2012 Social Innovators
Cooking Matters
Year
2012Social Issue Track
Food, Nutrition, and Fitness: Promoting Healthy Living for Children, Youth, and FamiliesSocial Issue Track Sponsor
The Trefler FoundationAbout Social Innovator
Share Our Strength’s Cooking Matters® Massachusetts (Cooking Matters MA) teaches families at risk of hunger how to get more food for their money and better nourishment from those foods. Cooking Matters MA partners with community organizations and volunteer culinary and nutrition instructors to provide food skills education that empowers families to make healthy choices and prepare affordable meals on limited budgets.
InnerCity Weightlifting
Year
2012Social Issue Track
Workforce Development: Skills and Support for Workers in Today’s EconomySocial Issue Track Sponsor
Highland Street FoundationAbout Social Innovator
InnerCity Weightlifting (ICW) improves the life trajectories of Boston’s youth at the highest risk for violence by providing compelling opportunities for them to avoid violence and choose productive paths. Using the sport of weightlifting to get gang-involved young people off the streets and into the gym, ICW builds meaningful relationships and a support network for each student.
LGBT Aging Project
Year
2012Social Issue Track
Healthy Aging: Engaging and Supporting Older Adults in Their CommunitiesSocial Issue Track Sponsor
Tufts Health Plan FoundationAbout Social Innovator
The LGBT Aging Project is the leading organization in New England dedicated to ensuring that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender older adults and their caregivers have equal access to the life prolonging benefits, protections, services, and institutions that their heterosexual neighbors take for granted
Science Club for Girls
Year
2012Social Issue Track
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education and Enrichment for Children and YouthSocial Issue Track Sponsor
Amelia Peabody Foundation and Microsoft New England Research & Development CenterAbout Social Innovator
Science Club for Girls (SCFG) is an out-of-school-time program for girls designed to increase their confidence and literacy in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). SCFG provides free programs that offer fun hands-on learning, teaching, and leadership opportunities, with adult scientists guiding girls from elementary to high school.
Tempo Young Adult Resource Center
Year
2012Social Issue Track
At-Risk Youth in MetroWest: Providing Adult Guidance and SupportSocial Issue Track Sponsor
The Sudbury FoundationAbout Social Innovator
Launched as a program of Wayside Youth & Family Support Network in Framingham in 2007, Tempo Young Adult Resource Center is a “one-stop” resource center to meet the challenges faced by young adults between the ages of 17 and 24 who are leaving state custody (approximately 650 per year in Massachusetts) and thus losing health care, housing, educational support, and mental health services. Tempo offers resources for all young adults, without eligibility restrictions, whether for help with one specific issue or for complex, interrelated goals such as preparing for employment, completing probation, getting behavioral health treatment, or securing a stable place to live.
WorkExpress
Year
2012Social Issue Track
Impact Investing: Scaling Social EnterpriseSocial Issue Track Sponsor
The Devonshire FoundationAbout Social Innovator
WorkExpress is a social enterprise that provides commercial maintenance and cleaning services to customers in southeastern Massachusetts. Operating within Father Bill’s & MainSpring (FBMS), a nonprofit organization providing shelter, housing, and services to meet the needs of the homeless, the purpose of WorkExpress is to help homeless men and women achieve self-sufficiency through regular employment and stable housing.
