Address
10 Street Name, City Name
Country, Zip Code
Get in touch
555-555-5555
mymail@mailservice.com
Follow us
News
The Rev. Terrlyn Curry Avery is the pastor at Martin Luther King Jr. Presbyterian Church. She has advanced degrees including a doctorate from Hofstra University and is interim executive director of the Healing Racism Institute.
Rev. Dr. Terrlyn L. Curry Avery, who pastors Martin Luther King Jr. Community Presbyterian Church in Springfield, Massachusetts encourages the public to head to Washington, D.C., for an in-person Moral March in The Poor People’s Campaign.
Springfield—The Healing Racism Institute (HRI) today announced the appointment of
The Rev. Dr. Terrlyn L. Curry Avery (TLC) as Interim Director of the initiative.
Killian Nutting, 11, loves art. He’s also passionate about fairness and equality. He recently decided to combine the two and create a powerful image of a rainbow combined with the title Black Lives Matter.
Now a standalone 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, board diversified, expanded
The Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts (CFWM) has announced a grant of $150,000, spread over the next three years, to the Healing Racism Institute of Pioneer Valley (HRIPV). The grant represents a significant contribution to the initiative’s capital drive to raise $1 million in commitments now to support and build capacity for the organization over the next three years. The multi-year strategic grant is part of CFWM’s ongoing commitment to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in workplaces and promote equitable growth in the region. The funding will support HRIPV’s capacity in engaging communities across the state of Massachusetts in its signature two-day training. HRIPV has been in existence since 2012 and has had over 1,000 community members participate in its programming. Funds from the capital drive have also allowed HRIPV to develop a comprehensive online and virtual series of trainings and programming. The Healing Racism initiative will also be resuming in-person training sessions in July. Members of the community interested in participating can learn more and register online at: www.healingracismpv.org . The first $50,000 grant to HRIPV will occur in July 2021. According to the Community Foundation, the multi-year funding approach will guarantee revenue stability while HRIPV meets demands for its services and continues its capital campaign efforts. Katie Allan Zobel, President and CEO of the Foundation, said, “As an alumna of HRIPV’s two-day anti-racism training, I know what a powerful experience it is. I have seen firsthand the transformation in the community that HRIPV has catalyzed. That is why the Foundation is investing in them to help expand their capacity for the future.” “We recognize the critical role HRIPV can play in creating shared understanding, connecting diverse members of our community, and dismantling systems that perpetuate inequalities. I’m optimistic about our partnership with HRIPV and encourage others to join us to work together toward a more equitable region,” she added. This award will also help HRIPV build its internal infrastructure and capacity to assist in ensuring HRIPV’s sustainability efforts. Paul Murphy, Chair of the CFWM Board of Trustees, said, “The Healing Racism Institute is a recognized leader in promoting anti-racism within the Pioneer Valley. We welcome the opportunity to partner with HRIPV in the expansion of its transformative program. We’re delighted to grant this funding as part of our commitment to invest and foster racial equity in our communities.” The Institute is led by Vanessa Otero, one of the co-founders of HRIPV and an original member of the Board until assuming the position of Interim Director of the Institute in 2020. Dr. Frank Robinson, Board Chair of the Healing Racism Institute of Pioneer Valley, said, “We welcome and celebrate this crucial grant for the important work we are doing to create more equitable communities and see the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts as a critical partner in that work.” About HRIPV The Healing Racism Institute of Pioneer Valley works to build a racism-free community. Founded in 2012, HRIPV has engaged over 1,000 individuals and 200 organizations across nearly 20 sectors through its signature two-day seminars held in the Pioneer Valley and in Greater Boston. The Institute provides a safe environment to learn about the impact of racism on communities and individuals and offers a process that is engaging and transformative. Learn more at https://www.healingracismpv.org/ . About Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts Founded in 1991, the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts seeks to enrich the quality of life for the people of our region. With assets totaling $200 million, CFWM supports the three counties bordering the Connecticut River in western Massachusetts (Hampden, Hampshire, and Franklin Counties) by serving as a resource, catalyst, and coordinator for charitable activities. To learn more, visit http://communityfoundation.org/ .
One of the most impactful aspects of the Healing Racism Institute of Pioneer Valley’s programming is the opportunity for people from different socioeconomic levels to come together to address their racial biases.
The Healing Racism Institute of Pioneer Valley (HRIPV) has announced that it has received a $300,000 grant from the MassMutual Foundation, serving as lead gift for the launch of a $1 million three-year capital fund drive for the Institute. The Healing Racism Institute of Pioneer Valley was formed in 2012; since then over 1,000 people from Western Massachusetts and throughout the state of Massachusetts have participated in its signature two-day Healing Racism program. HRIPV was formed as a result of the City2City of Pioneer Valley visit to Grand Rapids, Michigan in 2011 where area leaders discovered a similar model embedded in the Greater Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce. With the announcement of the MassMutual Foundation grant, HRIPV has reached $450,000 in commitments over the next three years, with substantial contributions coming from the Beveridge Foundation and The Irene E. & George A. Davis Foundation. The campaign is designed to help the Institute become self-sustaining as it works toward its stated goal of “building a racism-free Pioneer Valley.” Dr. Frank Robinson, Board Chair of the Healing Racism Institute of Pioneer Valley, states, “I speak for the Board and for the larger Healing Racism community in expressing our thanks to the MassMutual Foundation for their critical support of our work. We often speak of the toxic nature of racism; our approach of healing and understanding is making a difference in the communities and organizations where we are engaged.” Robinson continues, “Racism is overcome by changing hearts and recognizing our common humanity. We expect that this lead gift from the MassMutual Foundation, and their demonstrated commitment to help build stronger, more vibrant communities, will inspire others to contribute. This lead gift will help HRIPV to build the critical infrastructure necessary to move toward a racism-free region.” HRIPV recently established itself as a standalone 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and has also expanded its board, reflecting the diversity of the region. The United Way of Pioneer Valley serves as fiscal agent for the Institute. In addition to HRIPV’s signature two-day training seminars, HRIPV offers half and full-day board/staff training and cohort development whereby the Institute provides tools and training, allowing organizations to continue the internal process of examining racism and its impact on organizations and the larger community. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, HRIPV has developed a completely online curriculum to sustain and grow its reach and impact. Funding from the capital campaign will help the Institute identify a permanent home, add critical staff, expand facilitator training, and provide scholarships for individuals unable to afford participation in the two-day signature session and related programming. Holyoke Community College has served as a critical partner by hosting most of the two-day trainings over the past eight years of operation. “The Institute’s focus on delivering specialized education as a means to help eradicate racism is truly one of its strengths and why it has been such an effective partner for organizations in our community,” said Dennis Duquette, president of the MassMutual Foundation. “We are proud to support the capital campaign as a means to help scale the great work and positive impact of HRIPV throughout greater Springfield and the Pioneer Valley.” The Institute is led by Vanessa Otero, one of the co-founders of HRIPV and an original member of the Board until assuming the position of Interim Director of the Institute in 2020. Otero said, “We have arrived at a pivotal moment in our nation’s history. A moment in which more people than ever before are willing to acknowledge, confront and challenge the systematic oppression of people of color. Race prejudice and racism are corrosive to people and to communities and deny the fullness of opportunity to people of color. We can, however, accelerate systemic change and create a more just society by building successive cohorts of change-agents equipped to understand and eliminate the root causes and other elements of racism that characterize so many of our institutions today.”
Healing Racism Institute
PO Box 2754
Springfield, MA 01101
Founding Partners
