Home » SMW17 Donates $20,000 to Children In Need

SMW17 Donates $20,000 to Children In Need

Christmas came early for hundreds of deserving children this year. We were proud to donated $20,000 for children across Boston at our annual Man and Woman of the Year Awards. Friends For Children, which was founded by Local 17 members, supports children who have been abused or neglected or who are suffering from disease and poverty.

We honored South Boston community leader Robert Pacitti and Brookview House CEO Deborah Hughes for their exemplary contributions to Boston’s underserved communities as Man and Woman of the Year.

“Every child should have clean clothes and food on the table. Every child should be able to do their homework in a safe place or play a sport or an instrument after school. Every child should have a safe place to sleep each night. This important work, carried out by leaders like Robert and Deborah, directly provides families the services and guidance to work their way out of poverty,” said Michael Burns, Local 17 Business Agent and Friends For Children President.

Sheet Metal Workers Local 17 member Lee Woodsworth founded Friends For Children in the mid-1970s. Since the foundation’s inception, dozens of community organizations have received funds from Friends For Children, including:

  • City Singers
  • Children’s Trust Fund
  • Cradles to Crayons
  • Elizabeth Stone House
  • Fitzgerald Community School
  • The Furbish Children Fund
  • The Gavin Foundation
  • Health Baby / Healthy Child
  • Holy Family Enrichment
  • Margaret Fuller Neighborhood House
  • MR8 Foundation
Thank you to all who came out and donated to a worthy cause.

For more information on Friends For Children, click here.