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This page is designed to give you access to ongoing updates on activities surrounding the foundation. For the Activity Updates archive 1 through 25 please click here...
For many people, this project is the one that has tugged at their heartstrings the most so far. Recently one of the families who use the health center services called EBNHC asking for a bit of help with a challenge they were having. This family is part of our CATCH community. CATCH, which stands for Children’s Access To Coordinated Health Care, is a special program at EBNHC that works with families who are dealing with severe medical complications and who have very special needs. This particular family is a family of five. The youngest member (3 years old) is battling severe medical complications that require constant attention from the parents. The medical issues make it difficult to provide the attention they would like for all three children. It is also difficult for the family to work as much as they need to in order to make ends meet. When the family contacted EBNHC and asked for help, the team at the health center thought of Leanne’s Dream Foundation right away. As you know, the health center is a non-profit and there is not much extra money floating around for special projects like this one. This is where Leanne’s Dream Foundation comes in! The team at EBNHC suggested sponsoring summer camp for the family’s two older children. We wanted to give the two older children a fun summer experience, while at the same time lightening the load for the parents so they could care for their 3 year old and work to make ends meet. As a result, we will be sponsoring full summer day camp for the two older children. They will spend their days having fun at Boys and Girl’s Club Summer Camp and their nights back with their family. All of the projects we have worked on have been really great, but this one is very special. In this case, somebody reached out for help and we were there to give it to them. Actually, YOU were there to give it to them. AWESOME! Just AWESOME! We hope you have the same great feeling we do about the work that has been done. We will look for more opportunities like this in the future. Thanks once again for your support and we will keep you updated!
Update # 27 – LDF To Work With Cradles To Crayons To Help Low Income and Homeless Children – Leanne’s Dream Foundation recently conducted its third steering committee meeting. During the meeting the members of the steering committee discussed the financial condition of the foundation, provided updates on past projects, and also raised ideas for new projects. When the idea of working on a project with an organization known as Cradles To Crayons was raised all members were very supportive. Cradles To Crayons is a non-profit organization whose mission is as follows: To provide, free of charge, low-income and homeless children from birth to pre-teen the basic essentials they need to be safe, warm, ready to learn, and valued. We also set a foundation for lasting change through the meaningful, tangible volunteer opportunities we provide to thousands of youth and adults each year. We have not determined exactly what we will do for the team at Cradles To Crayons, but we will likely help with a clothing and school supply drive as well as possibly making a contribution to their cause. Cradles To Crayons is great organization and the work they do is right in line with the things Leanne loved to do. On many occasions during her life Leanne would take money from her own pocket to buy a coat or supplies for a child who could not afford to do so on his or her own. She would be very proud of our affiliation with this organization and we are looking forward to working with them. For more information you can visit their website at cradlestocrayons.org We will post more information when the specifics of our project are officially determined. Thank you again for all of your help! Back to top In an earlier activity update we mentioned the possibility of Leanne’s Dream Foundation being considered for a grant from the State of Massachusetts. On July 18, 2007 we received the great news from State Representative Kathi Reinstein that LDF has been approved in the state budget for a grant of $25,000.00. This will be the largest single donation to date for LDF. Kathi was actually having dinner with some of Leanne’s friends and family members at Maggio’s Restaurnt, Leanne’s family business in Revere, when she delivered the news. Kathi pointed out that this was a great team effort pushed along by her colleague, State Representative Bob DeLeo. Always humble, Kathi gave a lot of the credit to Representative DeLeo and said, “I just threw the idea his way and Bob loved it and he did all of the heavy lifting”. We know this was a great team effort from both of them. This is a great example of local community service from local political figures making sure their communities and constituents are looked after. We were grateful to be considered and we are elated to have been approved. Thanks to Kathi and Bob! For many of you who follow this foundation it is important to know that Kathi and Bob probably represent your community at the State House so be sure to say thanks when you see them out and about. We will put the funds to work in our local communities and will be sure to keep you updated on our progress. Back to top This is just a brief update on a very exciting project we have been working on over the past couple of months. As we mentioned in an earlier update, LDF has been putting together a project plan for a new recreation center at the Revere League For Special Needs on Winthrop Avenue in Revere. We are proud to announce that after several months of planning, funds appropriation, and design work, we are finally underway with the actual construction. Just this past week the room got two coats of fresh paint and we have scheduled delivery for our theatre and HDTV system for later this week. In the coming weeks we will finish the decorating, furnishing and setup. The room should be ready well in advance of a highly anticipated trip to the playoffs for the League’s beloved Red Sox. Leanne’s Dream Lounge is designed to bring together local families with Special Needs in a comfortable and activity-based environment. We wanted to give the families a fun, comfortable, and exciting location for socializing, games, movies and of course to watch Boston sporting events. Hopefully, this year the gang at the center will get to watch league favorite David Ortiz lead the Sox into the playoffs and Pats QB Tom Brady open the season in style. LDF would like to thank Mr. Michael White, our architect and Sasso family friend, for helping us put together the plans for the room. Mike invested a great deal of personal time to help take things to the next level. We would also like to thank Mike for introducing us to his friends at Lux Acoustics, who will be helping us with the installation of the home theatre system. They, too, have offered to donate their time. Last but not least, LDF would like to thank our two apprentice painters for their volunteer work during their school vacation. Part of the room was painted by two of Leanne’s younger cousins, Ms. Kimberlee Maniscalco and Mr. Mark Maniscalco. On a hot summer day Kimberlee and Mark, both in elementary school, offered to come in and help paint the room. They took care of two of the walls and were most excited to help paint the “purple wall”, which was one of Auntie Leanne’s favorite colors. We look forward to having them sign their name on that wall during the dedication of the room. Thanks again to all of our donors. You made this happen! Your generosity built this room. Back to top By clicking below you will be directed to the LDF Year in Review. This was a very bittersweet piece to put together--we are happy to help so many and happy to memorialize our friend, but we are still incredibly sad to be apart from her. CLICK HERE FOR LDF YEAR IN REVIEW PDF We hope knowing how hard we will work to remember her and preserve her legacy helps you to heal a bit. Blessings to all!
Update # 31 – Special Thanks To The Team At Pagliaro Electric – The team at Leanne’s Dream Foundation and the team from the Revere League For Special Needs would like to extend a very big thank you to the team from Pagliaro Electric in Revere.Pagliaro Electric is owned and operated by Mr. Leonard Pagliaro of Revere.
Update # 32 – A Special Thanks To Annie Deukmejian (Messina) & Carrie Messina – The team at Leanne’s Dream Foundation and the team from the Revere League For Special Needs would like to extend a very big thank you to Annie Deukmejian (Messina) and her mom, Carrie Messina.
Update # 33 – St. Anthony’s Youth Group Returns From Dominican Republic – As mentioned in an earlier update, Leanne’s Dream Foundation recently joined many members of the Revere community in an effort to support St. Anthony’s Youth Group on its annual missionary trip to the Dominican Republic. We are proud to say that Father Kumar and the members of the Youth Group recently completed their trip and it was a huge success. We have attached some photos of the kids and their chaperones working with the folks in the Dominican Republic. Everyone should be very proud of these kids as they demonstrate all of the qualities needed in the future leaders of our communities. This story has a very important family connection for Leanne’s family. Mr. Peter Sasso, Leanne’s grandfather, helped raise funds to build St. Anthony’s when it was first founded early in the 20th century. Over the years the family has remained very involved with the parish as altar servers, office workers, and Sunday school teachers. It is great to know that your generosity has helped renew the connection between Leanne’s grandfather and his church.
Update # 34 – Leanne’s Dream Lounge At Revere League For Special Needs Set To Open – After many months of planning and a lot of work by a lot of people, we are just about set to open Leanne’s Dream Lounge at the Revere League for Special Needs. We are about 95% of the way to completion. Attached are some before and after photographs for you to view. At some point we will have a small dedication and Grand Opening but the room is already in use. In fact, some of the families from the League recently watched their beloved Red Sox win the World Series in High Definition on their brand new 50-inch theatre screen. We were not there to see it with them, but we understand there were some pretty big smiles and a lot of excitement. Leanne must be very proud! Once again, the Lounge is the result of your contributions and your commitment and it will help bring families closer together. Thank you to all who helped with this project.
Update # 35 – LDF to sponsor suicide awareness conference for local clinicians – Content to follow...
Update # 36 – Leanne’s Dream Foundation Helps with CATCH Holiday Party & Holiday Gifts For CATCH Families – CATCH (Children’s Access To Coordinate Health Care) is an important part of the work done at the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center. CATCH provides access to top-notch health care support to families with children who suffer from severe physical challenges. During her lifetime Leanne and her colleagues dedicated quite a bit of time to the CATCH program. We are proud to help out with such an important initiative and we look forward to sharing a photo or two from the actual event. Thanks again to everybody at the Health Center and thanks, once more, to all of you who support our Foundation. Without your help this contribution would not be possible.
Update # 37 – Leanne’s Dream Foundation Considering Thanksgiving Food Donation Investment – We have not made any final decisions, but we are planning to help needy families during the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. During the holiday, many families do not have the financial resources to provide a complete Thanksgiving experience for their loved ones. We want to change that! Although we miss our loved one, we remain thankful for all the good that we have and we want others to be able to experience that same feeling. For Leanne, Thanksgiving was always a favorite holiday. She always talked about how great it was for family to be together on Thanksgiving to just eat and socialize together and not focus on anything but each other. Some of our best family experiences came during the 35 Thanksgivings we were lucky enough to have with her. We are planning on either meal packs or grocery store gift cards to be distributed to the families who use the health center. A decision will be made soon. We will let you know what we decide to do and, in the meantime, thank you and have a great holiday with your family.
Update # 38 – Leanne’s Dream Foundation Makes Biggest Single Investment To Date In “Let’s Get Moving Program” – The team at The East Boston Neighborhood Health Center and Leanne’s Dream Foundation is proud to announce our largest single investment to date. As we mentioned in earlier updates, Leanne’s Dream Foundation was recently approved for a $25,000.00 grant from the Massachusetts House Of Representatives. This past week, the management team at the Health Center approved the appropriation of a good percentage of those funds to be dedicated to the “Let’s Get Moving Program”. “Let's Get Moving” is a program that aims to fight childhood obesity in Chelsea, Revere, East Boston and Winthrop (the four core areas served by EBNHC). The program will coincide with the public school year and will focus on educating the participating children on becoming physically fit, eating nutritious foods and creating healthy lifestyles. The kids will join counselors sponsored by LDF and EBNHC each day after school to focus on active lifestyle events and education. We are incredibly excited for the official launch of the program. This issue was always important to Leanne, for the children at the health center and for the children in her own family. We are also excited to mention that one of the program’s administrators will be Kathy Field, Director Of Volunteer Services At EBNHC, who worked with Leanne for several years. Also, the program is being funded by a grant that was secured by Leanne’s childhood friend, State Representative Kathi-Ann Reinstein. Kathi and her colleague in the Massachusetts House, State Representative Bob DeLeo, worked with Governor Deval Patrick to secure the funding for LDF earlier this year. Thanks to Kathi-Ann Reinstein, Bob DeLeo and Kathy Field for all their effort and support and, as always, thanks to all of you for your continued support.
By clicking below you will be directed to the LDF Dream Lounge Thank You. CLICK HERE FOR LDF Dream Lounge Thank You PDF
One of the key objectives for Leanne’s Dream Foundation is to provide educational programs that would otherwise not be available to patients and professionals from the EBNHC target communities. In the past, the EBNHC volunteer services team has provided a great deal of training for patients with a focus on issues such as postnatal care, healthy diet and personal fitness. These programs have all been very effective and incredibly well received. We continue to search for opportunities to help educate those who use the services of the Health Center. In December we shifted our focus to training for the clinical professionals. On November 30th 2007 Leanne’s Dream Foundation acted as sponsor for a special Suicide Awareness workshop conducted Dr. John R. Jordan. Dr. Jordan is considered by many to be the nation’s leading expert on issues associated with suicide prevention, intervention and survivorship. In attendance at the workshop were 25 local clinical professionals as well as many of Leanne’s colleagues and one of her cousins. The objective of the workshop was to help the attendees better understand issues related to suicide with a specific focus on how to identify those at risk, how to intervene when they believe a patient is at risk and how to help a survivor cope with the loss of a loved one. Obviously, this is a very relevant topic for all those in attendance. The instruction and the content provided were incredibly powerful and all who attended believe the information will help them to better treat their patients. Leanne’s cousin Richard and her colleague Kathy introduced Dr. Jordan and shared their personal experiences as they relate to Leanne’s passing and during the day everybody at the session shared their own personal experiences. We hope to provide more programs like this in the future as we realize how important it is to understand this very complicated issue.
Update # 41 – A Bittersweet Story But A Very Important Story To Tell: – Sometimes in life things happen that are very, very difficult to explain. There are no answers and there is not much that can be done to help. Recently, a patient at the Health Center informed his physician that his son, who lives in Canada, was terminally ill. During his visit to the Health Center he mentioned that his one wish was to be able to find a way to have one more visit with his son. The physician did not mention anything to the man, but following the appointment he did contact Kathy at LDF to explain the situation and ask if anything could be done to help his patient. Kathy immediately contacted Leanne’s family to discuss the idea of helping the gentleman get home for a visit. As a result of the conversation, the doctor will be contacting his patient to let him know that LDF will be sponsoring a trip to visit his son. There is no happy ending to a story like this. There can only be some possible peace of mind knowing that the two had an opportunity to be together during the most difficult time in their lives. It is because of your generous support that father and son will have an opportunity to see one another again.
In one of our earlier posts we mentioned how LDF had sponsored a program called “horseback therapy” for physically challenged children. The program is designed to help children with issues such as Cerebral Palsy develop confidence, motor skills and muscle memory by working with horses and therapists. We recently came across a video clip which highlights a program very similar to the one sponsored by LDF. Although the clip is not our actual program, it demonstrates how this type of activity works
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