Philanthropy

Holliston, MA – Wayne J. Griffin Electric, Inc. recently donated backpacks filled with assorted school supplies in support of local students and families in need.

This marked the eighth consecutive year that Griffin Electric and its employees teamed up with the Holliston Pantry Shelf to provide backpacks for students in preschool through high school.

Founded in 1993 and available to all Holliston residents, the Holliston Pantry Shelf is a nonprofit food pantry that serves over 250 families. Griffin Electric works closely with this and many other charitable organizations throughout its regional office locations in Massachusetts, Alabama, North Carolina, and Georgia. The annual Backpack Drive is just one of the many initiatives that the company participates in throughout the year.

Representatives of Griffin Electric say the importance of giving back and paying it forward are core principals that are engrained in the company’s culture, and that the men and women of the Griffin team have continuously demonstrated their support for their local communities year in and year out.

Griffin Electric backpack drive

Clockwise, from left: Jorge Dias, community engagement officer, Boston Police Department; Nora Baston, superintendent, Boston Police Department; James Caruso, VP of operations,

City Realty Group; Lynda Goler, housing manager, Boston Housing Authority; Keith Simon, computer instructor, BCYF; Cynthia Johnson; Alex Atim, computer instructor, BCYF; and Kerline Desir, Boston police officer Boston – City Realty Group (CRG) has donated 15 Chromebooks to support the Boston Centers for Youth and Families (BCYF) Menino Center in Roslindale and the Boston Police ACT-UP program.

The BCYF Menino Center offers a wide range of programs for area youth that include tutoring, afterschool enrichment, computer classes, robotics, sports, fitness, mentoring, leadership clubs, tech clubs, and family fun. The Chromebooks will be used for the tutoring program at the center to provide children with access to proper learning equipment to complete schoolwork, homework, and tutoring sessions, and will be used by the Boston Police ACT-UP program. The Boston Police ACT-UP program is an arts program that incorporates monologues, scene work, poetry, videography, and photography elements in an environment where police and youth can overcome trauma through artistic creativity. “We are so happy that we were

Cynthia Johnson (left) speaks to attendees at the Chromebook donation event.

able to receive this donation from City Realty Group because it shows these children that they are cared for and that they matter within the community,” said BCYF administrative coordinator, Cynthia Johnson. “This is a true blessing for us to have this support from City Realty Group.”

“We founded our own nonprofit, City Kids, to support initiatives that spark the intellectual curiosity of Boston’s children,” said CRG managing partner and City Kids co-founder, Stephen Whalen. “We are proud to provide these educational resources to the BCYF Menino Center and Boston Police ACT-UP program, which do so much to help our youth and make our community stronger.”

James Caruso and Cynthia Johnson