The BHCA Announces Winners of Beacon Hill Community Fund Grants
The Beacon Hill Civic Association is pleased to announce this year’s winners of the Beacon Hill Community Fund grant program. Twenty one proposals were received before the deadline of November 1st, 2020.
This is the second year of the Beacon Hill Community Fund, and testimonials from last year’s winners are posted on the BHCA website. According to Rob Whitney, the Chair of the Beacon Hill Civic Association, “our Board of Directors voted in spring of 2019 to launch a new community fund grant program that will award small grants each year to deserving applicants to help finance projects and programs to promote and enhance the quality of life in our Beacon Hill and neighboring communities. This is an important program, where the Beacon Hill Civic Association will once again be partnering with residents and neighbors on small civic-minded projects throughout our downtown neighborhoods.”
Winners were chosen based upon the proposals and target populations that were most in line with the mission of the Community Fund. Those organizations who will receive grants this December are: Beacon Hill Seminars, Big Sister Association of Greater Boston, Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, Boston Landmarks Orchestra, Friday Night Supper Program, Hill House, Inc., International Women’s Writing Guild, Museum of African American History, Old West Church, Piers Park Sailing Center, and The Simple Things. Eleven out of twenty-one organizations were successful in receiving grants totaling $29,500. The grants will be awarded at the next BHCA Board of Directors meeting on December 14, 2020. For more information on the BHCF mission, visit https://www.bhcivic.org/community-fund.html.
Thanksgiving Food Drive – the ABCD Food Pantry Thanks You!
Many thanks to our Beacon Hill neighbors who generously donated non-perishable food items for the ABCD West End/North End Food Pantry.
Your donations will allow people to leave the food pantry with non-perishables as well as referrals to long-term support services to help families overcome hunger for good.
Although the BHCA food drive is over, you can still make a financial donation online at https://bostonabcd.org/donation-details/. Please call 617.523.8215 if you need more information.
2020 Holiday Decorating
This year is the 25th anniversary of holiday decorating on Beacon Hill! While the annual event has more recently transformed the entire hill at the holidays, it began as an effort to decorate Charles Street, bringing foot traffic to the businesses there. This year, we will return to the beginnings of this tradition, by decorating Charles Street and Cambridge Street as our main commercial paths. Look for decorations to be installed in the first few days of December, and other signs of holiday joy popping up in our neighborhood!
A Holiday Celebration
Please mark Saturday, December 5th, in your calendar for some holiday joy. After the Charles Street “Safe Stroll” from 12-6pm, join the BHCA and neighbors for a virtual Holiday Celebration! We’ll have an appearance by Tom Kershaw, a much beloved member of our community and one of the forces behind the neighborhood’s holiday celebrations over the past 25 years, cocktail and cooking demonstrations from 75 Chestnut and the Hampshire House, and a holiday floral how-to by Rouvalis Flowers & Gardens. The event is free, but registration is required. Contact [email protected] for the registration details.
Join the BHCA
If you haven’t yet become a member of the BHCA, we invite you to join. Your input in quality of life issues on the Hill is important to us, and we rely on you our neighbors to bring your comments and concerns to our attention. By joining our membership, you add to the collective voice of the neighborhood and support our work in historic preservation, community development and civic engagement. Please call our office at 617-227-1922 or email the BHCA Executive Director at [email protected] with any questions, comments or concerns, or to become a member.