Give the Gift of Somerville

Now you can share Somerville with your friends on Facebook using Give the Gift of Somerville, a new gift application developed by Somerville resident Dev Purkayastha and myself. You can use the app to send Somerville landmarks and icons, from a bathtub Mary, to the Round House, to a parking ticket, and many more to your friends all over the world.

The purpose of the application will be to raise money for a Somerville non-profit, most likely CAAS or the Somerville Homeless Coalition, by inviting local businesses to be added to it in exchange for a donation to the chosen non-profit. I'm still in the planning stages of the financial part, but the application is available for immediate use, with new gift items to be added in the coming weeks.

Please share your feedback and any requests for landmarks, etc. If you have Somerville photos you'd like to donate, I'll add them and give you photo credit. If you're a business owner who wants to get involved, please contact me here to set up a meeting.

Enjoy virtual Somerville!

Community Action Agency of Somerville

Today in my usual course of poking around the web for interesting things about Somerville, I discovered a group called CAAS, or Community Action Agency of Somerville. CAAS's mission statement runs thus:

The Community Action Agency of Somerville (CAAS), a private non-profit agency incorporated in 1981, is the legally designated anti-poverty agency for Somerville. The mission of CAAS is to reduce poverty among local families and individuals while working to counteract, and whenever possible eliminate, the societal conditions that cause and perpetuate poverty.

CAAS provides a number of valuable community services, such as help with tenant rights issues, eviction prevention, public benefits access, and several youth services. Their accomplishments are numerous as well, working with Somerville's low income and immigrant communities to build coalitions and assist with housing issues and programs like Head Start for toddlers.

CAAS's new Executive Director, Kimberly Smith-Cofield, has a background of 28 years in human services, including the direction of several other Boston area service agencies. CAAS's board of directors will host a meet and greet event (with wine and cheese!) to introduce Smith-Cofield to the community on March 30. Details are as follows:

CAAS Introduces new Executive Director Kimberly Smith-Cofield
Monday, March 30 from 4-6 pm
Aldermen's Chambers at City Hall, 93 Highland Ave.
Open to all who wish to attend
To RSVP, call Digna at 617-623-7370

If you are low-income, live in Somerville, and need CAAS's help, call 617-623-7370. If you would like to donate time or money to CAAS, go to http://www.caasomerville.org/contact (to volunteer) or http://www.caasomerville.org/donate (to donate financially).

Related links:

http://www.caasomerville.org
CAAS website

http://tinyurl.com/smith-cofield
Somerville Journal article announcing Smith-Cofield's directorship

http://tinyurl.com/smith-cofieldprofile
Somerville Journal profile of Smith-Cofield