Hunger. The fall harvest received assistance from Bridgewell staff, autism day programs, disability services, housing and recovery programs, and partners from neighboring company JEOL.
“Our neighbors at Bridgewell do such a great job providing opportunities for individuals and families who need human services. We are so thankful for their program participants, employees, and neighbors at JEOL who came to the farm to help with a variety of fall projects,” said Stephanie Johnson, NFCF volunteer. “It was such a great day; what stood out most to me was the sense of accomplishment expressed by those who volunteered. It was heartwarming to witness.”
In Peabody, activities continued with a Family Day at Buckley Field. More than 100 Bridgewell program participants, family members, and staff came together and enjoyed music by DJ Bethany, Knucklebones lawn games, crafts, and more. Peabody Police Sergeant Jim Harkins brought the Peabody Cops for Kids with Cancer food trailer and was grilling hot dogs and burgers for all! Proceeds from food sales went to Peabody Cops for Kids with Cancer as a commitment to supporting our community.
Another aspect of the Celebration of Community was giving back – blood! Bridgewell hosted a blood drive for MGH, with over 25 donors at the Bridgewell Headquarters in Peabody.
The celebration ended with the Flutie Foundation 5K for Autism. Bridgewell’s team raised over $4,000 with 59 team members, including a sub-team from SharkNinja led by board member Cecilie Gromada. All donations supported Bridgewell’s Autism Services and were matched by the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism, bringing the grand total to more than $5,000.
Through sponsorship and Flutie 5K donations and matching gifts, Bridgewell raised over $10,000 through this Celebration of Community. Partners and sponsors include: International Order of Alhambra, Knights of Columbus, Massachusetts General Hospital Blood Donor Center, Newhall Fields Community Farm, North Shore Bank, Salem Five, St. Jeans Credit Union, Swampscott Refrigeration, Inc. and Cops for Kids with Cancer, and PeabodyTV. To learn more or make a donation to support Bridgewell, visit bridgewell.org/celebration
Thank you to our sponsors and partners:
