人生一定要有的八個朋友：
推手(Builder)、
支柱(Champion)、
同好(Collaborator)、
夥伴(Companion)、
中介(Connector)、
開心果(Energizer)、
開路者(Mind Opener)、
導師(Navigator)。
chutze@bostonorange.com
*******************
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Mayor Janey celebrates opening of 2021
Boston Swan Boats season
Mayor Janey takes a ride with her family
to celebrate the 144th anniversary of the Boston Swan Boats
BOSTON - Saturday,
May 8, 2021 - Mayor Kim Janey and her family today joined the Paget
family -- owners and operators of the Swan Boats -- and local residents
today to open the popular Boston Swan Boats for the 2021 season at the
Boston Public Garden lagoon. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Swans
Boats were not open for the 2020 season.
“As warmer weather
comes to Boston, the reopening of the Boston swan boats is a great way to
celebrate our recovery from the pandemic, especially after being closed
last season,” Mayor Janey noted. “We welcome Bostonians and visitors
back to our historic park to enjoy this joyful attraction in keeping with
current health guidelines for a safe ride with family and friends.”
Launched in 1877
by Irish immigrant and shipbuilder Robert Paget, the Swan Boats continue
to be owned and operated by the Paget family. Mr. Paget designed the Swan
Boats after attending the opera Lohengrin in New York City. At the end of
the opera, the hero crosses a river in a boat drawn by a swan.
2021 marks the
144th season for the Swan Boats. The oldest and smallest boat in the
fleet just celebrated its 111th season, while the newest was launched in
1993. The swan on today’s boats is made from either copper or fiberglass,
depending on the age of the boat. Fully loaded, each Swan Boat weighs
three tons and is powered by the driver using a foot-propelled paddle
wheel. The Swan Boats are built on oak framed pontoons sheathed in copper
just as they were initially constructed in 1877. After being stored in a
safe place for the winter, the boats are returned to the Public Garden
Lagoon in the spring.
Masks are
currently required and passengers will be safely spaced both in line and
on the Swan Boats. For more information on hours of operations,
ticketing and pricing, please visit the Swan Boats of Boston online at www.swanboats.com, call (617) 522-1966, or email info@swanboats.com.
The Asian American Commission is proud to launch this small grant fund to support community efforts to fight for some of the most vulnerable communities and/or to provide support to organizations looking to continue relationships or begin new relationships dealing with Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities across the Commonwealth. These one-time grants ranging from $250 to $1,000 will be made available on a rolling basis until funds are depleted.
- Your organization is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization designated by the Internal Revenue Service or you are a small business located in Massachusetts with no more than 500 employees (or which meets the applicable size standard for the industry as provided by SBA’s existing regulations).
- Applicants must have the ability to work with low-income AAPI communities in the Commonwealth.
- Request amount should not be below $250 and not exceed $1,000.
Required Documents:
- Completed grant application.
- Your organization’s Letter of Determination (sent from the IRS confirming 501(c)3 status) or a copy of your Business Certificate (obtained from your city of operation).
Baker-Polito Administration Announces Reopening of
Additional Phase 4 Industries to Go Into Effect May 10th
BOSTON – Today, the Baker-Polito Administration
announced that Massachusetts will move forward in the Commonwealth's
reopening plan to reopen certain outdoor Phase 4 industries
effective May 10th, as previously announced. The Administration
continues to take steps to reopen the Commonwealth's economy with public health
metrics continuing to trend in a positive direction.
On March 22, Massachusetts
loosened restrictions and advanced
to Phase IV of the Commonwealth’s reopening plan. Since then, daily new
COVID-19 cases have dropped by 45%, hospitalizations have dropped by 23%, and
deaths have dropped by 69%. All these metrics have dropped by around 80% or
more since the beginning of the year. The Commonwealth also remains a national
leader in COVID-19 vaccinations, and over 3.9 million people are fully or
partially vaccinated, and Massachusetts is on
track to meet its goal of vaccinating over 4 million people by the
beginning of June.
Effective Monday, May 10th:
The Commonwealth will
reopen certain outdoor Phase 4 industries.
Amusement
parks, theme parks and outdoor water parks will be permitted to
operate at a 50% capacity after submitting safety plans to the
Department of Public Health.
Road races
and other large, outdoor organized amateur or professional group athletic
events will be permitted to take place with staggered starts and
other appropriate safety measures after submitting safety plans to a
local board of health or the DPH.
Additionally, large capacity venues
such as indoor and outdoor stadiums, arenas and ballparks currently
open at 12% capacity as part of Phase 4, Step 1 will be
permitted to increase capacity to 25%.
Youth and adult amateur
sports tournaments will be allowed for moderate and high-risk sports.
Singing will also be
permitted indoors with strict distancing requirements at performance venues,
restaurants, event venues and other businesses.
Grocery stores and retail
stores with a pharmacy department should consider dedicated hours of operation
for seniors, but will no longer be required to offer senior hours.
Additional Changes
Anticipated to be Effective Saturday, May 29th:
Contingent on continued
positive trends in the public health and vaccination data, on May 29th, additional sectors will be
permitted to re-open and gathering limits will increase to 200 people
indoors and 250 people outdoors for event venues, public settings and private
settings.
The additional sectors that will
be permitted to open include:
Parades,
street festivals and agricultural festivals, after submitting safety
plans to the local board of health including measures for maintaining
social distance, staffing and operations plans and hygiene and cleaning
protocols.
Bars,
beer gardens, breweries, wineries and distilleries, which will
be subject to restaurant rules with seated service only, a 90 minute limit
and no dance floors.
Subject to public health and
vaccination data, the restaurant guidance will be updated to eliminate the
requirement that food be served with alcohol and to increase the maximum table
size to 10.
Last week, the Administration
also relaxed the Face Coverings Order for some outdoor settings and announced
further reopening plans for August 1st.
在慶祝大波士頓土地信託網成立五週年之際，波士頓華埠土地信託會也藉著年度報告，希望讓更多華埠民眾了解，社區土地信託(Community
Land Trust)是以社區為基礎的非牟利組織，取得並永久保留土地，然後以99年的土地租約，要求在該會土地上蓋出來的房屋，只能用作永久性的可負擔住宅，或其他社區用途。
目前波士頓華埠土地信託會除了繼續關注收購華埠內土地，房屋機會，同時推出了「社區土地信託之家」計畫。亦即購買華埠土地信託會房屋者，在擁有住宅自時，也成為共管公寓(condo)協會成員，每月繳交租貸土地費給擁有土地的土地信託會，以確保土地及房屋供做可負擔住宅之用。「屋街29號公寓協會(29
Oak St. Strret Trust)」就是一個例子。
Baker-Polito Administration Awards $3.5 Million to 7
Agencies Across the Commonwealth to Support Expectant and Parenting Teens
Award to provide additional support to young parents
during the pandemic
BOSTON (May 7, 2021)– The Executive Office of Health
and Human Services (EOHHS) and the Department of Public Health (DPH) in
collaboration with the Department of Transitional Assistance today announced a
total of $3.5 million, to 7 community-based agencies serving expectant and
parenting adolescents in communities across the Commonwealth with high teen
birth rates.
The Massachusetts Pregnant
and Parenting Teen Initiative builds on participants' strengths to increase
life opportunities and enhance family stability for expectant and parenting
adolescents ages 14 through 24. Programs offer case management that
supports both young parents and their children to attain educational and
employment goals, improve access to health services, support the development of
young children, and promote healthy relationships between co-parents and
between parents and their young children.
Among adolescents who have
participated in the program for at least 6 months:
58% made progress toward
individualized academic and/or career goals
71% who were pregnant
attended a postpartum visit in the first 8 weeks after birth
Contraceptive use
increased from 37% to 50%
All the funded organizations
are in communities with teen birth rates that are higher than the state
average, with funding specifically intended to support expectant and parenting
adolescents in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has created
significant strain on adolescent parents in terms of employment, food security,
and education.
這6場論壇的主題，依序為全國有色人種發展協會(NAACP)波士頓分會主辦的「種族正義(Racial Justice)」，巴西工人中心和SEIU32BJ5主辦的「移民權益(Immigration)」，大波士頓勞工委員會主辦的「工作及工人(Jobs & Workers)」，波士頓教師工會和波士頓教育正義聯盟主辦的「教育」，”社區及環境替代方案(ACE)”主辦的「氣候正義(Climate Justice)」，城市權益-投票(Right to the City VOTE)主辦的「住宅及土地(Housing & Land)」。
住宅及經濟發展卿Mike
Kennealy特別點名感謝Larry Andrews等人，表示是這許多人不懈努力，才能把紓困款項，順利地送交到需要濟助的企業手中。獲得補助的Amplify
Latinx，以及創業中心(Entrepreneurship Center @CTI)這兩家企業，今早也特地出席發表感言。
為推動項目，麻州政府和多個社區機構合作，包括麻州黑人經濟發展協會(Black
Economic Council of Massachusetts)， Amplify Latinx，企業評等計畫(Business Equity Initiative)，麻州社區發展協會(Massachusetts
Association of Community Development Corporations (MACDC))，LISC，LEAF，新英格蘭非 洲人社區經濟發展會(African
Community Economic Development of New England (ACEDONE)，還有麻州公平經濟聯盟(statewide
Coalition for an Equitable Economy)。
Baker-Polito Administration Celebrates COVID-19
Business Relief Program, Awards Final Round of Grants
Final round
results in nearly $4.8 million in grant awards to 108 additional businesses;
More than $687 million in direct cash payments delivered to 15,112 of state’s
hardest hit businesses
LOWELL – Today, Governor Charlie Baker, Lt. Governor Karyn
Polito, Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy, legislators
and key partners celebrated the success of the Baker-Polito Administration’s
COIVD-19 business relief program administered by the Massachusetts Growth
Capital Corporation (MGCC). Gathering in person at the family- and
minority-owned Panela Restaurant in Lowell, a program grantee, the
Administration announced the end of the program, which has provided over $687.2
million in direct cash grants to 15,112 businesses across the Commonwealth.
Among the awardees included in the final round were 108 additional businesses
that received a total of approximately $4.8 million in COVID relief
grants.
First launched in October 2020 as part of the Administration’s Partnerships for
Recovery initiative to stabilize and grow the Massachusetts economy, this
program became the biggest state-sponsored business relief program in the
nation after being infused with an additional $668 million in December.
Established to provide direct financial support for businesses, the
Administration has tapped numerous partners to ensure specific economic sectors
and priority demographics known to be the most impacted by the COVID-19
pandemic applied to the program and were prioritized for aid.
Over the duration of the
program, 43 percent of MGCC grants were awarded to minority-owned businesses,
and 46 percent of grants went to women-owned businesses. Businesses owned by
veterans, individuals with disabilities, or that identify as LGBTQ, as well as
those operating in Gateway Cities and not previously awarded aid, also received
substantial grant support. Additionally, one-third of the total program funding
(about $224 million) has benefited the hard-hit restaurant and bar industry,
with personal services like hair and nail salons ($91 million), and independent
retailers ($62 million) rounding out the top sectors.
“Thanks to the work of Mass.
Growth Capital, more than $680 million in direct financial assistance has been
deployed to over 15,000 businesses across Massachusetts, many of which are
located in the communities that have had the greatest need during this
pandemic,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “Recognizing that our small
business community employed close to half the Commonwealth’s workforce prior to
the pandemic, this program has been instrumental in helping to keep these
enterprises going while supporting a substantial percentage of our workforce as
we approach what we hope are the final months of this public health crisis.”
“This program, which was designed
to provide vital support to small businesses in need, is one component of our
larger strategy to help the Commonwealth’s economic recovery from this
unprecedented public health emergency,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito.
“I want to applaud MGCC for their success with this program and thank their
partners for helping to spread the word, which allowed us to provide direct
support to those businesses that have been hit the hardest, including minority-
and woman-owned businesses, restaurants and downtown retailers.”
The 15th and final round of
awards totaled approximately $4.8 million in grants to 108 additional
businesses. Among the final round of recipients, grants were awarded to 25
minority-owned, and 26 women-owned businesses; 24 recipients were located in
Gateway Cities, and 28 businesses had not received any prior aid.
“I want to express my deepest
gratitude to Larry Andrews and his team at MGCC for going above and beyond in
their efforts to ensure that this important aid went to businesses located in
Gateway Cities, met a demographic priority such as being minority- or
women-owned, or were operating in sectors among the hardest hit during this
pandemic,” said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy.
“In addition, I’d like to thank MGCC’s partner organizations, which include
Amplify Latinx and locally the Entrepreneurship Center @CTI with us today, who
truly made this program successful because of their extensive outreach to the
communities that are traditionally underrepresented.”
To increase applications from
underrepresented groups and achieve equitable access to funding, MGCC worked
with a statewide network of local non-profits, small business technical
assistance providers, and other organizations that support minority enterprises
to reach businesses and entrepreneurs that would match the program’s
priorities. These partners include the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts
(BECMA), Amplify Latinx, the Business Equity Initiative, the Massachusetts
Association of Community Development Corporations (MACDC), LISC, LEAF, the
African Community Economic Development of New England (ACEDONE), and the
statewide Coalition for an Equitable Economy.
“The success of this program
was a direct result of the leadership of the Governor, Lt. Governor, and
Secretary Kennealy; and the team at MGCC, who rose to the occasion to stand up
a new program and deliver an unprecedented amount of relief to small businesses
across Massachusetts that have been impacted by the pandemic,” said MGCC
President and CEO Larry Andrews. “Also critical to this program’s
success was the extensive network of partner organizations, including Amplify
Latinx, for their work to reach out to businesses that serve communities of
color, groups that have been disproportionately impacted by the virus, or who
are traditionally at a disadvantage, and provided the necessary technical
assistance through the application process.”
MGCC will soon be announcing
two new funding opportunities focused on small businesses. A program called
Biz-M-Power will assist low-income and moderate-income entrepreneurs acquire or
improve their brick-and-mortar location, purchase new equipment, and other
capital needs. Businesses will crowdfund through local residents,
neighborhoods, community members, and other stakeholders and become eligible
for matching grants. Another new program will help small businesses access
tools and services to develop their digital capabilities, including social
media, website development, and team collaboration.
These awards have been part
of a steady deployment of grants and capital funding to support economic
recovery throughout Massachusetts and are a key part of the Administration’s
larger strategy to assist small businesses and support an equitable economic
recovery across the Commonwealth.
"It is essential to
recognize the significance of culturally and linguistically responsive outreach
to minority and underrepresented groups, which was a major contributor to the
program's success,” said Amplify Latinx Executive Director Rosario
Ubiera-Minaya. “These partner organizations are all well positioned and
trusted by minority communities to effectively and quickly respond to the
challenges faced by these businesses. The collaborative approach centered
on the partner organizations has helped ensure that the collective work going
forward is as intentional and impactful as possible. Keeping direction will
position minority-owned businesses for stability and growth."
In addition to this business
relief program, recovery efforts consist of MGCC Small Business Technical
Assistance grants and matching grants for Community Development Financial
Institutions and Community Development Corporations; the Regional
Pilot Project Grant Program, which is a $5 million initiative designed to
activate vacant storefronts, support regional supply chain resiliency, and
create small business support networks; the $1.6 million Travel
and Tourism Recovery Grant Pilot Program to promote recovery in the tourism
industry; the ongoing My Local MA marketing
initiative to encourage residents to support their local economies by shopping
at Massachusetts businesses and attractions; and a $9.5 million effort underway
to help 125 communities pursue locally-driven, actionable strategies to support
downtown and commercial districts through the Local
Rapid Recovery Planning program.
125th Boston Marathon Qualifier Acceptances Announced
BOSTON—The Boston Athletic Association (B.A.A.) has begun to notify qualified applicants of their acceptance or non-acceptance into the in-person 125th Boston Marathon to be held on Monday, October 11, 2021.
Qualifiers who were 7 minutes, 47 seconds (7:47) or faster than the qualifying time for their age group and gender will be accepted into the 125th Boston Marathon. In total, 23,824 applications were received by the Friday, April 23 registration deadline. A total of 14,609 athletes applied with a qualifying time equal to or faster than 7 minutes, 47 seconds under their respective qualifying standard or applied through the early registration period for consecutive runners. Applicants are in the process of being accepted, pending verification of their qualifying performance.
The B.A.A. was unable to accept 9,215 qualifiers due to field size limitations. The 125th Boston Marathon field size has been established as 20,000 entrants to ensure social distancing throughout the race route, especially at the start and finish. Among those accepted into the 125th Boston Marathon are athletes from 87 countries and all 50 U.S. states.
The balance of the field will be comprised of invitational entrants, including runners participating as part of the Boston Marathon’s Official Charity Program and John Hancock’s Non-Profit Program, as well as invited professional athletes. In 2020, the B.A.A. Official Charity Program and John Hancock’s Non-Profit Program combined to surpass the $400 million milestone raised since the charity program’s inception at the 1989 Boston Marathon. John Hancock has served as principal sponsor of the Boston Marathon for 36 years.
“As we embark on the return to in-person racing, we look forward to welcoming runners to Boston as part of our historic 125th running of the Boston Marathon this fall,” said Tom Grilk, B.A.A. President and Chief Executive Officer. “With this year’s milestone anniversary, we both celebrate those who were accepted into this year’s race and also acknowledge the many runners who achieved qualifying times. We look forward to a memorable 125th Boston Marathon and hope those who were not accepted into the in-person race will join the global community of athletes participating in the virtual race in October.”
Registration for qualified athletes for the 125th Boston Marathon took place April 20–23 within the B.A.A.’s online platform, Athletes’ Village. Registration was not first-come, first-served. Applications and qualifying times submitted during the application window were verified and ranked by the B.A.A. based on the amount of time an athlete had run under their respective qualifying standard. Qualifying performances for the 125th Boston Marathon must have been run between September 15, 2018 and April 23, 2021.
In addition to the in-person road race, the B.A.A. is also holding a historic virtual Boston Marathon in celebration of the 125th running of the Boston Marathon. Registration for the virtual race opened on March 30 and has already seen athletes from 105 countries and all 50 states register. The virtual marathon will take place over race weekend October 8–10.
Starting today, applicants will receive notice of acceptance or non-acceptance. Qualified applicants not admitted into the in-person race will have an opportunity to register for a unique virtual 125th Boston Marathon package until Friday, May 14 at 5:00PM. The qualifying window for the 2022 Boston Marathon will begin on September 1, 2019 and will continue through the conclusion of the to-be-announced 2022 Boston Marathon registration period later this fall.
