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By Steven H. Foskett Jr. THE TELEGRAM & GAZETTE WORCESTER — Victoria Reggie Kennedy told the audience gathered last night for the Worcester Community Action Council’s 45th anniversary celebration that the antipoverty organization is as vital today as it was when it was created as an outgrowth of President Lyndon B. Johnson’s War on Poverty. Ms. Kennedy, widow of the late Democratic Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, said her husband respected the work the Worcester organization does, and commended it for recommitting its efforts even as similar organizations are suffering in the tough economic times. “Some people said caring for the poor was a luxury we couldn’t afford, that…

Worcester Community Action Council, Inc, (WCAC) held its 45th Anniversary Celebration Event on April 28, 2010 at Mechanics Hall, Worcester, MA. WCAC’s 45th Event celebrated the many organizations that have helped to contribute to WCAC’s achievements over the years, along with key action heroes. This year’s Action Heroes recognized included: Unum, Seven Hills Foundation, Main South Community Development Corporation, Center of Hope, Energy All Stars, Smith & Jones, NSTAR Electric & Gas Corporation, Webster Five Cents Savings Bank, Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce and Education Foundation, Greater Worcester Community Foundation, and Charter-TV3. At the same time, WCAC was thrilled to announce the establishment of the Senator Edward M.…

Governor Deval Patrick speaks with WCAC Job & Education Center students Samuel Sierra and Emilio Campos on a March 18, 2010 visit to Worcester.

On Wednesday, December 16, 2009, sixteen students, ages 16-24, from the Worcester Community Action Council, Inc. Job & Education Center (JEC), accompanied by the WCAC computer instructor, opened library cards at the Worcester Public Library to assist with their individualized career readiness program. Dr. Judy Finkel, JEC Project Director and President of the WPL Board of Directors, believes that this is a truly beneficial opportunity for these young people. “We have formed a perfect partnership. The library cards will enable the students to borrow from the full range of library resources, and, most importantly, at this stage of their job and career search, to provide access to the…

Jill Dagilis, WCAC Executive Director; Priscilla Holmes, Deputy Director; Steve Joseph, UNUM, Deb Penta, PENTA, Jennifer Roy, UNUM, and Chris Collins, UNUM (absent Cary Olson-Cartwright, UNUM). WCAC recently celebrated National Philanthropy Day by honoring PENTA Communications of Westborough and UNUM in Worcester. Hosted by the Central Mass Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals, Deborah Penta, along with Chris Collins, Steve Joseph, and Jennifer Roy of UNUM were presented with 2009 AFP awards. Deborah Penta, Founder and CEO of PENTA Communications, Inc., joined WCAC’s Board of Directors in 2007 because she was so compelled by the agency’s work to help 71,000+ income-limited people in 37 communities through 20…

(Left to Right) Brian Ngo, Samantha Giles, Nimo Yusuf, Sailaja Thavva, Benjamin Chow and Garrett Mason, MCPHS students 2009. Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) has always made community service a top priority among its students and college mission. MCPHS has incorporated a Service-Learning requirement to the Doctor of Pharmacy degree, which integrates community service with coursework and reflection to enrich the learning experience, teach civic responsibility, and strengthen communities. First-year students are required to select from several local nonprofit organizations to perform 20 hours of community service during their first trimester. Worcester Community Action Council, Inc. (WCAC) was fortunate to have the volunteer service of…

Congressman Jim McGovern at the Worcester Public Library with WIA Summer Jobs participants (Photo courtesy of Mike Reno) Congressman Jim McGovern saw firsthand how federal stimulus funding is helping young people gain employment experience. On August 4, 2009, he visited the Worcester Public Library where 12 young people are working for the summer doing library tasks such as shelving books, helping patrons access the Internet, clipping newspaper articles for the archives, and much more. The Worcester Community Action Council, Inc. is the lead agency for the summer jobs program in Central Massachusetts. With federal Workforce Investment Act funding through the Central Mass Regional Employment Board, the agency has…