Cummings Properties staff choose Reading charities for $10,000 in donations

The start of the holiday season is especially festive for Cummings Properties’ employees, who are each invited annually to select a local charity to receive $1,000 through the company’s Employee Directed Giving program. Six Reading nonprofits received a total of $10,000 this year: Burbank YMCA, Joshua Eaton Elementary School, Mission of Deeds, North Shore Skating Club, Sanborn Place, and Understanding Disabilities.

The Employee Directed Giving program, now in its third year, has resulted in $1,068,000 in donations to organizations that are making a difference in the communities where employees of the Woburn-based commercial real estate firm live and work.

Each eligible organization can receive as much as $5,000 per program cycle, if multiple staff members choose the same nonprofit. Cummings Properties leasing manager and Reading resident Ed Silvey is one of four staff members who selected Mission of Deeds to receive their 2015 Employee Directed Giving donations. The nonprofit provides beds, used furniture, and household items to families in need.

“My wife and I have personally supported Mission of Deeds for years because we know and appreciate how much this organization does for the community,” said Silvey. “To be able to provide this additional support, especially at this time of year, is very gratifying.”

Joshua Eaton Elementary School was also selected by more than one staff member, resulting in $2,000 in donations.

“Our colleagues feel good about being able to support local charities that mean something to them and their families,” said Dennis Clarke, Cummings Properties’ president and CEO. “And we feel good about honoring staff members in this unique way for their hard work and dedication.”

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

Staff members and their families often take photographs while making their check deliveries. This year, they have been invited to share them on social media, using #CummingsEDG.

Cummings Properties has a presence in 10 Greater Boston communities, including Woburn, which is home to its headquarters and several of its properties, including Cummings Park on Washington Street and the landmark TradeCenter 128 business campus.

Visit our website for more information, including the 2015 Employee Directed Giving recipient list.

PHOTO: Cummings Properties employees surprised Mission of Deeds Executive Director Bruce Murison with $4,000 worth of Employee Directed Giving donations the day before Thanksgiving. Pictured with Murison, from left to right: Lease administrator Mary Beth Soskin, construction liaison Tom Mulcare, Murison, communications director Joyce Vyriotes, and leasing manager Ed Silvey