From the Community

4 JP Nonprofits Receive Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation Grants

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The Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Foundation recently announced that four Jamaica Plain nonprofit organizations were awarded a total of $2,050 from the Foundation’s Community Spirit 9/11 Mini-Grant program. The organizations receiving funds are:

• Beantown Society ($500)
• Bikes Not Bombs ($500)
• Community Servings ($550)
• Refugee and Immigrant Assistance Center Inc. ($500)

To commemorate those Harvard Pilgrim members who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, Harvard Pilgrim and the Foundation created the Community Spirit 9/11 Mini-Grant program. This program allows each Harvard Pilgrim employee to award a $500 grant, completely funded by the Foundation, to the local charity of his or her choice each calendar year. Since this community grants program began in 2002, Harvard Pilgrim employees have directed more than $6.8 million to thousands of organizations throughout Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. “Now more than ever, as nonprofits across the region are dealing with the impact of COVID-19, we are committed to supporting their efforts to care for their communities,” said Karen Voci, President of the Harvard Pilgrim Foundation.

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Business

10 Jamaica Plain Nonprofits to Support on #GivingTuesday

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First there was Thanksgiving, then came Black Friday, then Cyber Monday, which were then followed by the virtuous #GivingTuesday. #GivingTuesday is an international day of giving before we get into the commercialized holiday season -- and here are just a few Jamaica Plain nonprofits that help the community in many ways. All of these nonprofits accept donations in different forms and many are also eager to have volunteers donate their time to help their programs. Please contact them for more info. Bikes Not Bombs (284 Amory St. and 18 Bartlett Square) is a unique local nonprofit that "uses the bicycle as a vehicle for social change."

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Bicycling

2-Day Bike Maintenance Workshop for Women+

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Vie Cycle and Bikes Not Bombs are putting on a bike maintenance workshop for women+*. This is a 2-day workshop where participants will learn about fixing flats, replacing chains, adjusting brakes and troubleshooting bike problems.

For more information and to register, visit www.viecycle.com/upcomingcourses

Check out www.bikesnotbombs.org to see what this great organization is up to. Dates:
​October 9 & 10
7:00pm - 9:30pm

​Location:
Bikes Not Bombs
284 Amory Street
Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

Tuition: $60

Register at www.viecycle.com/upcomingcourses

*Women+ includes people who identify as female, trans, intersex, queer and gender non-conforming. Basically, all those folks who aren't represented in the Tour de France. If you aren't sure if the "women+" label includes you, please contact us!

From the Community

Regis Students Work to Raise Awareness and Recruit Volunteers for Bikes Not Bombs

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Students at Regis College recently hosted an on-campus awareness and volunteer recruitment event recently for Bikes Not Bombs, a 501c(3) non-profit organization based in Jamaica Plain. Students in the Introduction to Public Relations class arranged for Bikes Not Bombs to bring in a stationary blender bike that students could ride and make a free smoothie if they agreed to volunteer for the organization, share the information on social media or donate in some form (funds, bike parts or a used bike). On November 18, more than 100 students attended the event and learned about Bikes Not Bombs' commitment to using bicycles as a vehicle for social change. Students learned how the non-profit uses bicycles to initiate opportunities for employment, scholarships, mentorship among youth and community members in the Boston area, as well as in developing nations. Attendees received information regarding how Bikes Not Bombs uses bicycles as a source for increased mobility, creating employment, providing an emissions-free alternative energy source and for policy and infrastructure changes.

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JP residents at the People's Climate March, September 2014
Environment

People’s Climate March, NYC: Jamaica Plain Was There

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Hundreds of Jamaica Plain residents were among the estimated 400,000 participants in this weekend's People's Climate March in New York City. Here is a roundup of photos from JP people and organizations who made the trip. [View the story "Jamaica Plain Represents at Climate March" on Storify] [selfie]

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