In this time of significant disruption of all Brookline and Boston area residents, our Brookline Thriving women, most living in public housing facilities, are facing enormous challenges, not being able to work, worrying about childcare for their children, worrying about having enough food and much more.  Women Thriving’s Leadership Corps is comprised of seven highly motivated and involved women who are now taking on much greater responsibilities in their work with Thriving, charged with reaching out to other Thrivers, friends, neighbors, and others who are struggling greatly.  Women Thriving received some initial, start-up funding from the Brookline Community Foundation for training and very small stipends for our group.   However, in this difficult time, the group has agreed to step up far beyond original expectations in order to support other women in need, faced with the stress of isolation and worry about caring for themselves and their families on a day by day basis.  The group will not only continue their own training in leadership, technology use, public speaking, and more, they will most importantly be organizing and facilitating online (Zoom!) discussions with women in extreme need of opportunities for community, calm, laughter, troubleshooting, and resources. 

We are asking Brookline donors to contribute to a fund to support these women so they can truly focus on this important work, minimizing their constant worries about the wellbeing of themselves and their families.  Below is a brief introduction to this important group of women who already serve as an essential lifeline to others.

Bishnu Tamang is from Nepal where she was a teacher. Bishnu has been living in Brookline for the last five years, working first as a cashier at CVS, and also as a medical translator in Nepali since January 2019, and now starting a new job at Wegman’s. She is the single mother of a seven-year-old son, who like other children, is at home full time for at least the next few weeks.  She has managed to take nearly all Thriving workshops to develop her skills and has represented Thriving at fundraising events and in her outreach work within her community at 22 High Street.  She also serves on the Women Thriving Board of Directors.

Carline Fisher.  Carline, born in Jamaica and a single parent to five children, does outreach and recruiting for Thriving at 22 and 226 High Street.   She is trained as a chef and works as a home health assistant.  This winter, she and Bishnu have conducted monthly “get to know you” Bingo nights in these public housing facilities. Carline has also used her public speaking ability to emcee Listening and Learning Dinners, tell her story at fundraisers, and participate in a BIG TV panel show about Thriving that appeared on Brookline cable television.  She serves as a member of the Women Thriving Board of Directors.

Rossandry Rivera.  Originally from the Dominican Republic, Rossandry has lived in Brookline for 14 years, raising three children, ages 14-18, all attending Brookline public schools. As a women of color she believes her voice and many others’ voices are valuable in bettering her community. She has been involved in Thriving since 2012, attending many dinners and workshop series, and providing essential language support for Spanish-speaking participants at dinners and within the Preparing for Employment and the Healthy Eating and Cooking Workshop Series.  Since late 2019, she has co-led the Latinas Unidas group in Brookline, allowing a space for Latinas to come together and learn from one another. 

Isabel Griffin.  Isabel, originally from the Dominican Republic, is the mother of four children and has lived in Brookline since 2013.  She is thankful to be part of Women Thriving and to help provide support to the community.  She has attended Thriving community dinners and participated in the Healthy Eating and Cooking Workshop Series and been a regular contributor at the BU Healthy Cooking program.   Along with Rossandry and Iranya, she co-leads the Latinas Unidas group, that has gathered monthly for activities and group discussions, helping to build and expand this welcoming community.

Iranya Rivera.  Iranya, originally from the Dominican Republic, is the mother of two daughters, 9 and 14 years old, and is expecting her third child at any moment.  She has lived in Brookline since 2007.  In that year, she began to advocate for her daughter, getting her the health treatment she needed.  Iranya joined the Boston Public Health Commission’s Parent Council and participated in several parenting classes, nurturing groups, and trainings which prepared her to become a Community Health Worker.  She created from scratch a Parent Support Group for Hispanic parents of adolescents dealing with drug use.  Iranya’s passion is to support and empower other women to be able to advocate for their families’ needs.  She currently co-leads the Latinas Unidas group in Brookline.

Judith Stroum.  Judith does communications and evaluation work for Women Thriving, Inc. and has been a participant in Women and Girls Thriving in Brookline since 2015. Judith credits initial Thriving workshop series, including Surviving and Thriving and the video series, Women Moving Forward with helping her develop confidence in engaging with others and using her excellent writing and editing skills.  Judith is co-leader of the Access and Information Sharing Working Group, and serves on the Fundraising Group and the Healthy Food and Lifestyle Working Group. She facilitates focus groups for evaluation, writes a Thriving newsletter twice a year, and regularly does public speaking at community and fundraising events.  In 2017, Judith co-led Thriving’s panel presentation at the Collective Impact Convening in Boston where she spoke in front of an audience of over eighty people. Her lived experience as a low-income woman strengthens her commitment to the women she works with and the work she does, and she looks forward to growing further with the organization. Judith raised her two children in Brookline and now has two grandsons.

Paula Torres.  Originally from Portugal, Paula has lived in Brookline for twenty years and is fluent in Portuguese, Spanish, and English, and for the last year works for a local mortgage company as a business development specialist. She has been involved in Thriving for the past four years taking workshops, emceeing dinners, and offering her translating skills whenever she can. She actively recruits other Spanish-speaking women to participate in Women Thriving activities and serves on the Women Thriving Board of Directors.  Paula is married and has two sons who attended Brookline schools.

We hope that you will support this incredible group of strong, resourceful women by donating to Women Thriving so that they can be paid more for the important work they do during this difficult time.

OUR FUNDRAISING GOALS TO EXPAND SUPPORT FOR THE LEADERSHIP CORPS

  • $3,500 – Stipends to expand training
  • $1,200 – Personal coaching
  • $18,000 – Increase in work/internship stipends

DONATE HERE

https://www.womenthrivingma.org/donate

Questions or Ideas?

Please contact:

Ann Brackett, President

Women Thriving Board of Directors

annbrackett@womenthrivingma.org

(978) 460-1584