In the News

Organization Dedicated to Helping At-Risk Teens Receives Facelift from Shawmut Volunteers

Boston, MA – Shawmut Design and Construction, located at 560 Harrison Avenue in Boston, has completed its latest renovation with Room to Dream Foundation, a charity dedicated to helping children, teens, and families facing chronic illnesses. The renovation, at the Germaine Lawrence campus in Arlington, MA, is one of the largest renovations Room to Dream has completed to date.

Germaine Lawrence offers a nationally recognized treatment designed for girls between the ages 12 and 18 with complex behavioral, psychological and learning challenges. During the project, volunteers painted the walls and trim of 10 rooms inside the organization’s student center, which were also cleaned and redecorated.

“Room to Dream is a fantastic organization that transforms living spaces to help transform lives,” said William Hughes, the President and COO of Shawmut, who also participated in this project. “Shawmut strongly believes in the importance of community outreach, and our involvement with this incredible organization allows our employees to use their skills to provide an invaluable service to benefit deserving individuals.”

40 volunteers, including 17 from Shawmut Design and Construction, participated in this renovation. The scope of the project, number of volunteers to coordinate, and three-day time frame combined to make this a challenging job.

“From an economy standpoint, it’s important to receive donations, but it’s also important to see volunteerism,” said Stefen Nathanson, Chairman of the Board of Directors for Room to Dream. “Without Shawmut, we wouldn’t be able to do what we do. The volunteers who work on these projects aren’t there because they have to be there. They want to be there.”

The project included dramatic makeovers in 10 rooms in the student center, including the dining room, game room, kitchen, reading room, study, and hang out room, which were in great need of improvements. The renovation was conducted over three days in late June. Celebrity designer Taniya Nayak, a Massachusetts resident who stars in several shows on HGTV and Food Network, is also a partner of Room to Dream and designed the new spaces after speaking with a group of the students.

“It was truly a dream,” said Cathy Fulton, Development Associate for Germaine Lawrence. “Everyone has been so generous, not only their time, but their whole spirit has been so positive and warm. This will make a real difference to the girls on an every day basis.”

Germaine Lawrence was selected because of its ongoing commitment to improving the lives of so many teens. The program’s Arlington campus has five dormitory buildings, an education facility and a day school which is used by 80 to 100 girls at any given time. Because the spaces are used by so many teens on a daily, monthly and yearly basis, Room to Dream says the project will have a long-lasting impact. 

Shawmut Design and Construction has been a proud partner of Room to Dream for five years. To help make a difference in the community, Shawmut previously formed the Shawmut Community Outreach Providers, which works with local organizations to provide charitable outlets to staff members. Other organizations which Shawmut regularly works with include Rebuilding Together, Community Servings, Summer Search Boston, Greater Boston Food Bank, ReadBoston and Children’s Trust Fund.