Nonprofits

Events

Bread of Life’s Annual 5k Walk honors Tom Feagley

October 26, 2023 Sabrina Monteiro 0

By Sabrina Monteiro Bread of Life’s (BOL) annual 5k event took place on Sunday, October 1, 2023. Continuing BOL’s tradition of honoring someone new each term, this year’s walk was in memory of former Executive Director, and loving friend, Tom Feagley, who passed away last May. Feagley started out volunteering at the Saint Paul’s Parish Supper Program in Malden, a social time intended for members of the parish. He took note that many homeless individuals, who were not part of the parish, were showing up at the meals. Recognizing the apparent need, he went on to found the Bread of Life, managing supper and pantry programs for Malden and surrounding communities. The organization grew under three decades of his leadership. In later years and before his retirement in 2019, he worked to secure funding to build a permanent home for all of BOL’s programs. This project has now officially come to life as it is currently being constructed at 54 Eastern Avenue in Malden.  “Tom was very involved in the community…he was a lovely and […]

Arts

How my community benefits from immigration: The Immigrant Learning Center’s 2023 essay contest

September 6, 2023 Jamie Perkins 2

“It is simply impossible to act as if our ethical and other differences do not exist; however, we can learn to embrace one another’s customs and lifestyles instead of disregarding them. Our distinctiveness is, after all, what makes us human, and brushing these things aside will only end in ignorance.”  From “How Malden Benefits From Immigration” by Dina Genene, First Prize, The Immigrant Learning Center’s essay contest, 2022 By Jamie Perkins The Immigrant Learning Center in Malden, Massachusetts, holds an annual essay-writing contest that, according to their website, celebrates “the impact of immigrants and refugees.” The 2023 contest concluded with an awards ceremony at The Immigrant Learning Center on Monday, May 22. This year’s topic was “How My Community Benefits from Immigration.” All Malden High School, Everett High School, and Medford High School students can apply to the contest at no cost. Participants must write their essays in English but are not solely evaluated on English proficiency, and English learners are encouraged to apply.  The Immigrant Learning Center is a non-profit organization providing free English […]

Events

Malden Pride (not in) the Park: Fourth annual celebration of Malden LGBTQIA2S+ community

July 27, 2023 Jamie Perkins 0

“I love my city. I love my community. I love my neighbors gay, straight, and everything all around.” – Leilani Ricardo, The Malden Pride Coalition By Jamie Perkins On Sunday, June 25, Malden residents celebrated the LGBTQIA2S+ community at The Malden Senior & Teen Enrichment Center. Originally advertised as “Malden Pride in the Park,” the event was scheduled to occur at Coytemore Lea Park but was relocated due to weather concerns. The coalition’s website describes Malden Pride as “an afternoon of celebration, joy, and education” that centers “the diversity, history, and future of our community.”  The Malden Pride Coalition began in 2020 with a group at the First Parish of Malden Unitarian Universalist Church. Since its origination, the coalition has grown and is no longer officially affiliated with the church. The organization is currently working toward achieving nonprofit status.  The Malden Pride Coalition saw a “tremendous response” from the community this year, said Aisha Cruse, one of the coalition’s founding members. Along with community partners such as Mystic Valley Salon and Boston Pole Fitness, the […]

Business

Plans for new behavioral health facility move forward

June 21, 2023 Shannon Garrido 0

Shannon A. Garrido It’s been over two decades since Hallmark Health officially closed Malden Hospital, effectively leaving residents on the Medford line to deal with the vacant property. After years of failed plans aiming to finally develop the former hospital, Tufts Medicine and Acadia Healthcare Company announced on June 30, 2022 that they are planning a behavioral health facility on the site. The joint venture is set to build a 144-bed inpatient facility that will address the critical need for accessible behavioral health services for patients of all ages in the Greater Boston area. Amanda Linehan, city council representative for Ward 3, where the site is located, explains that the residents are keen on developing the site as well as preserving part of the land.  “When I was going door to door asking folks what ‘would you like to see there?’ It was a mixture of preservation,” says Linehan. “[Others] would say, ‘it was great having a community hospital there, I wish we could have some type of health care or public health use.” Mayor […]

Events

MTEC Brings Malden Teens to Cardigan Lodge

May 1, 2023 NeighborhoodView 4

By Zhi Zhu Nineteen lucky Malden teens were in for a treat last February as the Malden Teen Enrichment Center (MTEC) took them on a three-day excursion to Cardigan Lodge in Alexandria, New Hampshire. MTEC had announced in January that they were organizing a trip for the winter break. Due to high interest, the center chose teens on a first-come-first-served basis. Those selected were Allison Yu, Nikki Blue, Nasuh Kacmaz, Jelani Tah, Matteo Tah, Jason Chen, Emilee Tortorella, Slade Harding, Francis Doza, Julianna Lin, Archer Ou, Makeila Scott, Darian O’Brien, Kaneli Kaukko, Sabrina Dangervil, Cheryl Pidakala, Gurudit Thakur, Hasnaat Khan, and Zhi Zhu. MTEC has organized many trips before, bringing teens camping in the summer and hiking during the spring. MTEC is able to provide teens the opportunity to go on trips like these through their ties with the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC) which provides training and outdoor gear. Jacob Mullin-Bernstein of the MTEC staff mentioned that AMC is a “huge organization, but they have a specific section of their organization known as ‘OLT’, Outdoor […]

Arts

Lunar New Year in Malden marked with joy and Chinese cultural flair

February 3, 2023 NeighborhoodView 0

By Jinghe Zhong, special to Neighborhood View MALDEN, MA — The Chinese Culture Connection (CCC) held its 14th annual Lunar New Year Celebration at Malden High School on January 14, 2022. For the Asian community in Malden, this was a momentous occasion. The event was finally presented in person after three years, bringing together hundreds of local residents and businesses of diverse cultural backgrounds. A spectacular lion dance performance by Wah Lum Kung Fu & Tai Chi Academy set the festive mood, and Mei Hung, Executive Director of the CCC, was joined by Malden mayor Gary Christenson to officially open the event. The nearly four-hour celebration featured over 20 performing groups and individuals from across the Greater Boston Area. A major highlight was Thousand Hands Guanyin, a large-scale dance performed by the Boston Chinese United Dance Group, whose members range in age from eight to 80. Together, they harnessed the power of dance to raise awareness of the importance of goodwill and selflessness in today’s society. There were also performances by students from the CCC’s […]

Contribute

How to help (close to home) this holiday season

December 10, 2022 NeighborhoodView 1

Are you looking for meaningful ways to give back this holiday season? Donating and volunteering locally has many benefits even beyond the most important of meeting local community needs.  Donating to a local food or toy drive or doing hands-on volunteering provides an opportunity to connect more deeply with one’s community and meet others who are spending their time giving back. Volunteering can also offer a different or broader perspective on one’s own life. The need for donations and volunteering is year-round, but giving back at this time could also help jump start a cycle of giving and volunteering during all seasons. Many sources support this notion around volunteering. The EF (Education First) blog states, “By immersing yourself in a community and surrounding yourself with people who are dedicated to bettering the world, you can learn so much about how the world works. You gain a unique sense of purpose by serving those around you, one which often manifests in other areas of your life.”  Malden is a community rich in nonprofits, service organizations and […]

Education

Community outreach project tackles heat resistance

December 7, 2022 Shannon Garrido 0

By Shannon A. Garrido Berges Extreme heat waves and dry summers are expected to become the norm in Massachusetts. Such extreme weather may pose significant health and safety concerns in cities like Boston, Everett and Malden.  “Extreme heat is the silent killer, [because] it is the number one extreme weather killer out of hurricanes, tornadoes, or flooding,” said Marissa Zampino, a community organizer for the Mystic River Watershed Association (MyRWA), who concentrates on extreme heat safety. “We simply do not have the cultural or social know-how nor do we have the infrastructure needed to deal with heat waves.” Zampino has partnered with Museum of Science, Boston, MyRWA, the Resilient Mystic Collaborative (RMC) and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) to develop the Wicked Hot Mystic project, This is a research project that developed detailed heat maps during the hottest days of this past summer to identify the neighborhoods most in need of heat safety interventions. The results are being used to help focus efforts to close heat safety gaps among communities in the Mystic River […]

Education

Indigenous wisdom, poetry and history guide community event at Malden River

November 15, 2022 annedr 1

By Anne D’Urso-Rose I know that our ancestors are really happy for the work that we’re doing. It’s been a 400-year fracture – with colonization and assimilation – and it’s really going to take all of us to come together, in ways like this, to bring balance back to the land and to the water. Andre StrongBearHeart Gaines, Jr. – Malden, MA, 9-24-22 As the country recognizes indigenous Peoples Month this November, Neighborhood View reflects on a recent community event that embodied the spirit of remembering, understanding and connecting with Native people, history and culture. “Words on the Water” (morning) and “Project Misik” (afternoon) was a combined day-long event on Sept. 24 in a spot along the banks of the Malden River that is generally hidden from public view. In that space, more than 200 residents, a sampling of Malden’s diverse community, gathered over the course of the day to take part in an Indigenous blessing ceremony, paddle canoes on the waterway, share a meal of Haitian food from “The Island” restaurant, and learn how […]