Rui, Charlie and Dennis, coached by Jen Morin of amplifi, right, entertained guests at Spring Forward with CLASS, an annual fundraiser for the human services agency that raised $85,000 this year. The slide show at right shows Jannel, an individual supported in CLASS’s TREE program, painting a birdhouse, which went up for auction that night.
More than 150 people came together at the Spring Forward with CLASS fundraising event in April to support the human services agency and the work they do for adults with disabilities and autism, helping to raise $85,000 – the biggest event contribution total in the human service agency’s 43-year history.
“We are grateful to all of our sponsors, guests and auction bidders, the supporters who make our work possible, for stepping up and making this fundraiser a success,” said Alfred J. Frugoli, president of CLASS. “Our donors have made it possible for individuals we support to experience community inclusion activities; to develop active, meaningful engagement in their communities; and, especially, to learn and practice self-advocacy.”
The singing performance of Rui, Charlie and Dennis hit the high note for the evening, drawing a standing ovation from guests. Music teachers Jen Morin and Alan Bailey of amplifi, a music program for adults with disabilities at Real School of Music in Andover, have worked with more than a dozen individuals from CLASS on their singing, composing and stage presence for more than three years. An exhibit of CLASS’s handloom weaving enterprise and a painting demonstration were additional living stories that informed and inspired guests – thanks to community collaborators Social Catalysts Charitable Foundation and Essex Art Center.
“Guests were touched, so they were very active in bidding in our auctions because they wanted to show their support,” said Tracey Chalifour, director of Development at CLASS. “In the live auction, to satisfy our bidders, we doubled and tripled some packages, such as the North Conway four-day weekend and the City Slicker weekend in Boston, which included a two-night stay at the XV Beacon Hotel in Boston with dinners at Prezza and Mastro’s Ocean Club.
“We have members on our Board of Directors who are very involved in this event and who made this fundraiser so successful, and we’re very grateful to them,” she added.
Significant Cummings Foundation Sustaining Grant supports CLASS operations
Cummings Foundation awarded a $200,000 Sustaining Grant to CLASS, headquartered in Lawrence, a significant financial boost that will serve the human services agency for years to come.
“CLASS is honored and elated to receive this grant from Cummings Foundation,” said Alfred J. Frugoli, president and CEO of CLASS. “This grant gives us the ability to support operations in our Wilmington location, a Cummings Properties, where we support 60 individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and autism with community inclusion opportunities; job coaching, matching and placement; and daily living skills building.”
Cummings Properties, founded in 1970 by Bill Cummings, is a Woburn-based commercial real estate firm that leases and manages more than 10 million square feet of space, the majority of which exclusively benefits the Foundation.
“Cummings Foundation is determined to give back in the area where it owns commercial buildings, all of which are managed by its affiliate Cummings Properties,” said Joel Swets, executive director of the Cummings Foundation. “Cummings Foundation is very committed to the local communities where the staff and clients of the Cummings organization live and work. We are delighted to support very worthy nonprofits such as CLASS, who work tirelessly for the benefit of the population they serve.”
About CLASS
The mission of CLASS is to support, promote and facilitate the inherent rights of individuals with disabilities and autism to experience a life of opportunity for personal growth and active, meaningful engagement in their community.
In the mid-1970s, a group of families in the Merrimack Valley began to talk about opportunities for their children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Historically, options for families were limited to placing children in institutions or keeping them at home. This group of families had a vision that their children may one day live in a more homelike setting, be provided the opportunity to learn, grow, thrive, work and have rights like any other person. By 1976, those family members, along with community supporters, established the Citizen’s League for Adult Special Services – now known as CLASS. Its original enrollment was six sons and daughters. Today, CLASS supports more than 425 individuals and their families every day.
About Cummings Foundation
Joyce and Bill Cummings established Cummings Foundation, Inc. in 1986. At that time, Cummings Properties, the commercial real estate firm Bill founded in 1970, was thriving. The Winchester, Mass. couple decided they wanted to give back in the Greater Boston areas where the growing business operated and where its staff and clients lived. More than 600 organizations have benefited from their generosity.
Since then, Joyce and Bill have donated most of their commercial property to their foundation. Today, nearly all the buildings managed by Cummings Properties are owned by and operated for the sole benefit of Cummings Foundation. Clients who lease space at these properties can feel good about this business decision, knowing that “Cummings Buildings Power Charities.” See www.CummingsFoundation.org for additional information about their work and success stories.
Contact: Christina Berthelsen, Cummings Foundation,,
CLASS announces the launch of a sleek new website designed with easy and intuitive navigation for families, community partners, donors, employers, job seekers, government funders and the individuals we serve in mind: visually appealing and engaging pages with lots of information about the CLASS mission, our success stories, programs and services, plenty of news and FAQs, and an invitation to come for a tour.
“We spent more than a year developing just the right content with just the right look to interest everybody who wants and needs to know more about CLASS,” said Robin Ellington, director of Marketing. “We designed it to be inviting, so people will stay awhile and learn more. We’re reaching out to the wide variety of CLASS customers with the information they need to take that next step – enroll a loved one in a CLASS program, hire CLASS individuals for their company, apply for a job … all the signposts are here.”
In Lawrence since 1976 and with an additional program office in Wilmington, CLASS supports adults with autism and intellectual or developmental disabilities, their families and their caregivers. CLASS creates an inclusive environment by promoting people’s abilities, creating life-enhancing opportunities and developing community partnerships that contribute to life enrichment. The dedicated CLASS team of professionals supports families and caregivers by offering advocacy support as well as a range of services crucial to their loved ones’ success.
“We would welcome an opportunity to further acquaint you with our services, respond to your questions, and escort you on a tour,” said Alfred Frugoli, CLASS president and CEO. “We believe our organization is a valuable asset to the Greater Merrimack Valley, and our services and dedicated staff underscore our commitment to the communities we serve.”
TD Charitable Foundation awards Lifelong Learning grant to CLASS
Robert A. Harris, retired president and CEO of CLASS, left, was honored with a legacy fund set up in his name, the Robert A. Harris Lifelong Learning Initiative, supported by Eliot Klein, vice president and senior commercial lender, TD Bank, and Dan Griggs, Eastern Massachusetts market president, TD Bank. Alfred J. Frugoli, right, is the current president and CEO of CLASS.
TD Charitable Foundation, the philanthropic arm of TD Bank, has supported CLASS in Lawrence and Wilmington with a $2,500 grant to assist adults with autism and disabilities with lifelong learning and kick off a fund named after CLASS’s former leader, Robert A. Harris.
“We are very grateful for the continued support from TD Bank and their partnership for more than 10 years,” said Alfred J. Frugoli, president and CEO. “This donation marks the beginning of a fund we’ve set up to commemorate Bob Harris, who led CLASS for 38 years and retired in the spring. He developed CLASS’s programs and services based upon a belief that each individual has the right to realize their full potential. Funds raised for the Robert A. Harris Lifelong Learning Initiative place CLASS individuals in community activities as often as possible, so they can develop meaningful social relationships and engage with peers and mentors. We thank TD Charitable Foundation for supporting our mission and helping us redefine what’s possible.”
CLASS works with multiple community collaborators and businesses to build paths to independence and inclusion. One day may be spent exercising at the Y, with hippotherapy at Strongwater Farm, reading at the community library or finetuning artistic skills at Essex Art Center. CLASS’s community inclusion activities are designed to help individuals with autism and intellectual or developmental disabilities develop independent living skills, reduce their social isolation and increase their confidence.
“At TD, we take corporate social responsibility as seriously as every other facet of our business,” said Jerry Copsinis, vice president and field marketing manager at TD Bank. “The Ready Commitment, TD’s global initiative, provides grants to eligible organizations with innovative solutions. TD serves as a catalyst for a more inclusive future, so we’ve aligned ourselves with the Robert A. Harris Lifelong Learning Initiative for good reason. Community inclusion is everyone’s responsibility.”
CLASS programs receive a boost from this grant as government funding covers only daily activities under the roof, not extracurricular, experiential learning.
“Thanks to funding from donors, adults with disabilities now receive CLASS educational supports tailored to their ability,” says John Whittemore, senior director of Operations at CLASS. “We get creative and find out the skills each person has then take the initiative to introduce them to activities they enjoy more frequently. We immerse them in day programming including art, singing and performing, going to the library to read and use computers, and fitness classes, where creativity and an active lifestyle have been known to be therapeutic for people with intellectual disabilities, allowing them to focus and grow.”
About TD Charitable Foundation: TD’s purpose is to enrich the lives of their customers, communities and colleagues. The TD Charitable Foundation is the charitable giving arm of TD Bank, America’s Most Convenient Bank®, one of the 10 largest commercial banking organizations in the United States. Since its inception in 2002, the Foundation has distributed more than $193.8 million and more than 19,000 grants in charitable donations from Maine to Florida. The Foundation’s mission aligns with The Ready Commitment, a new multi-year program that TD launched in March 2018 to help individuals and communities prosper. As part of The Ready Commitment, TD targets US $775 million in total by 2030 toward community giving in four areas critical to opening doors for an inclusive tomorrow: Financial Security, a more Vibrant Planet, Connected Communities, and Better Health.
Grant from 3M supports CLASS’s community inclusion mission
Celebrating the $4,000 donation to CLASS’s community inclusion initiatives are Steve Testa, 3M Touch Systems plant manager; Tracey Chalifour, CLASS director of Development; Jean Gilmore, 3M Finance; and Lisa Pustis, 3M Human Resources.
A $4,000 grant from 3M Touch Systems in Methuen supports CLASS in Lawrence and Wilmington, “redefining what’s possible” for more than 300 adults with autism and disabilities in community inclusion activities.
“We’re very grateful for 3M’s continued support of CLASS and the opportunities this grant presents for community inclusion,” says Alfred J. Frugoli, president and CEO at CLASS. “Our programs and services are based upon a belief that each individual has the right to realize their full potential. This 3M grant supports community inclusion opportunities, such as our collaboration with Essex Art Center in Lawrence, that occupy individuals we support with new experiences.”
CLASS works with multiple community collaborators and businesses to build paths to independence and inclusion. One day may be spent exercising at the Y, with hippotherapy at Strongwater Farm in Tewksbury, reading at the local library or finetuning artistic skills at Essex Art Center in Lawrence or Look What I Made in North Reading. CLASS’s community inclusion activities are designed to help individuals with autism and intellectual or developmental disabilities develop independent living skills, reduce their social isolation and increase their confidence.
“3M helps to build sustainable communities through strategic investments and employee volunteerism,” says Steve Testa, 3M Methuen plant manager. “3M has a three-part investment strategy, with a focus on community, education and environment. We choose programs like CLASS that assure access to basic needs and prepare individuals for lifelong success, as well as increase individuals’ access to quality and diverse arts opportunities. This support of underserved families in 3M’s local communities is a good match for 3M’s investment strategy.”
“Inclusion helps everyone in the community develop socially, emotionally, psychologically and physically,” Frugoli adds, “and supports everyone’s abilities and goals.”
About 3M: 3Mgives improves lives and builds sustainable communities through social investments and thoughtful engagement of 3Mers worldwide. 3M was one of the first companies to establish a foundation in 1953, and since that time the company has contributed $1.45 billion in cash and in-kind gifts to community partners. 3Mgives continues to support initiatives that have a real impact in communities and that provide solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges. Our investments are more impactful because of partnerships with organizations with a proven track record for delivering results.
Media contact: Jean Gilmore, 3M Touch Systems, Methuen – or
