Fighting the battle against addiction. The Reliant Foundation has donated $51,360 to assist with renovations at Channing House, a Worcester-based, addiction recovery home for men run by Advocates. Pictured at the check presentation at Channing House are (l-r): Beth Helenius, Fallon Health/Reliant Foundation trustee; Noel Dennis, clinical program manager, Channing House; Diane Gould, president & CEO, Advocates; Kelsa Zereski, president, Reliant Foundation; Elizabeth L. B. Greene, Esq., Mirick O’Connell/Reliant Foundation trustee; Jessica Genna, executive administrative assistant, Reliant Foundation.
Addiction Recovery Home in Worcester Receives Donation for Updates and Renovations
Continued progress is being made in the fight against Opioid and other addictions.
Advocates, a leading provider of health and social services from central to eastern Massachusetts, received a $51,360 donation from the Reliant Foundation for renovations to the organization’s Channing House, an addiction recovery home for men. (Advocates also runs Linda Fay Griffin House, a similar facility for women.) The check presentation took place at Channing House, which is located in Worcester. The donation will help to renovate bedrooms and living spaces, as well as the conversion of a garage into a year-round exercise room.
“This is a major boost towards obtaining the funds needed to complete the renovations that will make Channing House a positive environment for our residents to complete their recovery,” said Diane Gould, LICSW, president and CEO, Advocates. “Without friends like the Reliant Foundation, Channing House would be simply a dream.”
Gould explained that Channing House was built in 1845 and is on the National Register of Historical Places. After many years of use for transitional housing, much of the facility was in poor condition and in need of renovation. For the past year, Advocates has been working to raise money for these critical renovations. With the donation from the Reliant Foundation, Advocates stands at about 90 percent of its fundraising goal for this project.
Kelsa Zereski, president of the Reliant Foundation, explained that during the Foundation’s recent “Drive for a Difference” charity auction, a special “Fund a Need” auction round was conducted to support Channing House. This resulted in the $51,360 being raised and donated to the renovations fund.
“We’re fortunate to have benefactors who believe in the Foundation’s mission to improve the health and well-being of people in our service area,” said Zereski. “It’s obvious that there is great support for Advocates and what they’re doing to address critical community health issues such as the Opioid crisis through programs like Channing House.”
For more information about Channing House, Linda Fay House, and other Advocates programs, visit www.advocates.org, or call (508) 628-6300.
About Advocates:
Advocates is a community-based, non-profit organization dedicated to helping people with significant developmental, mental health, addiction, or other challenges engage in meaningful work, obtain and keep decent housing, sustain satisfying relationships, and achieve good health. Each year, Advocates provides a wide range of services to 22,000 people throughout Central and Eastern Massachusetts. Many of Advocates programs are located in Worcester County, including 11 fully-staffed group homes for adults with disabilities. For more information about Advocates, visit www.advocates.org.
About Reliant Foundation:
Established in 1988 as a public charity, the Reliant Foundation (formerly operated as the Reliant Medical Group Foundation) is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the health and well-being of individuals of all ages in the Central and MetroWest regions of Massachusetts. As a 501(c)3 charity, the Foundation offers grants to non-profit organizations within its service area for the purpose of supporting programs that battle critical public health issues like the opioid epidemic, children’s mental health and childhood obesity. For more information, visit www.reliantfoundation.org.
