Heading Home Event 2008

HEADING HOME 2008 - Celebrating New England!

Over 500 people gathered to celebrate the annual Heading Home event 2008. In its ninth year, the event, ‘Celebrating New England,’ was an opportunity for business and community leaders to gather together for one purpose, ending homelessness.

The event, hosted by co-chairs Jim and Cecilia Rappaport and Jerry and Lori Rappaport, was held at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel. The evening was filled with exciting line-up of announcements, speakers and live auction. Executive Director of Shelter, Tom Lorello, announced the organizations’ unwavering support of its mission to end homelessness in Greater Boston and a new name change for the organization, now Heading Home.

Said Tom Lorello, Executive Director of Heading Home: “The name change was an important step for us because operating emergency shelters is no longer our primary strategy. For the past few years we have shifted our focus to developing housing that is affordable to people who are struggling to get by in the most expensive housing market in the country-greater Boston. Providing housing in conjunction with support services to families in their homes has been a particularly effective strategy for ending homelessness. We have added over 100 units of this type of housing over the past 2 years, and both individuals and families remain housed.”

Jeannette Walls, MSNBC reporter and author of The Glass Castle—a memoir about growing up homeless addressed the crowd. The Glass Castle is a memoir that details Wall’s life growing up in extreme poverty and describes the harsh obstacles she faced in overcoming her past. Her account is of an impoverished life is a powerful and moving first testament of what it means to be poor. 

   The guests feasted on some of the culinary talents of 25 of the area’s greatest chefs and restaurants reflecting the very best of Boston including Aujourd’hui, Icarus, Legal Sea Foods, Pigalle, Masa, The Oak Room, Sel de la Terre, Stella, Tremont 647. Images from the 2007 Red Sox World Series year was showcased.

HEADING HOME EVENT COMMITTEE

CHAIRS
Jim Rappaport
Jerry Rappaport

COMMITTEE
Dan Omstead, Board President
Sean Curran
Joseph Curtin
Jonathan Davis
Daniel Geffken
Corey Griffin
Phill Gross
Gary Hatton
Jill Hatton
Andy Hoar
Nick Iselin
Wendy Jacobs
Lauren Lipscomb
Emmett Lyne
Marc Margulies
Christine McMahon
JP Plunkett
Donna Quirk
Mary Fay Roggemann
Jessica Lowney Sergi
Karen VanWinkle
Cheri Walker
Michele Whitham
William Wollinger