Cummings Employees Give $5,000 To 5 Andover Nonprofits

From Cummings: Cummings Properties, the Woburn-based commercial real estate company, just donated $484,000 to hundreds of local nonprofit organizations via its Employee Directed Giving program. Through this annual philanthropic initiative, employees are invited to select a local nonprofit to receive a $1,000 donation in their honor.

In Andover, five nonprofits received a collective $5,000 in funding: Andover/North Andover YMCA, Great Dog Rescue New England, Pike School, Run for the Troops, and South School PTO.

Now in its seventh year, the program is designed to give back in the areas where Cummings Properties employees live and work. In 2018, Employee Directed Giving benefitted 335 nonprofits in 99 local cities and towns.

New this year, the 140 colleagues with at least 10 years of seniority were invited to select a second nonprofit to receive an additional $1,000. The program was also expanded to include part-time staff with at least five years of seniority, whereas it was previously open to full-time employees only.

“This significant program expansion created even more opportunities for colleagues to think and talk about philanthropy, and to have a significant positive impact on local causes that are meaningful to them,” said Dennis Clarke, Cummings Properties’ chairman and CEO.

Andover resident Christina Berthelsen, grants and communications specialist at Cummings, directed her $1,000 donation to Andover’s South School PTO, on whose board she serves as vice president. Two of Berthelsen’s children attend the school, and in November alone, the PTO funded visits from Museum of Science, Plimoth Plantation, and Techsploration, among others, through its curriculum enrichment initiative.

“Museum of Science was able to set up a star lab, which really brought the classroom to life for the kids,” said Berthelsen. “There is a cost for such quality programming, so PTO funding is very important. We are so thankful for the opportunity to direct this significant donation to its programs.”

Each eligible organization can receive up to $5,000 per program cycle, allowing multiple staff members to choose the same nonprofit. Twelve recipients received the maximum $5,000 donation.

Employee Directed Giving is open to employees of Cummings Properties, as well as its affiliated retirement communities, New Horizons at Choate in Woburn and New Horizons at Marlborough. Selected nonprofits must meet a few eligibility requirements and be based in and serve Middlesex, Essex, or Suffolk County, or the city or town where the colleague lives.

More information, including the complete 2018 Employee Directed Giving recipient list, is available at www.cummings.com/edg.

Image via Cummings