Medford Resident Takes Center Court At Celtics Game For Her Nonprofit Efforts

MEDFORD, MA — A resident was honored by the Boston Celtics earlier this month for her work as a local nonprofit leader.

Ari Barbanell is the Executive Director of Circle of Hope, an organization that works to provide essential supplies such as clothing, shoes, bedding, and hygiene products to homeless shelters throughout the region. It was founded in 2008 by Barbara Waterhouse, with Barbanell succeeding her as the leader of the organization in 2021. Barbanell took to center court during a break in the Celtics game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday, March 1 as the game’s designated “Hero Among Us.” Barbanell described the experience as overwhelming and one she will not soon forget.

“To stand at center court and hear such kind words about the work I am lucky to do was a once in a lifetime experience. The process involved being nominated, apparently a few people shared my work and the Celtics Community engagement team did research and chose me as an honoree,” Barbanell told Patch. “The Celtics community team does amazing work in Greater Boston and cares deeply about giving back.”

She added that she is excited about the opportunity of forwarding her Circle of Hope’s mission with the help of the connections she made through the event.

Barbanell’s background is in performing arts and producing, and she worked in nonprofits that promoted the arts prior to coming to Circle of Hope. She emphasized how the transition to her current role may seem odd from the outside, however she found she was soon in familiar territory.

“It may seem strange to have shifted into working in homeless services, but there is a big connection in how you gather and rally people to care about something important,” Barbanell told Patch. “And the work I did to make performance events in the community really helped me to be able to gather people to care and work towards an impact on homelessness.”

Barbanell was also honored for being the co-founder of Boston’s Winter Walk, which has raised more than $2 million to combat housing insecurity since it began in 2016.

The Medford community has supported Barbanell's cause in many forms. She said her fellow residents never fail to contribute to an initiative she is involved in.

“One of my favorite times was when I shared on a community group that I needed help gathering baked pies for a thanksgiving event with a group of homeless service providers, and so many local people I have never met in person rallied together and got me 30 pies in no time at all,” Barbanell said. “Also, there is a wonderful community of friends I have here in Medford who volunteer and work on so many of the efforts I work on.”

The Heroes Among Us award has been presented to an individual or group at each Celtics home game since 1997.

See Also:

Medford High School Gets New MCAS Testing System Approved

1 Person Injured In Medford House Fire

Medford Launching City Beautification Initiatives For Spring 2026

MBTA Police Believe Criminal Charges Warranted For Driver Of Medford Bus Crash

Small Owl Found Injured In Medford

2 Arrested After Physical Altercation And Stabbing In Medford

Malden Teacher And Coach Charged With Rape Pleads Not Guilty

Vehicle Crashes Into Medford Donut Shop