Thank you for supporting HOPE Blooms!

 
COH-Hope Blooms_Daniels-104.jpg
 

On Saturday, May 11, 150 guests celebrated Circle of Hope's tenth anniversary at our third annual fundraiser, HOPE Blooms, at Needham Golf Club. The evening was full of great food, an incredible silent auction, and, most importantly, wonderful, generous people. We are proud to share that the event raised  $120,000  to support the homeless children, women, and men we serve.

Honored guest Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley spoke about the crucial role Circle of Hope plays in helping homeless individuals and families in Greater Boston and MetroWest. We were honored to have her join us. 

Circle of Hope presented Dr. Laurie Konowitz with the inaugural "Hope Award," honoring her dedication to homeless infants during her 30-year career as a remarkable neonatologist. 

 
COH Executive Director Barbara Waterhouse (left) with Dr. Laurie Konowitz (right)

COH Executive Director Barbara Waterhouse (left) with Dr. Laurie Konowitz (right)

 

Drs. Laurie and Paul Konowitz established The Newborn Fund at Circle of Hope to support and expand our Welcome Baby Program. Launched in April, The Newborn Fund at Circle of Hope has already raised more than $25,000! These funds will help homeless newborns in Circle of Hope's partner shelters and clinics get a strong and healthy start.

We are grateful to everyone who supported HOPE Blooms by sponsoring, donating, or attending the event. Last year, we provided clothing and necessities to 6,600 homeless infants, children, women, and men - a 20% increase over the previous year. This winter alone, we also provided 5,500 winter coats to people experiencing homelessness. You, our incredible supporters, made this possible.

Thank you to our dedicated event committee and Circle of Hope Board for all of the energy and enthusiasm you put into HOPE Blooms. Thank you to Rep. Pressley for your time and your inspiring words. Thank you to Drs. Laurie and Paul Konowitz for establishing The Newborn Fund and continuing to help homeless babies. Thank you Four Seasons Greenery for the beautiful floral arrangements. And thank you to our HOPE Blooms 2019 sponsors for making this amazing evening possible:

 
Charles River Apparel, Presenting Sponsor

Charles River Apparel, Presenting Sponsor

 

Betsy & Bruce Amsbary | Amstar Group | Myra & John Anderson | Jodie & Frank Apeseche | Beaumont Capital Management | Linda Borman | Betsy & Eric Cohen | Dedham Savings | Donna & Michael DeFuria | Louise & Peter Donovan | Sarah & Christopher Escobedo Hart | Four Seasons Greenery | Emily Goode | Pamela & Bruce Goody | Jill & Jeremy Grossman | Susan & Ron Halpern | Hartney Greymont | Honey Dew Donuts | Marla & Bill Kannel | Lizbeth & George Krupp | Suzanne & Dave Lissy | Longmeadow Group | Peggy Lowenstein & Steve Berez | Wendy & David Lustbader | Mainsale Management | Needham Bank | Carolyn & Dana Pope | Alan Reese | Christine & Kevin Ruddy | Rosemarie & Jeff Rudin | Jeannie & Phil Shapiro | SharkNinja | Dale & Peter Sinesi | Anya & Corey Thomas | Trisha & Rob Ticktin | Tieso Family | Barbara & Jay Waterhouse | Judy Waterhouse | Wegmans | Anne Welch & Stephen McMillan | Wellesley Bank Charitable Foundation | Wells Fargo

Together, we are building a brighter future for homeless children and adults in Boston and Metro West. THANK YOU!

Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley attending HOPE Blooms

Photo Credit: Office of Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley

Photo Credit: Office of Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley

We are excited to share that Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley will attend HOPE Blooms as our honored guest. Rep. Pressley has been a champion for those in the Greater Boston area experiencing homelessness, poverty, and trauma for more than a decade, and we are thrilled to have her join us on May 11!

Celebrate 10 years of helping homeless individuals at our festive spring fundraiser. Funds raised at HOPE Blooms will support Circle of Hope's mission to promote the health and dignity of homeless children, women, and men in Boston and MetroWest.

Circle of Hope Receives Grant from The 200 Foundation

mom and baby.png

We are honored to share that The 200 Foundation has awarded Circle of Hope a $2,500 grant.

These important funds will support our Welcome Baby Program, Dignity Project, and Emergency Response Program. We will be able to provide Welcome Baby Bags and porta-cribs to more homeless newborns in Boston and Metro West, giving them a safe place to sleep and the essentials they need to get a healthy start. By funding the Dignity Project, this grant enables us to give toiletries and new socks to more homeless adults in our partner shelters. The grant will also allow us to respond quickly to emergency requests from our partner shelters, helping families displaced by fires, domestic violence, and other crises.

We are very grateful to The 200 Foundation for this generous grant and we look forward to using it to help more homeless individuals and families this year.

Circle of Hope's Winter Wish List

pic.png

We have created a Winter Wish List on Amazon, making it quick and easy to donate winter essentials to Circle of Hope!

The gloves, hats, boots, and scarves on the list are vital to the health of homeless individuals this time of year. With the splitting of the polar vortex, we can expect more severe winter weather for the rest of the reason, leaving homeless individuals vulnerable to frostbite, hypothermia, and other illnesses.

Please help us protect homeless children, women, and men by donating items off the Winter Wish List today! Simply view the list, add items to your shopping cart, and proceed with checkout. When asked to select a shipping address, select Circle of Hope’s Gift Registry Address. The items will ship to COH and we will give them to the homeless individuals who need them. Thank you!

View Our Wish List

New Partnership with Boston Police Department

BPD2.jpg

Earlier this month, Circle of Hope kicked off a new partnership with Boston Police Department District E-13 by making our first delivery of winter coats, hats, and mittens for 75 homeless infants and children in Jamaica Plain. We will continue making monthly deliveries to the station so that Community Service Officers can give our clothing to homeless families in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood.

Giving Warmth With Anton's Coats for Kids

Volunteers from barre3 and Circle of Hope loaded the COH van with bags of winter coats for homeless individuals

Volunteers from barre3 and Circle of Hope loaded the COH van with bags of winter coats for homeless individuals

For eight years, Circle of Hope has partnered with Anton's Coats for Kids to distribute winter coats to homeless children, women, and men in need. Each winter, we pick up dozens of bags of coats every week from Anton's collection sites. With the help of our all our donors and partners, COH gave winter coats to 4,400 children and adults last year.

With temperatures dropping and urgent requests pouring into COH, we began enlisting the help of volunteers from Circle of Hope and local businesses to sort and package the Anton's coats for delivery. In December, two volunteers from the fitness studio barre3 in Needham joined ten COH volunteers for a morning of coat sorting. Within two hours, the amazing volunteers sorted 550 coats, making it possible for us to quickly send the correct sizes to our partner shelters.

We are proud to partner with Anton's Coats for Kids and grateful to our community of volunteers for helping us keep vulnerable homeless individuals warm and healthy!