Impact Stories

“It's interesting how you can be on one end of the spectrum in life, and then another time you're on the other end of the spectrum,” says Karla Brown. “It was very challenging for me to humble myself and come to CSNDC and say, ‘I need help.’ Because I was... Read more

When Melissa Mazzeo and Micah Prescott heard about a meeting of CSNDC’s Climate Justice Alliance, they knew they needed to jump in. Melissa had recently moved into Micah’s home in Four  Corners, and they were both looking to be more active in the community. “My personal passion is environmental sustainability,” says... Read more

Omar South’s connection to his community starts in his barber shop, but it doesn’t end there. Omar is the owner of Cut To Fit Barber Shop at 19 Norfolk Street in Codman Square, a business he started in 2004 and has sustained ever since. “That's all I knew how to... Read more

When Angel Diaz opened Angel Meat Market on Washington Street in Codman Square in 2011 even though he lived in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, he did so because of the community. “He had been commuting into Boston to work at a local meat market,” explains Bryan Guerrero, Angel’s oldest son, who... Read more

Clifton Bennett is a “star student” at CSNDC’s Computer Learning Center (CLC), according to Prince Charles, the CLC’s Coordinator. In the past few years, Clifton has graduated from both the Computer Basic Course and the Small Business Course at the CLC, and he is currently enrolled in the 2.0 Small Business... Read more

“Ever since I was a little girl, I always wanted to help people.” That’s how Margo Blackwell-Moquin, sums up her outlook on life. As a semi-retired resident of CSNDC’s Talbot Bernard Senior property at 193 Talbot Avenue in Dorchester, Margo is helping out by bringing the residents’ perspective to... Read more

Ruth Whitney is a ballerina turned environmental activist who lives in Dorchester Center with her husband and two children. When she started thinking about retiring from the stage, Ruth began to focus more on another passion of hers: climate justice. She was alarmed by the real estate developments going up... Read more

“I was passionate about it, but I used to shy away from it because it made me angry, and I didn’t know how to articulate it and what to do with the anger.” That’s how Tatikqua Austin describes how she used to feel about social justice issues. Now, in part... Read more

Bernard Thomas-Anum came to the U.S. with his parents and older sister from Nigeria when he was eleven years old. While in elementary school, he wandered into the CSNDC’s Computer Learning Center (CLC), which is in his neighborhood, in the hopes of getting some help with his homework. “They had... Read more

“I've had it in my heart to buy a house for more than two decades. I needed to stop going from place to place and just wanted to be done with all of that,” says Tanya Spencer. When she and her husband, Jamal, took stock of their circumstances around 2017,... Read more

Small business entrepreneur, Tiffany Payne, was featured on "Small Business, Big City," a segment produced by WCVB Channel 5. You can watch the segment HERE. Tiffany graduated from CSNDC's CLC DotBiz/TGH Small Business Course in May 2022. Tiffany's mother also graduated from the CLC/TGH Computer Basics Course in December 2023.... Read more

“I'm a people person. Everywhere I go, I meet people,” says Darlene Harrison. “My kids always say, ‘Mom, you’re always talking to people. Do you know them?’ I say, ‘No, I just met them.’ That's just how I am. I’m a really friendly person.” That’s one reason why Darlene was... Read more