Cummings Employees Give $4K To North 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 North Andover, four nonprofits received a collective $4,000 in funding: Brooks School, Concerns of Police Survivors, St. Michael School, and Windrush Farm Therapeutic Equitation.

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

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.

Stephen Drohosky, vice president and general manager of Beverly’s Cummings Center, directed his $1,000 donation to Windrush Farm Therapeutic Equitation, an organization that provides therapeutic riding and equine-assisted activities for children and adults with special needs, veterans, youth at risk, and survivors of traumatic events.

“I chose Windrush because it gives individuals the opportunity to get outdoors, feel the wind, and see nature from the back of a horse,” said Drohosky. “Most of the visitors think they could never ride a horse, and when they actually do it, the experience can be a springboard forward. I understand that the founder was a pioneer in therapeutic riding centers, and her model is being used worldwide.”

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

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.

Cummings Properties manages a portfolio of 11 million square feet of commercial space in 11 suburban communities north and west of Boston.

Most of these properties are owned by Cummings Foundation, with 100 percent of all rental profits supporting hundreds of local charities. The Cummings organization awards $25 million annually to Greater Boston nonprofits, and it has awarded more than $225 million to date. More information is available at www.cummings.com.

Image via Cummings