St. Marys Center Announces $1 Million Match Offer from Amazon to Expand Programs for Families in Need

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Business Wire 12-Oct-2017 2:00 PM
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Supporters of St. Marys can donate at http://stmaryscenterma.org or at agencys Diamonds of Dorchester Gala on October 18, and Amazon will match donations up to $1 million
BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- St. Marys Center today announced the biggest, single corporate gift in their historya $1 million match offer from Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) which will enable the agency to expand its reach into the community by providing preventative services, housing support, and job training for families on the brink of homelessness. To celebrate the announcement and their partnership, St. Marys Center and Amazon planned a Fall Fun Festival for St. Marys Center families and staff in Boston.
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St. Marys Center is a leader in programs, services, and shelter for homeless women and their families. The organization is located in Dorchester, where the highest concentration of homeless families within the City of Boston (47%) live. Today, St. Marys Center supports more than 600 children and families through emergency shelter, job and employment training, and educational, clinical, and preventive services. Founded in 1993, the organization has more than 100 employees and hundreds of volunteers.
With Amazons match, St. Marys Center will build on its cornerstones of educational advancement, economic stability, and emotional well-being for women, children, and families who have experienced trauma or are living in poverty by creating a Community Resource Center on its campus. The new program and its staff will support both families transitioning to permanent housing as well as provide proactive support to families on the brink of homelessness.
We are so grateful to partner with Amazon for this match offer to work to prevent homelessness in our community and the companys efforts to inspire others to join in by doubling their support of the families we serve, said Deirdre Houtmeyers, President and CEO of St. Marys Center for Women and Children. Everyone has a role in ending homelessness. Giving to St. Marys Center today will change lives for generations to come.
St. Marys Center is a very special place to me and to our community, said Mayor of Boston Martin J. Walsh. St. Marys Center does life-saving work for women, children, and families in need, and this partnership with Amazon gives St. Marys the opportunity to further strengthen families and prevent homelessness.
Mayor Walsh was born at St. Margarets Hospital. St. Marys Center is located on the site of the former hospital. In the days prior to Mayor Walshs inauguration in January 2014, the relationship was renewed when many of the Mayors staff and campaign supporters volunteered at St. Marys Center. The Mayor also plans to speak at St. Marys Center for Women and Childrens 14th Annual Diamonds of Dorchester fundraising event on Wednesday, October 18.
This $1 million match campaign expands Amazons support of nonprofits that provide critical emergency services to women, children, and families. Earlier this year, Amazon announced similar $1 million matches to Friendship Place, a leader in the Washington, D.C. region in developing innovative solutions to homelessness, and Marys Place, an organization in Seattle that provides emergency shelter and services for women and families experiencing homelessness. Amazon also announced plans to build a permanent home for Marys Place within its newest office building in downtown Seattle a first-of-its-kind partnership.
More than 1,000 Amazonians call Boston home, and we are so impressed and moved by the incredible, positive transformations happening at St. Marys Center, said Jay Carney, Amazon Senior Vice President of Global Corporate Affairs. We are excited to expand our support for organizations that provide emergency services for homeless women, children, and families this time at St. Marys Center, a comprehensive and evidence-based organization.
In addition to Amazons $1 million match, dozens of Amazon employees are working together to support families of St. Marys Center. This week an Amazon van traveled up the East Coast, stopping in Washington, D.C., Northern Virginia, Boston, and Cambridge, Mass. to collect donations from employees to give to St. Marys Center families.
About St. Marys Center
St. Marys Center for Women and Children offers eight innovative, family-centered programs for women and children who have experienced trauma and are living in poverty. Placing families at the center of our efforts, St. Marys Center works in partnership with young women, many of them mothers, to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty and achieve lasting, powerful change. For more information or to make a donation, visit http://stmaryscenterma.org/. Follow @St_MarysCenter.
AboutAmazon
Amazonis guided by four principles: customer obsession rather than competitor focus, passion for invention, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. Customer reviews, 1-Click shopping, personalized recommendations, Prime, Fulfillment byAmazon, AWS,Kindle Direct Publishing, Kindle, Fire tablets, Fire TV, Amazon Echo, and Alexa are some of the products and services pioneered byAmazon. For more information, visitwww.amazon.com/aboutand follow@AmazonNews.

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St. Marys Center for Women and ChildrenSusan Keliher, 617-436-8600 x491Vice President of Development and Communicationsskeliher@stmaryscenterma.org
Source: St. Marys Center