Washington Gateway Main Street is a community organization based in Boston's South End. The organization aims to promote local business development in South End neighborhoods. Towards this end, Washington Gateway Main Street provides grants to local businesses and assists business owners with marketing and store design. For further inquiries, phone Washington Gateway Main Street.
The Beacon Hill Friends House is a Quaker meeting house and a nonprofit residential co-op. Two adjoining row homes on Chestnut Street house 21 tenants who pay rent in exchange for room and board. The rent money goes to support the Beacon Hill Friends House, which hosts a Quaker meeting service every Sunday from 10:30am - 11:30am.
The Friends House mission is to embody the principles of simplicity, integrity, community and faith. The property was handed over to the Quakers when the owner died in 1957. In addition to serving as a co-op and a meeting house, the Friends House hosts a Quaker Studies Program every fall and occasionally presents speakers.
Residents of the co-op typically only stay for two years. Many are Quakers but the house invites anyone to apply for a spot and they encourage diversity among tenants. The rent is lower than the average rent on Beacon Hill and meals are included in the price. The Friends House has a charming library and parlor for resident use.
The meeting space is simplistic but classically beautiful and looks out onto a lovely garden. Typically, between 30 and 40 people attend meeting services.
The Church on the Hill, or the Boston Society of the New Jerusalem, is a Christian church following the teachings of Swedenborgianism, a movement created in the 18th century by Swedish scientist and theologian Emanuel Swedenborg.
The church was established in 1818 but traces its creation in Boston back to 1784, when a group of men started meeting regularly at the Green Dragon Tavern to discuss Swedenborg's teachings before deciding to form a church. The church has been on Beacon Hill since 1845.
The atmosphere is very warm and welcoming. The sanctuary is a down-to-earth, intimate setting for worship and the church has lots of community room space used for church functions and by various nonprofit groups.
There's free garage parking for church worshippers on Sundays. The church is currently looking to expand its base of younger members and is on a mission to welcome younger members with new initiatives and programs. If you go, be sure to check out the delightful (and sizable) tropical fish tank outside the church's office. Services are held every Sunday at 11am.
The Massachusetts chapter of the National Association of Social Workers represents and advocates for its members, 8,400 social workers across the state. The Association is headquartered in Washington D.C. but the Massachusetts chapter is housed on the 4th floor of the Congregational Library building at 14 Beacon Street. The Association represents its member's interests on Beacon Hill, works on political campaigns and provides continuing education for its members.
Boston Living Center is the largest community center serving the HIV/AIDS population in New England. This nonprofit offers meals five days a week, regular counseling services, a computer classroom, career counseling and holistic care. The Boston Living Center has been serving the HIV/AIDS population for over 20 years. They offer a safe place for people to get the support they need to not only cope with their HIV/AIDS, but to learn to thrive with it.
The Boston Living Center provides a number of services to improve their clients' quality of life. Members can attend courses on nutrition and mind/body spirit and join the book club, walking club, or one of the many support groups. Try your hand at art at the beading class or the drawing and paint class offered in the art studio.
One of the many support systems offered at the Boston Living Center is the Bridges for Life daily morning peer support group. No sign-up is necessary and members are encouraged to come as often as they would like. The group focuses on a different subject area every day that affects the lives of HIV-positive people.
To become a member, call the office to set up an appointment. You will need to have a photo ID, income verification (even if it's $0) and proof of HIV status.
"Building Healthier Lives in the HIV/AIDS Community"
Boston Living Center Mission Statement:
"The Boston Living Center (BLC) is a non-profit community and resource center whose mission is to foster the wellness of all HIV positive people and respond to the changing needs of the HIV/AIDS community. Through peer leadership and support, we strive to enhance and enrich the lives of our members by providing education, treatment information, and support services with the goal of empowering members to live productive lives and participate within their families and communities."
This organization offers support to gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth. Those interested in participating, may attend weekly meetings at the drop-in center on Wednesdays from 5pm to 9pm. This center is located at 15 Newbury Street in the Emmanuel Church.
The National Lawyers Guild of Massachusetts is composed of legal professionals ranging from judges to paralegals who are interested in using the law to promote economic, political and social justice and causes. To learn more, visit the group's website or call the number provided.
Youth Enrichment Services is a Boston-area youth development organization that introduces kids and teens to the great outdoors through sports. Sports programs offered include skiing, snowboarding, biking, hiking, rock climbing, and others. The organization also offers YES Academy, which is a year-round college prep program. To sign up or for information on ways to donate, call the number provided.
The Cathedral of the Holy Cross is the mother church of the Roman Cathlolic Archdioses of Boston and holds daily mass, including services in English and Spanish. The Gothic-style cathedral was built in 1866 and can hold up to 1700 people. The Cathedral also operates a grammer school, middle school and high school in the South End. For a full mass schedule visit www.holycrossboston.com.
Friends of the Public Garden is a nonprofit organization that formed in 1970 in response to the deterioration of Boston's public parks. Today, the organization partners with the city of Boston to maintain the beauty and splendor of the Boston Public Garden, the Boston Common and the Back Bay's Commonwealth Avenue Mall.
From its headquarters in Beacon Hill, Friends of the Public Garden helps to preserve and protect the parks by repairing fences and fountains, restoring monuments and maintaining trees and foliage. It takes care of 44 monuments and more than 2,000 trees in all three parks. In 2009, the organization spent more than $150,000 on pruning, fertilizing and injecting trees against disease.
The group partners with the city of Boston and is supported largely through private donations. Executive Director Elizabeth Vizza and a board oversee the organization's activities. To join Friends of the Public Garden, residents can make a donation online of $25 or more.
City Year is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping students throughout the country who are at risk of dropping out of school. It offers tutoring, mentoring and after-school programs led by recent college graduates who have been trained by the organization. This office is the Boston headquarters for the organization.
Park Street Church has been conducting worship services at the same place at the foot of Beacon Hill for more than 200 years. The Evangelical Congregational church is well established in Boston with a congregation size of more than 1,500 people, 60 percent of whom hail from Boston proper.
The church at 0 Park Street is connected to a large church office building at 1 Park Street that also houses Park Street Kids, a local preschool started by Park Street parents 10 years ago.
Church officials describe services as liturgically oriented and traditional. Four services are held every Sunday, with traditional services at 8:30am and 11am and contemporary-style services at 4pm and 6pm.
ESL and TOEFL classes and homeless outreach number among the many programs based at the church's Park Street office. On Friday the church holds family night and college ministry night.