Kennedy Center Seeks 'Good Neighbors' for Its Board

is looking for a handful of Charlestown residents who care about the community, who want to be good neighbors and who can stand behind the mission of the long-standing anti-poverty agency. If this sounds like you, maybe you ought to consider running for the center's board of directors.

Seven of the eight community-elected seats on the center's board are up for grabs this fall, according to Kate McDonough, director of the agency. Board members meet once a month and, depending on which subcommittees members sign up for, there may be additional hours required.

Members are tasked with representing the agency, generally, in the community, providing overall policy making and governance, as well as fund raising for the organization. To get more info, call 617-241-8866 or email kmcdonough@kennedycenter.org.

So what does the Kennedy Center do?

A lot. But much of it is behind the scenes, as McDonough describes it, because the nature of the work staff do is often confidential.

The center has been in Charlestown since the 1960s. Over the years, the population it serves has changed, but the basic premise of its service has remained essentially the same: to help people in the community who are underserved. It provides a variety of support and programming for elders, pre-school aged children and families.

"It's not a hand out," McDonough said, "it's a hand up."

The goal of the Kennedy Center's work is to foster a person's success and prosperity, in a long term way.

How to get on the board

Board members must be nominated -- a task that can, at first, seem daunting. Seats are distributed among Charlestown's voting districts and anyone interested in running for one must first collect 25 signatures from neighbors.

Nomination papers will be available at the Kennedy Center and are due back by Oct. 24. The election will take place on Nov. 8, if no seats are contested. If there are contenders, the election will be held on Nov. 12, so more people have the opportunity to vote.

To get more info, call 617-241-8866 or email kmcdonough@kennedycenter.org.