星期三, 12月 17, 2014

華埠王氏青年會慶聖誕 眾議員黃子安到賀

華埠王氏青年會上週末舉辦第廿七屆兒童聖誕節聯歡會，照例把該會籃球場佈置成慶祝會場地，安排出十餘項遊戲，還請來聖誕老人製造氣氛，吸引了750多人出席。
曾經擔任該會董事，現為麻州眾議員的九龍餐廳東主黃子安（右起），當天應該會董事Nancy Solomon， 發展主任陳魯誠等人邀請，到會做嘉賓，和新朋舊友暢敘。

該會行政主任包薇珥（Patricia Barnwell）表示，聖誕聯歡慶祝是該會回饋社區的一項活動，即日起至十二月三十一日止，凡是加入成為該會家庭會員者，可免繳報名費。查詢詳情可洽617-426-2237，或www.ymcaboston.org/wang。(圖由麻州眾議員黃子安辦公室提供)
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Bunker Hill Community College Among Fastest Growing Community Colleges in U.S.

Bunker Hill Community College Among Fastest Growing Community Colleges in U.S.

BOSTON, December 16, 2014—Bunker Hill Community College ranks among the 20 fastest growing of U.S. community colleges with enrollments of 10,000 or more, according to an analysis by Community College Week, an independent publication covering community, technical and junior colleges. The largest and most affordable community college in Massachusetts, BHCC currently enrolls more than 14,000 students. 

BHCC is among the few community colleges in the study whose growth increased between fall 2012 and fall 2013, bucking a trend toward declining enrollments at colleges around the country, according to the study. “Since community college enrollment reached its all-time peak in 2010, it has declined 7.1 percent, from nearly 7.9 million to just over 7.3 million,” reported Community College Week. BHCC’ s enrollment has grown 30 percent since 2009.

Colleges successfully fighting such trends often attribute continued growth to successful efforts to align their programs with the demands of employers and four-year colleges. “BHCC continues to expand its partnerships with employers to develop programs that meet specific workforce needs,” said BHCC President Pam Y. Eddinger, “and highly successful programs like Learn and Earn, which offers paid internships in prestigious Greater Boston companies, continue to attract students to our College.” In addition, BHCC is steadily increasing agreements with four-year institutions, make transferring easier and encouraging students to consider community college for their first two years of college. 
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Mayor Walsh Announces Details and Members of Task Force on Individual Homelessness

Mayor Walsh Announces Details and Members of Task Force on Individual Homelessness 
BOSTON - On Thanksgiving, Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced the formation of the Mayor's Task Force on Individual Homelessness, a group charged with examining Boston’s current shelter system and available support services, and outlining a strategy that will put homeless individuals on a path to permanent housing. Today, Mayor Walsh shared the details of this task force, as well as a list of participating members.

“Homelessness is a complex issue, rooted in many causes, from addiction to mental illness to unemployment, and compounded by the competitive housing market in our city,” Mayor  Walsh said.  “The closure of the Long Island Bridge is an opportunity for us to take a hard look at what we’re doing here about the broader issue. When an individual walks into the front door of one of Boston’s homeless shelters, we need to do a better job finding them the services and resources they need to find a place to call home. To help us do that, today I am charging this group of diverse professionals and individuals to recommend bold, innovative solutions to help us end street, veterans, and chronic homelessness in the city of Boston.”
  
The Task Force will include providers, the business community, foundations and philanthropic organizations, experts in innovation and analytics, subject matter experts from City staff, and clients of the city’s homeless services. The group will be tasked with analyzing the City’s resources and delivery systems, and providing concrete ideas for structural and systems improvements. Within the first 90 days, the Task Force will make recommendations and propose an accompanying budget and action plan to accomplish eight targeted goals:
  1. Provide appropriate relocation for and service improvements to the Long Island Shelter, and implement improved communication during this transition period;
  2. Reduce and work towards eliminating the number of individuals who live in shelter for longer than 180 days;
  3. Undertake a statewide response and align City policies to reduce the number of homeless individuals arriving from outside of Boston seeking housing and services;
  4. Reduce the number of individuals living on the street;
  5. Improve discharge planning, outlining necessary proposed changes to ensure that discharges of individuals leaving state and other systems of care do not disproportionately impact Boston;
  6. Develop an Unaccompanied Youth and Young Adult engagement and diversion plan;
  7. Improve the way shelter, housing, and service needs of homeless women are addressed across the system; and
  8. Propose resources and potential sources needed to obtain improvements and recommended goals.

The City of Boston is taking the closure of Long Island as an opportunity to evaluate operations and identify ways to better serve some of Boston’s most vulnerable residents. In partnership with private shelter providers throughout the city, the City has established a temporary system to maintain access to emergency shelter, training, counseling, and support services to those individuals formerly receiving services on Long Island.

In addition, Boston is currently executing “Bringing Boston Home,” an action plan to house Boston’s homeless. Since the plan’s implementation, 121 individuals who had been previously living in shelter for one year or longer have been permanently housed. In addition, 42 vulnerable individuals who had been chronically homeless have been permanently housed, and 411 formerly homeless veterans have been permanently housed. 

The task force will be co-chaired by Sheila Dillon, Chief of Housing, and Felix Arroyo, Chief of Health & Human Services. Other city representatives will include individuals from the Mayor’s cabinet, the Boston Public Health Commission, Boston Police Department, Boston Housing Authority, and the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics. Members of the Task Force on Individual Homelessness include:
  • Lyndia Downey, Pine Street Inn
  • Andy McCawley, New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans
  • Pamela Ogletree, Children Services of Roxbury
  • Elizabeth Jackson, Bridge Over Troubled Waters
  • Barry Bock, Boston Health Care for the Homeless
  • Karen LaFrazia, St. Francis House
  • Michael Weekes, The Provider Council
  • Jack Connors, Camp Harborview
  • John Rosenthal, Friends of Boston's Homeless
  • Sachin Jain, Harvard Medical School
  • Karen Kaplan, Hill Holliday
  • Stephen Fox, South End Forum
  • Luis Rosario, consumer
  • Tonya Williams, consumer
  • Bob Pulster, U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness
  • Rose Evans, Division of Housing Stabilization, Division of Housing Stabilization Department of Housing and Community Development
  • Michael Durkin, United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley
  • Melinda Marble, Pilot House Associates
  • Rebecca Koepnick, The Boston Foundation
  • Father Joe White, Our Lady of Good Voyage
  • Ryan Moser and Sarah Gallagher, Corporation for Supportive Housing
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Open Enrollment is Underway: Apply Now for Help Paying for Health Care!

Open Enrollment is Underway:  Apply Now for Help Paying for Health Care!
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Do you have Commonwealth Care, a health plan purchased through the Health Connector, or Temporary Coverage (Temporary MassHealth/Temporary MassHealth Limited)?   If Yes, you will need to reapply for Health Insurance coverage during Open Enrollment, which is now underway!
  • If you have a Plan purchased through the Health Connector, you must reapply, pick a plan and make your first payment by nextTuesday, December 23, in order to have coverage on January 1, 2015. 
  • If you have Temporary MassHealth/Temporary MassHealth Limited Coverage, you should have received a letter in the mail telling you when to repply.  But there's no need to wait; you can reapply for coverage now!
  • If you currently have Commonwealth Care, your coverage ends January 31, 2015.  You must reapply, pick a plan and make your first payment no later than January 23. 
Are you uninsured?  You can also apply now for help paying for health care!
Don't wait!  Click here to find a Navigator or Certified Application Counselor who can help you apply, apply online at mahealthconnector.org, or fill out a paper application available here.
Questions about your health care eligibility?  Call MIRA at 617-350-5480 x222 or Health Care for All's HelpLine at 1-800-272-4232.
Once you have applied, let us know how it went!  We need to know where you had any problems so we can advocate for improvements.  Please take this quick anonymous survey:   In English  /  In Spanish
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星期二, 12月 16, 2014

21st Annual Mayor’s Cup Youth Hockey Tournament Begins This Weekend

 21st Annual Mayor’s Cup Youth Hockey Tournament Begins This Weekend

December is the month for some great Boston youth hockey action as the 2014 Mayor’s Cup Hockey Tournament kicks off this Saturday, December 20th.
With support from Presenting Sponsor the Boston Bruins Foundation and additional support from Comcast, teams throughout Boston participate in this citywide tournament to vie for the championship title in 9 divisions for boys and girls ages 6-14 (Mites, Squirts, and Pee Wees.)  The tournament is organized by Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF,) the City of Boston’s largest youth and human service agency.
“Everyone in the neighborhood should come out and support these young players and enjoy some great hockey,” said Mayor Martin J. Walsh. "I extend my gratitude to the Boston Bruins Foundation and Comcast​  for helping us to bring together over 1,000 young people for an exciting one-of-a-kind tournament."
Games begin on Saturday, December 20th at 7 a.m. and are played all week long at local rinks throughout Boston.  Rinks hosting the tournament include the Murphy Rink in South Boston, the Devine Rink in Dorchester, the Bajko Rink in Hyde Park, the Bright Hockey Arena at Harvard University and the Rink at Matthews Arena at Northeastern University. 
The Championship Games will be held at the John "Snooks" Kelley Rink at Conte Forum at Boston College on Sunday, January 4th.
Support for the Mayor’s Cup Ice Hockey Tournament is also provided by The Department of Recreation and Conservation, FMC Ice Sports, Northeastern University, Harvard University, and Boston College.  A complete schedule of games is attached and will be online soon at www.cityofboston.gov/bcyf.
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Governor Patrick Announces Over 100 Private Sector Employers Join Corporate Challenge Program with Bentley University

Governor Patrick Announces Over 100 Private Sector Employers Join Corporate Challenge Program with Bentley University
Initiative surpasses goal of enlisting 100 employers, new program is a keystone to advancing women in the workplace
Waltham – Tuesday, December 16, 2014 – Governor Deval Patrick today joined officials from Bentley University  to announce that more than 100 major employers, including some of the biggest corporate names in Massachusetts, have signed onto the Corporate Challenge program. The joint initiative offers companies the resources of Bentley University’s Center for Women and Business to assess gender diversity in their workplace, recruit women to senior positions and close any wage gap a company may discover.
“When we announced the Corporate Challenge program in October we had just 14 commitments from leading Massachusetts companies,” said Governor Patrick. “I knew we could do better. Not only have we met the goal of enlisting 100 companies by the end of the year, we have surpassed it. I want to thank all those employers who recognize that designing a workplace to help women maximize their full potential is good for business and good for our economy.”
The Corporate Challenge program is a cornerstone of the action agenda developed by the Successful Women, Successful Families Task Force, which Governor Patrick created by Executive Order No. 550 in March of this year. Chaired by the Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Rachel Kaprielian, the Task Force was charged with addressing four challenges in creating equal opportunities for all individuals to be able to participate in both public and private sector workplaces, including eliminating the wage gap, advancing low income families, incentivizing family supportive policies and opening up leadership opportunities for women.
“We know from data and studies the task force reviewed that employing large numbers of women is good for business,” said Secretary Kaprielian.  “Companies that engage women outperform their competitors in every measure of profitability.”
CEOs from at least 92 Massachusetts-based companies and business organizations joined the original 14 commitments, among them Robert Coughlin, President of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council.
“The fact is that all the research and anecdotal evidence shows diverse organizations and corporations are more successful and more profitable, so this Challenge should be a no-brainer for any organization,” said Robert K. Coughlin, President & CEO of MassBio, the life sciences trade association representing 650+ companies in Massachusetts and beyond. “I applaud Governor Patrick, Secretary Kaprielian and all of the initiative’s leaders for shining the spotlight on this opportunity for Massachusetts to make real, impactful gains in diversity and to continue our role as a world leader in business.”

“Most women in the workforce know that the gender inclusiveness issue is real,” said Gloria Larson, president of Bentley University. “As a nation, we have certainly made small steps in the right direction but to bring about real change, we all need to be involved from the most junior manager to the CEO. I am awed and inspired by these more than 100 Massachusetts companies that are making real changes to elevate and strengthen the role of women in their companies.”

“We are thrilled that more than 100 companies have committed to the Corporate Challenge and the number continues to climb,” said Betsy Myers, founding director of Bentley University’s Center for Women and Business. “We are proud to partner with a group of forward-thinking Massachusetts organizations who understand that workplace gender inclusion, though it takes work, is critical to the economic success of the Commonwealth and beyond. Together, we are working to make greater strides in advancing women in the workplace and are collaborating to share best practices and collective wisdom.”

“As President & CEO of the Life Sciences Center over the past six years, I see first-hand the challenges and the opportunities for women’s leadership in the life sciences,” said Susan Windham-Bannister, Ph.D., President & CEO of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center (MLSC). "In order for our innovation economy to thrive, we need the contributions and combined brain power of talented men AND women. The Women in the Workforce Initiative is playing an important role in identifying and training the emerging women leaders of tomorrow, and the Center is pleased to be providing grant funding to Bentley College’s Center for Women and Business to support its role in this Initiative and the Corporate Challenge."

The Patrick Administration has led by example when it comes to advancing women in the workplace and understands that women are a critical force behind continuing the Commonwealth’s economic success. According to the latest Report on Diversity Outcomes in the Executive Branch released by the Office of Access and Opportunity in November 2013, 49 percent of senior managers and half of all managers within the executive branch were women. Massachusetts today ranks highest among states in the Northeast for women’s equality in employment and earnings, according to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research.
The Governor’s Advancing Women in the Workplace initiative also developed a Women’s Leadership Fellowship program. The Governor announced this fall that fourteen fellows have taken senior positions within the Patrick Administration in another effort to grow a pipeline of women poised to fill career paths to high-level occupations in both the public and private sectors.
LIST OF PARTNERS:
(as of 12/15/2014)

1.    Actifio
2.    Acquia
3.    Alexander Aronson Finning CPAs
4.    Arbella Insurance Group
5.    ARK Global LLC
6.    Associated Industries of Massachusetts (AIM)
7.    Bank of America
8.    Bentley University
9.    Biogen Idec
10.  Blue Cross Blue Shield Massachusetts
11.  Boston Benefit Partners, LLC
12.  Boston Globe
13.  Boston Medical Center Healthnet (BMC Healthnet)
14.  Boston Private Financial Holdings
15.  Boston Scientific
16.  Brookline Health Care Center
17.  Bullhorn
18.  Carbonite
19.  Care.com
20.  The Castle Group
21.  Century Bank
22.  Choate, Hall & Stewart, LLP
23.  Citizens Bank
24.  Colette Phillips Communications, Inc .
25.  Collaborative Consulting, LLC
26.  Communispace
27.  Conventures,Inc
28.  Cubist Pharmaceuticals
29.  Dalton & Finegold, LLP
30.  Dassault Systemes
31.  Deloitte LLP, Boston
32.  Denterlein Worldwide,Inc
33. Dimensions Therapeutics
34.  Eastern Bank Corporation
35.  EBS Capstone
36.  Eliassen Group
37.  Emerson Hospital
38.  EMC
39.  Enterprise Investment Advisors
40.  EOS Foundation
41.  Gentle Giant Moving Company
42.  Global Smile Foundation
43.  Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce
44.  Greater Media Boston
45.  Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
46.  Hill Holliday
47.  InkHouse
48.  Interaction Associates
49.  John Hancock Financial Services
50.  Keystone Partners
51.  KPMG LLP
52.  Kriss Law / Atlantic Closing & Escrow
53.  Krokidas & Bluestein LLP
54.  Hollister, Inc. Staffing
55.  Hotel & Home Recovery
56.  Hunter Creative Labs, LLC
57.  LAER Realty Partners
58.  Liberty Mutual
59.  Living Legacy Financial Group, Inc.
60.  Long Term Solutions
61.  Luminoso
62.  Lyve Media,LLC
63.  Marcum LLP
64.  Massachusetts Biotechnology Council
65.  Massachusetts High Technology Council
66.  Massachusetts Medical Device Industry Council
67.  Massachusetts Medical Society
68.  Mass Technology Leadership Council (Mass TLC)
69.  McGladrey LLP
70.  Middlesex Savings Bank
71.     Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office
72.  Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky, and Popeo PC
73.  National Grid
74.  Newton Health Care Center
75.  Newton-Needham Chamber of Commerce
76.  Northeast Utilities
77.  Pearson
78.  PwC
79.  Putnam Investments
80.  Raytheon Company
81.  Riverside Partners LLC
82.  Rockland Trust
83.  Salem Five Bank
84.  Santander
85.  Seniorlink / Caregiver Homes
86.  Skanska
87.  Small Army Advertising
88.  Sodexo
89.  Staples
90.  Startup Institute
91.  State Street Corporation
92.  Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department
93.  Suffolk Design and Construction
94.  The Bulfinch Group
95.  TIAA-CREF
96.  Tufts Health Plan
97.  Unum
98.  Veracode
99.  Verizon
100. Vertex Pharmaceuticals
101. Walgreens
102. Weber Shandwick
103. William Gallagher Associates
104. Windsor Marketing Group (WMG)
105. Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce
106. Zyno Medical

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