August 16, 2021 by Laurie Asmus for the Hingham Unity Council
Many Hingham residents may be surprised to learn that there is an adolescent group home in our community, but volunteers in the know have been quietly helping these neighbors in need. On Thursday, August 4, 2021, a group of green-thumbed Hingham volunteers turned up at the Bay State Community Services group home to help beautify the grounds for the teens to enjoy, fortified by generous donations from Clandestine Kitchen and Womanade South Shore.
Spearheading the effort, Bridget Galvin first learned about the home in December 2020 from a social media post asking for donations from the home’s Amazon wish list . After a lifetime of living in Weymouth and Hingham, she had never heard of the home located a short distance from her house. “I was determined to learn more and help,” said Galvin . “As a teacher in Boston for 24 years, I have experience with children in crisis and I knew that my neighborhood and town would want to help.”
Beal Street is an adolescent group home for transitional age youth focusing on independent living skills and permanency including family reunification. The home is a co-ed, 12-bed program that provides twenty-four-hour, out-of-home treatment for adolescents ages 15-20. The program coordinates and provides trauma-informed, youth-guided, and caregiver driven services in a residential, home-like environment. The length of stay for youth can vary depending on the time frame in which treatment goals are met.
Hingham Unity Council formalized the August 4th cleanup event and put the call out for help. Volunteers included Tracy Buckeridge, Lisa Carter, Rose Coyle, Susan Hollis, Nancy MacDonald, Kerry Ni, Barbara Nicosia, Courtney Orwig, and Susan Regan, among other volunteers. Womanade South Shore donated funds for landscape materials and Clandestine Kitchen donated delicious meals for both the volunteers and residents who chose to participate. Nona’s ice cream truck also stopped by to support the volunteers and residents.
Gay for Good Boston will pick up the charge on Wednesday , August 11th to start planting in the newly prepared beds.
“I’m very pleased and impressed at how Bridget has worked so hard to help these community members,” remarked Katie Sutton, co-founder of Hingham Unity Council. “They have been here quietly living amongst us for some time and do not always get the support they should, given the resources of our community.”
Other recent volunteer efforts have included the installation of a garden shed on the property by Patrick Fernandes, with help from Charlie Hollis.
There are still many ongoing needs to be met for this community within our community. Please reach out to Bridget Galvin at bgalvin@bostonpublicschools.org if you can assist with any of the following:
1) Replace or repair bikes (for teens ages 15-18)
2) Support with securing local jobs for the teen residents within biking/walking/bus distance
3) Academic support via zoom tutoring
4) Seasonal clothing
5) Financial support for hair care needs
6) Ideas and/or financial support for fun activities
7) Continue the landscaping work with Gay for Good Boston on August 11 - Sign up here
Direct donations to the program can be made here. If you would like more information about this life-changing youth program, please contact Bryna Rogers, Director for Community Relations and Development at 617-471-8400 ext. 171 or brogers@baystatecs.org. If you would like to learn more about Bay State Community Services, please visit www.baystatecs.org.