CEO’s Corner - Dr. Louis Josephson

One of the things I’ve most enjoyed about my first 10 months here at Bay Cove is getting to know our staff, as well as many of the people who receive services in our programs. I am consistently impressed with the extraordinary work both groups do, day in and day out.
In speaking with—and, more importantly, listening to—staff members and service recipients, a few consistent themes have emerged. We have an incredibly talented staff, who are as committed to helping the people they serve as any that I’ve seen in my 30+ years

working in this field. And Bay Cove’s reputation of providing person-centered, compassionate care is well deserved.

But another point I’ve heard consistently is that we can, and must, do better. Staff and clients alike are well aware that the healthcare and human services “systems” in our country are woefully inadequate, and do little to offset the impact of poverty, injustice, and stigmatization. While Massachusetts is a leader in the efforts to address these issues, we still have a long way to go.

With this in mind, the senior leadership team and I have undertaken a process to create a strategic vision for Bay Cove that will guide us in the years ahead.

As part of this process, we sought input from a broad range of staff members and service recipients. We held three virtual “Town Hall” meetings, which were attended by a total of 221 staff members. To enable more indepth discussions, we held 10 focus groups of up to eight staff members each. And, we also held four focus groups with people we serve in our mental health services, developmental services, homeless services and addiction services programs.

All of this input was invaluable as we developed and refined the following vision:

Bay Cove proudly serves people with the most complex challenges. Our experience, size and scope uniquely positions Bay Cove to lead our field toward innovative solutions for the people we serve. We will build these solutions by enhancing synergies between existing service lines, as well as developing a “Center for Excellence” to test innovative approaches that demonstrate value to funders and industry leaders. This vision will only succeed if it is built on a commitment to social justice, and the active promotion of diversity, equity and inclusion in everything we do.

This vision is built on four pillars, with the people we serve at the center, as illustrated below:

 In late February, our Board of Directors discussed these concepts, and endorsed moving forward in constructing a full strategic plan designed to realize this vision. Our leadership team is now working to create this plan, which will be completed in the coming months.

 As we roll out the plan, there will be a big part for you, and all of our friends, to play. Realizing our vision will only be possible with your continued generosity and your help in expanding the community of Bay Cove supporters. There will be much more to come on this, but please feel free to reach out to me or our SVP of Development, David Hirschberg, in the meantime with any questions or comments.

I could not be more excited about the promise of our ambitious strategic vision. I could not be more grateful for your support as we work to make it a reality. And, I could not be more confident that our staff has the talent, expertise, and commitment that will enable Bay Cove to not only provide even better services for the people who turn to us for help, but also serve as a leader in transforming the delivery of human services in Massachusetts.

Bay Cove’s Chelsea Commons Program: A Special Place to Call Home

On January 26, Bay Cove was proud to join the Massachusetts Housing & Shelter Alliance (MHSA) and all our community partners in Chelsea to celebrate recent renovations to our permanent supportive housing program, Chelsea Commons.

The open house brought together residents, staff from Bay Cove and MHSA, and community stakeholders at this former YMCA building that has been converted into a lovely, welcoming home for more than 50 men who were previously experiencing homelessness.

Guest speakers included Joe Finn, President/Executive Director of MHSA; Chelsea City Council President Leo Robinson; Property Owner/Developer Jim D’Amico; Alex Train, AICP Director, Housing and Community Development for the City of Chelsea; Dan Cortez, Community Engagement Specialist from the Chelsea Police; and our own Chief Operating Officer, Carley Lubarsky.

Pictured, above (l-to-r): Bay Cove’s Director of Permanent Housing Services Theresa DiPietro, Vice President of Addiction and Homeless Services Sarah Coombs, Chief Operating Officer Carley Lubarsky, and Senior Director of Housing and Homeless Services Theresa Young.

A Conversation with Fritz Gustave, Director of People and Belonging

Bay Cove recently added a key member to its Human Resources team, with the hiring of Fritz Gustave (pictured, right) as the agency’s Director of People and Belonging. In this role, Fritz will be working on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives across the organization.

Fritz comes to us from Dana-Farber, where he served as the Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Project Manager, and designed and co-led the implementation of a DEI learning curriculum. Fritz also spent two years at the Department of Mental Health, serving as the Manager of the

Office of Race, Equity, & Inclusion, and prior to that worked for the Boston Public Health Commission. Fritz recently sat down to speak with the Bay Cove News about his new position, and the part he’s hoping to play as Bay Cove continually expands efforts to make the agency a safe and welcoming workplace, and one that offers the same access to opportunities for all our staff. 

Q: Director of People & Belonging is a relatively new position within Bay Cove. How would you describe your job and your key responsibilities?

A: Well, at its core, my job is very much about Bay Cove’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion initiatives and working to grow and further them. However, I’m not a one-person DEI army, and I can’t do anything in a vacuum. To achieve equity in an organization, it needs to be woven into every fabric. So, I mostly look at my role as that of a facilitator—I want to act as a resource, a consultant and an advocate, partnering with other people to help Bay Cove reach a place where everybody feels like they have equal opportunities, and that their concerns and feelings are heard.

Q: What was it about Bay Cove that sparked your interest in coming here and taking on this role?

A: I’ve worked in the human services field in Massachusetts for some time, and knew about Bay Cove from my time with the Boston Public Health Commission and the Department of Mental Health. People in this field have always know Bay Cove as a major player, and a place that really does a great job meeting the needs of the people they serve.

And once I was able to come in and discuss the position, and DEI as a whole, with leadership, I quickly realized that there a great deal of alignment with how I saw the subject. And I was struck by how much appetite there was at Bay Cove for this sort of work—there was complete buy-in from leadership, and that’s what you need to succeed. I really felt, from those discussions, that Bay Cove has it in us to become a beacon within the industry.

Q: What are the biggest challenges implicit in doing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion work and getting organizations to do the hard work of improving DEI?

A: I think the biggest challenge is that people struggle to discuss the subject because it gets each of us thinking about how we contribute to societal inequities—which is something we don’t often take the time to consider. Some folks struggle with it, and it’s hard to reconcile that discussing it doesn’t mean they’re being targeted. It’s not a bad thing—it’s a sign of growth. It’s like when you start going to the gym—as you start to train, it’s going to be uncomfortable, but you work through it in search of positive results. This is the same thing—you have to work through people’s defensiveness and discomfort. We all have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

It’s also a big subject to wrap our heads around, and it seems like a very overwhelming and unsolvable problem. But, honestly, just having discussions about diversity, equity and inclusion is an important first step that can lead to incremental change—and that’s how the change is going to come. Slowly.

Finally, I think a lot of people get wrapped up in the term “DEI,” and that leads to misconceptions and complicating what we’re really talking about. If it were framed as a discussion about fairness, consideration for each other, fighting for justice, and, really, just being good people who treat each other well… I mean, that’s something that people agree with!

Q: No doubt you’re developing longterm goals for your new position. Do you have a short-term goal that you’re focusing on as you get acclimated to Bay Cove?

A: My primary goal as I integrate into the agency is to talk to as many staff as possible. I want to make sure that employees know that they have a resource in me. I want people to share with me their thoughts on what we need to work on as an agency, and what personal experiences and feelings they have. Essentially, I’d love to create a feedback loop, where the things that are on people’s minds become the starting point for us to be able to effect agency-wide change. I’ve set up dedicated office hours for that very reason—because I want everyone here to feel they have a person to hear their perspectives and advocate on their behalf.

The 28th Annual Cutler Golf Tournament - Presented by Applied Underwriters Insurance

Good news, golf lovers: the final days of winter are upon us, meaning that it’s almost time to get out on the golf course again and start rounding that short game into form.

And we’re hoping that you get plenty of practice in this spring and summer, so that you’re ready to hit the links for a great cause come Tuesday, September 19. That’s when Bay Cove will be hosting our 28th annual George C. Cutler Memorial Golf Tournament, presented by The Applied Underwriters Insurance Invitational, in support of our Center House programs.

Once again, the Cutler will be taking place at the lovely Myopia Hunt Golf Club, and proceeds will benefit Bay Cove programs for individuals with psychiatric and intellectual disabilities.

Foursome sponsorships for the tournament are available for purchase NOW at www.baycovehumanservices.org/golf, where you can also learn more details about this fantastic annual fundraiser. Reserve your spot today, and we’ll see you in September!

Join Us for CASPAR’s Spring Event

This spring, we’re looking forward to coming together with members of the Bay Cove/CASPAR community to celebrate the impact of our work and the people we’re privileged to serve each day. We invite supporters old and new to join us on May 4, as we host Strengthening Our Community, the 2023 spring event for our CASPAR homelessness and addiction programs, at the MIT Museum in Cambridge.

The event will feature delicious food and drink, and guests will hear inspiring stories of hope—told by individuals who’ve seen their lives immeasurably enriched by CASPAR’s continuum of services.

At the event, we’ll also be proudly presenting our friends Mark Roopenian and Team DivcoWest with the CASPAR Catalyst for Change Award - which is given each year to recognize an individual and/or group who brings positive change to the community through their leadership in helping our most vulnerable neighbors.

Individual tickets to the event are $200, and can be purchased at www.baycovehumanservices.org/casparevent. Sponsorship opportunities for the event are also available by clicking here, or contact Julia Londergan at jlondergan@baycove.org for more information. We hope to see you in Cambridge on May 4!

25 Years of Fifty Families

This past December—as they have every holiday season since 1997—longtime Bay Cove supporter Tucker Smith (pictured, right) and a network of similarly-minded and generous individuals once again took on the heartwarming mission of providing holiday joy for the children and parents served by Bay Cove’s Early Intervention (EI) program. “They say it’s more blessed to give than it is to receive, and it really absolutely is true,”

says Tucker. “If people only knew the joy that comes from giving to people who truly need it.“

Each year, the families in our EI program—many of whom also struggle with severe financial hardships—receive holiday presents, grocery gift cards and other items needed to make the holidays bright from Tucker and her ever-growing team through the “Fifty Families” initiative.

“Fifty Families started when my husband and I learned that there were unanswered letters to Santa at the postal annex, and we decided to go get a couple of them and fulfill the requests,” Tucker, a longtime resident of Lincoln, recalls. “Not long after that, we were attending church at First Parish, and [fellow parishioner] Dan Boynton got up and began speaking about the agency he had founded—Bay Cove Human Services—and its EI program. I couldn’t wait for him to finish, so that I could run up to him and ask him whether we could supply Christmas for the people in the program!”

The answer, of course, was yes, and Tucker recruited her inaugural group of “elves” to make holiday wishes come true. The EI staff would send the group the names and ages of children in the program, and Tucker’s team would get to work shopping for gifts that could—in her words—feed “the hand, the head, and the heart.” “I always thought that the children should receive a toy, a book, and something soft—like a stuffed animal or blanket,” she explains.

Today, the name “Fifty Families” is a misnomer in every possible way. Originating from a desire to be able to serve 50 EI families, there are currently more than 100 families who participate in the giving of gifts, and, in 2022, 193 individuals served by our EI program received holiday gifts.

Year after year, the Fifty Families program has grown, as the original givers have recruited their friends to join the effort. As time went by, participants have been able to involve their growing families to be part of the process, teaching valuable lessons about kindness and giving back to a new generation.

And each December, a massive caravan of vehicles would make their way from towns throughout MetroWest and beyond to our Child Development Center in Dorchester to drop off carload after carload of brightly-wrapped packages tied up in ribbons and bows.

Amanda Kasica—currently Director of the EI program, and a former Service Coordinator—remembers how she and her fellow staff would watch as the EI facility turned into a faithful recreation of Santa’s Workshop. “We would see our offices filled with these amazing packages,” she says. “We would stop and stare at the sheer magnitude of the generosity—it was overwhelming and emotional. To see this sort of kindness for the people we serve is truly powerful.”

The gifts always came to EI in a burst of color, but were delivered by service coordinators to the recipient families in black trash bags—to help preserve the holiday surprise for the children, and also to offer families the opportunity to give the gifts in the manner of their choosing. “These gifts are never from us,” Tucker says. “There are no tags on them—it’s the parents’ decision whether the gifts are from them, or from Santa, or from whoever they choose.”

Amanda also notes that the Fifty Families generosity extends beyond just the children being served by the program. “Tucker and the group decided pretty much from the start that they would be providing gifts to the parents, as well—and any siblings or other family members living in the home, which is so kind,” she says. “These parents have so many needs throughout the year, that they rarely have much opportunity to focus on what they can give their child for Christmas—and they themselves often get nothing at all. So, when they learn that there’s a gift for them, or for their other kids, it’s so unexpected and exciting. And they’re so grateful that somebody they don’t even know has thought of them this way.”

COVID has changed the Fifty Families process somewhat—over the last few years, precautions about gathering together in large groups, and a move away from in-person shopping, has translated to Tucker and her team shifting to mostly donating giftcards instead. Tucker and Amanda hope that by the time next December rolls around, the circumstances will be right to once again allow groups of volunteers filled with holiday spirit the opportunity to come together, celebrate, and experience the EI program in person and hear directly from staff about the true impact of this generosity. Until then, though, Tucker says that the messages that she receives from recipient families are reminders of why she and her team continue the effort.

“Over the years, I’ve met some of the families, and had thank-you letters forwarded to us, which are always very heartwarming for us to receive,” Tucker says. “This has just become something that’s so special for everyone who gets involved. I have people who’ve moved out of state and still get in touch every year about staying involved and participating. Every year, I hear from members of the group that, for them, Fifty Families time is when the holiday season truly begins.”

Go Team Bay Cove!

Bay Cove is thrilled that we will once again be fielding a team of amazing athletes in one of the world’s most acclaimed sporting events, as Team Bay Cove 2023 will take to the streets on April 17 to run the Boston Marathon as a way of raising awareness of our programs and services, as well as raising funds to help support the critical work we do.

Through the continuing support of our friends at the John Hancock Marathon Non-Profit Program, Bay Cove has received six bib numbers for this year’s marathon. The members of Team Bay Cove 2023 who will be running the 26.2 miles from Hopkinton to Boston are Kyle Chang, Lauren Easton, Dan Goodman, Elizabeth Mahoney, Andrea Schussler and Kallie Villemaire.

Kallie, Kyle, Dan and Liz are all first-time members of the team, while Lauren and Andrea are veterans returning to once again show their support for Bay Cove.

It’s always extra exciting within the agency when we have a runner on Team Bay Cove that is also a member of the Bay Cove staff, and this year, that dedicated runner is Kallie (pictured right), who works in our Adult Community Clinical Services (ACCS) program, as the Assistant Integrated Team Director of ACCS Team 5. We were glad to have the recent opportunity to catch up with Kallie as she enters both the training and fundraising home stretch.

Is this your first Boston Marathon?
My first Boston Marathon, and my first marathon of any kind!

Why did you want to run the Boston Marathon for Bay Cove?
As someone who works in ACCS, I see Bay Cove’s mission in action daily with the people I support. I enjoy running and thought that fundraising and training for a cause that I care deeply about would be a great overall experience.

What most excites you about running the Boston Marathon?
The thing that excites me most about running Boston is the opportunity to get to run in such a fun environment that has a long legacy. I am also very excited about the training process and pushing myself to new limits.

If you were a superhero, which one would you be, and why?
I would be Dash (from “The Incredibles”) so I could run the marathon extremely fast, and then enjoy watching everyone!

What’s the first thing you’re planning to do once your training is done?
I plan to treat myself to a big meal, and then look into getting a massage and pedicure.

This year, Kallie and the rest of Team Bay Cove have set a goal of raising $70,000 from their Marathon run. We hope you’ll consider spreading the word about our team within your own communities, including sharing the team’s fundraising page: www.givengain.com/cc/teambaycove2023. And visit www.baycovehumanservices.org/marathon over the next month for the latest updates about the Team’s training efforts and special fundraising events, as our runners work their way toward the finish line.

Go, Team Bay Cove, go!!

Bay Cove’s Annual Gala Moved to Autumn 2023

Bay Cove’s Gala event—which has traditionally taken place in the spring—is moving to autumn. The event planning committee and the Development team are in the process of reimagining our signature fundraising event, with the goal of making it bigger and better than ever.

We would welcome your input in this process! Please click here to take a short survey or contact David Hirschberg at dhirschberg@baycove.org or 617 371-3167. 

More details to come in April!

Thank You For Supporting Our Winter Fundraising Campaigns

All year long, Bay Cove and CASPAR provide a range of essential services to people experiencing homelessness. When winter arrives, keeping those we serve safe and warm becomes even more challenging, and we rely more than ever on the support of our Bay Cove Community.

We’re profoundly grateful to everyone who exhibited amazing generosity this winter in contributing to our two major winter fundraising initiatives: Bay Cove’s Winter Warmth Holiday Fund and the CASPAR Give Homelessness the BOOT! campaign.

The Winter Warmth Holiday Fund was set up to provide holiday meals and gifts of needed items to people served by Bay Cove’s homeless services programs, family supports program, and permanent supported housing programs. The donations given to the Winter Warmth Fund helped make the holiday season itself brighter for individuals we serve, while also making it easier for them to negotiate the difficult winter months more comfortably and safely.

Our Give Homelessness the BOOT! campaign supported neighbors experiencing homelessness in Cambridge and Somerville. Donors who participated in the campaign sponsored a person in need (or, in the case of a number of generous local companies and organizations, sponsored multiple people), allowing CASPAR to provide winter boots, winter coats and other warm clothing to guests at CASPAR’s shelters and people served by the First Step Street Outreach Team.

We’re grateful to report that, with the generous support of individual and corporate donors, we were able to equip every individual we serve with these vital winter needs!

Our deepest gratitude goes out to the following organizations, who made this year’s boot drive a huge success through their donations and volunteer support: Albireo, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Intellia Therapeutics, John T. Ice Consulting, Jounce Therapeutics, and Orna Therapeutics. And a special thank you to all the many individual and anonymous donors who contributed, for the tremendous difference they made to so many this holiday season.

Finally, we’re grateful to everyone who supported the sixth annual Warm Hearts for Warm Feet sock drive conducted by the City of Cambridge. Organized once again by Cambridge Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui and Vice-Mayor Alanna Mallon—in partnership with the Cambridge Police Department and local retailers Cambridge Naturals, CambridgeSide and Hilton’s Tent City—this Valentine’s Day tradition helped collect warm wool socks to be distributed by CASPAR to our unsheltered neighbors.

We thank our generous supporters for all the caring, impactful ways that you’ve helped the most vulnerable members of our community this winter and beyond!

Smoking Cessation Study Yields Success

The November issue of Psychiatric Services (the official journal of the American Psychiatric Association) featured an article detailing outcomes from a clinical study which Bay Cove (and fellow human services agency Vinfen) participated in, in conjunction with Massachusetts General Hospital’s Center for Addiction Medicine. The study—on smoking cessation strategies for individuals with serious mental illness—was funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI).

Research has shown that people with serious mental illness are three times more likely to smoke tobacco than those without mental illness, and have a 25-year mortality disparity as a result. In the study, Bay Cove community health workers—acting as community-based supports for people with serious mental illness and their physicians—were able to double tobacco abstinence in participating clients by tripling the use of the smoking cessation medication varenicline. Our staff also had an effect on abstinence independent of medication, by addressing adverse social determinants of health with clients.

Chief Operating Officer Carley Lubarsky—who directly oversaw Mental Health Services during the time the study was conducted—remarked, “SO much work went into this study, and to see the results published is fantastic. The community health workers were an amazing group of young grads who were enthusiastic, motivated young professionals—and their ability to engage and be creative was a huge part of the study’s success.”