7 Wakefield Nonprofits Surprised With $13K For The Holidays

WAKEFIELD, MA — Seven local nonprofits were surprised with a collective $13,000 through Cummings Properties' Cummings Community Giving program this holiday season. The annual initiative invites employees to select a local charity to receive a $1,000 donation in their honor.

The Woburn-based commercial real estate firm donated $553,000 to hundreds of local nonprofit organizations. The Wakefield nonprofits selected this year were the Canterbury Children’s Center, Communitas, Galvin Middle School PTO, Odyssey Day School, Protection of Animals in Wakefield Society (PAWS), Wakefield Climate Action Project, and Wakefield Interfaith Food Pantry.

Cummings employees directed funds to 365 nonprofits in 102 local cities and towns. Now in its eighth year, the program is designed to give back in the areas where Cummings Properties team members live and work.

"One meaningful aspect of the program is that it is a broad company-wide initiative yet also deeply personal," Dennis Clarke, Cummings Properties chairman and CEO, said in a statement. "All colleagues – whether they were hired yesterday or 40 years ago – have the chance to make an individual decision that helps a local cause that matters greatly to each of them."

Cummings Properties contract manager Susan Ciccanesi and leasing officer Steve Cusano directed their $1,000 donations to Communitas, which provides advocacy and support services for local individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.

"Because of the experience I had as a former board member, Communitas will always be very special to me," Ciccanesi, who began working at Cummings in October, said in a statement. "When I saw that it leases space with Cummings, something immediately pulled at my heart. I was so glad to have this chance to rekindle my relationship with Communitas by directing a donation through Cummings."

Each eligible organization can receive up to $5,000 per program cycle, allowing multiple staff members to choose the same nonprofit. This year, 15 recipients received the maximum $5,000 donation

Cummings Community Giving is open to employees of Cummings Properties, as well as its affiliated retirement communities, New Horizons at Choate in Woburn and New Horizons at Marlborough. Colleagues with at least 10 years of seniority are invited to choose two nonprofits to receive $1,000 each. Selected nonprofits must meet a few eligibility requirements and be based in and serve Middlesex, Essex, or Suffolk County, or the city or town where the colleague lives.