7 Nonprofit Organizations You Should Get to Know

December 1st marks the 8th year of Giving Tuesday, a global generosity movement that encourages people from around the world to do good. This year has been exceptionally difficult for most everyone and perhaps more so for nonprofit organizations. Many nonprofits are struggling financially to keep their doors open while at the same time continuing to address the growing needs of their served populations. Major fundraising events have been cut in size and scope, postponed, or cancelled altogether and donations are down due to the continued economic uncertainty of the pandemic.

Over the years, Rockport Mortgage Corporation has proudly supported many nonprofit organizations, especially those with a particular focus on affordable housing, social justice, and disadvantaged youth.

In the spirit of Giving Tuesday, as we enter the season of giving and gratitude, we wanted to share the mission and vision of some of these noteworthy organizations.

2Life Communities

Inspired by Jewish values, 2Life Communities welcomes seniors from all backgrounds and enables aging in communities of engagement, connection, and purpose by:

  • Providing superior housing that is broadly affordable.
  • Continually evolving support services to meet the needs of our diverse residents as they age.
  • Building connections and community within our walls and in our surrounding neighborhoods.
  • Promoting aging in community as a first choice.

By providing a supportive environment for seniors, 2Life Communities helps bring forward the wisdom they have accumulated over a lifetime, support their efforts to embrace lifelong learning and growth, and engage in repairing the world to be sure all seniors have the basics for living with dignity.

HarborLight Community Partners

HarborLight’s tagline is Building Homes, Strengthening Communities, Changing Lives. As a Massachusetts-certified Community Development Corporation, HCP manages and advocates for quality, service-enriched housing that is affordable and inclusive, collaborating with communities to cultivate just, equitable and sustainable housing opportunities vital to the health and strength of the entire region. HCP focuses on housing needs of underserved populations and creates, preserves, and operates safe, affordable housing with supplemental support services. The organization’s mission is to make homes affordable to all because everyone deserves a home.

The Light Foundation

In 2001 Matt Light, a retired offensive lineman for the New England Patriots, and his wife, Susie, established The Light Foundation, a non-profit organization that gives kids a better chance at leading healthy lives by utilizing the great outdoors to help them learn and grow. In 2009 The Lights purchased 400+ wooded acres in Ohio and began developing The Light Foundation’s Chenoweth Trails Facility to host their youth-based programming. The Foundation also partners with schools and other nonprofit organizations to open Chenoweth Trails to their children at no cost. In 2019, more than 7,500 youth were able to enjoy Chenoweth Trails.

The Light Foundation has grown immensely since 2001. In addition to its partnerships with youth programs through the Chenoweth Trails facility, The Light Foundation also runs its own annual programs including a Leadership Conference, Youth Wild Turkey Hunts, a Youth Football Camp, the LIGHT Project, a Timber Frame Leadership Camp and Camp Vohokase. The Foundation also provides programming to youth in the New England area.

National Affordable Housing Management Association (NAHMA)

The National Affordable Housing Management Association (NAHMA) is the leading voice for affordable housing management, advocating on behalf of multifamily property managers and owners whose mission is to provide quality affordable housing.

NAHMA’s mission is to support legislative and regulatory policy that promotes the development and preservation of decent and safe affordable housing. NAHMA serves as a vital resource for technical education and information, fosters strategic relations between government and industry, and recognizes those who exemplify the best in affordable housing. NAHMA is the voice in Washington for 18 regional, state and local affordable housing management associations (AHMAs) nationwide. NAHMA advocates a supply adequate to meet the growing need for multifamily, residential affordable housing by bringing nationwide attention to the necessity of preserving decent and safe housing.

ROCA

Roca’s Intervention Model is designed to help high-risk young men leave streets and gangs and go to work. Through relentless outreach, tailored programming and collaboration with community partners, Roca helps young men transform their lives.

Its mission is to be a relentless force in disrupting incarceration, poverty, and racism by engaging the young adults, police, and systems at the center of urban violence in relationships to address trauma, find hope and drive change.

Roca’s Theory of Change is that young people, when re-engaged through positive and intensive relationships, can change their behaviors, and develop life, education, and employment skills to disrupt the cycles of poverty and incarceration.

uAspire

uAspire is a nonprofit organization ensuring that all young people have the financial information and resources necessary to find an affordable path to and through college.

Its singular focus is on college affordability and removing financial barriers so that every student has an equitable opportunity to graduate from college and succeed in life.

A college degree—and the opportunities it brings—should be affordable to all.

Wellspring House

Wellspring House was founded in 1981 by seven friends who were willing to take the risk to do something radical: create a home where they themselves would live and provide temporary shelter to families, living side-by-side as a community. They found a suitable place — a 17th century former inn in Gloucester. Thirty-eight years later, Wellspring House retains its strong sensibility. Money runs out, marriages fall apart, illness devastates a home. Yet, they have also proven that care and support provided in the context of a welcoming community can change lives. Wellspring still shelters homeless families. It is also focused on the future, having helped hundreds of families to secure permanent homes, graduated more than a thousand low-income adults from its education and job training programs, and facilitated the development of over 100 units of affordable housing on Cape Ann. Community, Commitment, Change. These are the hallmarks of Wellspring’s work.