CASPAR Celebrates 40 Years of service to the Community!

On May 6th CASPAR celebrated its 40th Anniversary at the MIT Museum in Cambridge. Over 170 people attended the event including city officials, funding partners, staff, former board members and employees and many other friends of CASPAR. It was a terrific show of support for the work CASPAR has been doing in Cambridge and Somerville for the last 40 years. Sarah Gallop, Co-Director of MIT's Office of Government and Community Relations was honored that evening for her years of service to CASPAR.   In the early 1990s Sarah worked closely with CASPAR Board members, city officials, residents and other university personnel in brokering an unprecedented agreement that created a permanent home for CASPAR's homeless shelter on Albany Street.  Since then she has been a valuable partner in our efforts to improve the health of the entire community.  

Cambridge Mayor David Maher presented CASPAR with a Proclamation from the city council commending the agency for the services it provides to the community.   He was joined by City Councilors Toomey and Seidel.  The Mayor noted that "for many, CASPAR offers a welcoming and supportive place to begin their transformation out of homelessness and substance abuse and sets them on a course for a better life.  We are fortunate to have this agency in our community." 

Sponsors of the event included: 

Gold Sponsors -LabUSA, Inc.  Novartis, Inc. and Jim Curran

Silver Sponsors - Century Bank and Trust Company,  InterSystems and MIT 

Bronze Sponsors -Alexander, Aronson, Finning & Co., P.C., Cambridge Savings Charitable Foundation, CambridgeSide Galleria, Cambridge Trust Company, CARU Associates, CBIZ Tofias,  CORT, East Cambridge Savings Bank, Forest City Enterprises/Boston, Inc., Genzyme Corporation, HMFH Architects, Houghton Chemical Corporation, Irving House at Harvard, Mirant Kendall, LLC, Sanofi Aventis, Douglas F. Seaver, Esq.,  J.J. Sullivan Plumbing & Heating, Trinity Property Management, Inc. and W.T. Phelan Insurance

 

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CASPAR Hosts Successful Luncheon to Benefit Youth Services Program

On May 8, 2009 over 100 people attended CASPAR’s third Annual Youth Services luncheon at the MIT Faculty Club. This year’s guests enjoyed a special performance by The improbable Players, who use theatre to teach about substance abuse prevention. This award-winning group of actors who are in recovery from substance abuse, shared their own stories in a way in which everyone can identify. Guests also participated in a lively raffle that meant many went home with tickets to Red Sox games, originally designed jewelry, gift certificates to several local restaurants and many more items. During the program, our MC, Monica Brady-Myerov, Senior Reporter for WBUR Radio, received special recognition from Michael Botticelli , Assistant Commissioner for the Bureau of Substance Abuse Services at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, for her outstanding efforts in reporting issues surrounding drug and alcohol abuse.

CASPAR would like to offer a special thank you to our Corporate Sponsors who helped make the event possible. They include:

Corporate Partners: CambridgeSide Galleria and Irving House at Harvard