Please read below the press release just issued yesterday regarding the Mass. Nonprofit Network’s “excellence” awards. Congratulations to all of our Network partners for making this recognition possible!
Western Massachusetts Network Named Nonprofit Excellence Award Finalist
BOSTON- May 7, 2014 The Massachusetts Nonprofit Network (MNN) is pleased to announce that the Springfield-based Western Massachusetts Network to End Homelessness which serves homeless and at-risk individuals and families across Western Massachusetts has been selected as a finalist for the 2014 Nonprofit Excellence Awards for their success in collaboration. The Excellence Awards will be presented at MNN’s celebration of Nonprofit Awareness Day, a statewide holiday on June 9 that highlights the work of the nonprofit sector and raises awareness of causes throughout Massachusetts.
“Nonprofit Awareness Day was created to recognize the impact and importance of the more than 33,000 nonprofits and almost half a million nonprofit employees that provide invaluable services and are the cornerstones of our communities,” said Rick Jakious, CEO of the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network. “The Excellence Award finalists truly exemplify the most innovative, creative, and effective work being done throughout the Commonwealth.”
Excellence Award finalists are nominated by community members and peers and are selected by an independent panel of nonprofit leaders. This year, MNN received a record 209 Nonprofit Excellence Award nominations. Finalists will be recognized and winners will be announced at the Nonprofit Awareness Day celebration at the State House on June 9, presented by MNN and Citizens Bank.
The Western Massachusetts Network to End Homelessness creates collaborative solutions to end homelessness through a housing first approach that prioritizes prevention, rapid re-housing, and housing stabilization. The Secure Jobs Connect initiative, a recent example of the Western Massachusetts Network’s collaborative model, provided close to 200 parents of homeless families with employment. The project, funded by the Fireman Foundation, included major public and private partners across Western Massachusetts.
“We are thrilled that the work of ending homelessness in Western Massachusetts has received this attention and look forward to expanding the collaboration and innovation necessary to reduce homelessness,” said Pamela Schwartz, Director of the Western Massachusetts Network to End Homelessness.
Nonprofits across the state will also be engaging in a social media campaign on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram leading up to June 9 and will use the hashtag #nonprofitsmakesense to highlight their unique contributions to their communities. Details are available here.
About the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network
The Massachusetts Nonprofit Network (MNN) is the voice of the entire nonprofit sector in Massachusetts. MNN was launched in 2007 and is the only statewide organization dedicated to strengthening communities by serving nonprofit organizations through advocacy, public awareness, and capacity building. MNN has more than 625 member organizations, representing nonprofits in every part of Massachusetts, from the Berkshires to the Cape and Islands. For more information about the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network, visit www.massnonprofitnet.org
###
