Northeast Arc’s Breaking Grounds Cafe Offering Ice Cream

With the addition of a new, soft-serve ice cream machine, Breaking Grounds Cafe is again breaking ground.

It’s now the first locally owned shop selling ice cream in downtown Peabody.

The cafe, which opened in 2016, is not an ordinary coffee shop. It is run by Northeast Arc, the Danvers-based human service agency, as a way to train people with disabilities to work in the food service industry. At Breaking Grounds, they work alongside people who do not have disabilities, typically for about three months before moving on to other jobs.

So far, Breaking Grounds has trained about 30 people who have gone on to jobs at Dunkin’ Donuts, Panera Bread, Flatbread Pizza and Starbucks. A former Breaking Grounds employee works at the Yard House Restaurant in Lynnfield, another at the Daily Harvest Cafe in Danvers.

Recently, Breaking Grounds added a soft-serve ice cream machine, along with a variety of toppings, becoming one of the few places on Main Street where you can grab an ice cream.

“There is none,” said Councilor-at-large Tom Gould said of the other ice cream options downtown. “Breaking Grounds is what it’s all about. It really is helping the members of the community.”

Gould, who owns Treadwell’s ice cream, about a mile away, helped them find the soft-serve machine. The cafe is serving Treadwell’s ice cream, served in Treadwell’s cups.

Jo Ann Simons, CEO of Northeast Arc, said adding ice cream to the menu means giving their clients new, marketable skills.

“Cleaning a soft-serve machine is a skill that is transferable to other ice cream shops; being able to measure appropriately ice cream sizes, add toppings,” she said. “So our folks are going to be able to get jobs not only in coffee shops, but now in ice cream shops.”

The idea, she said, came from Steve Rosenthal of Marblehead, the founder of a real estate investment firm who donated $1 million to Northeast Arc in 2017…

Read the entire Salem News article here:

https://www.salemnews.com/news/local_news/peabody-s-breaking-grounds-cafe-adds-ice-cream/article_868c6aee-f93c-5d49-8d0a-2faa23d9208e.html

North Shore Cancer WALK Participant is Flocking for a Cure

A dozen plastic pink flamingos are making their way onto selected front lawns across the city, accompanied by a sign saying, “You got flocked.”

Flamingo Flocking is a national movement created to raise money to fight for breast cancer. Peabody resident Liz Mover is using it as a fun way to spread awareness of the North Shore Cancer Walk in Salem.

“It’s been an awesome way to get the community aware of the walk,” said Mover. It allows people to give a small donation to the cause and “send the flock to the next house.”

On Sunday, June 23, Mover and her 10-member team will participate in the 29th annual North Shore Cancer Walk under their group name “Team Breasties,” supporting a cause that has changed her life.

In February 2018, Mover was diagnosed with breast cancer. After feeling a lump and experiencing pain in her arm, she went to the Mass General/North Shore Outpatient Center in Danvers, where she received a mammogram, ultrasound and biopsy that same day.

Read the entire Salem news article here:

https://www.salemnews.com/news/local_news/flocking-for-a-cure/article_44331589-0b89-5bc9-9a7c-69650775cedd.html

Merrimac Woman to Participate in 29th North Shore Cancer WALK

A local resident has been battling cancer by putting one foot in front of the other for almost three decades and she is looking forward to doing it all over again during the 29th annual North Shore Cancer WALK on June 23.

The walk began as an internal fundraiser for North Shore Medical Center’s Salem campus but has grown to become a popular public event that raises money for cancer-related services such as clinical trials, wellness care and other oncology services.

Francie Croft works as a respiratory care department manager on the Salem campus and has been involved in every one of the hospital’s North Shore Cancer WALKs.

“This started off as something that was hospital based,” Croft said. “Now, it is a major community force. It is astounding how many people show up to this walk every year. They are walking for different loved ones or family members that have been going through treatment or died from cancer.”

Read entire article in the Newburyport Daily News:

https://www.newburyportnews.com/news/local_news/merrimac-woman-to-participate-in-th-annual-walk/article_7114e268-c567-57f6-86a7-40c7bbfbbe5a.html

North Shore Cancer WALK Co-Chair Featured on Magic 106.7’s Exceptional Women

Sue Tabb, host of the award-winning Exceptional Women on Magic 106.7, interviewed Kelly Donahue, Co-Chair of the 2019 North Shore Cancer WALK. Listen here:

https://magic1067.radio.com/media/audio-channel/north-shore-cancer-walk-co-chair-kelly-donahue-exceptional-women

DanversCARES Featured in Northshore Magazine

Communal Caring with DanversCARES

A town-wide partnership whose mission is to help youth and families make healthy decisions.

(Article appears on page 90 of September 2018 issue of magazine)

What does it take to get the superintendent of schools, a representative of the police department, a selectman, a member of the clergy, high school students, and over 20 other community leaders together each month? In Danvers, the answer is DanversCARES, a town-wide partnership whose mission is to help youth and families make healthy decisions.

DanversCARES started in the mid 1990s as a school-based health advisory committee with the vision to invite community partners to the table to support school-based health and physical education efforts.

About 10 years ago, the group evolved into a formal community-based partnership led by former program director Peg Sallade. The group, which now includes acting director (formerly the assistant director) Lyle Harrod, adheres to the philosophy that partnerships are built on community involvement and designed to address local needs. This is done through collaborative dialogue, prioritizing concerns, and seeking partners and resources to support the work.

And boy has this group been working! Using data collected by regular surveys, DanversCARES has tackled issues including access to alcohol and prescription medication by teens, a mentor program run by Danvers High School upperclassmen athletes for incoming freshmen athletes, internet safety, and opioid prevention.

“The value of the partnership model is that we can really get a pulse on what is happening in the community in order to take the appropriate measures to address [it],” says Sallade. “Having spent my career in public health and prevention, I have been pleased to work in a community where so many people from so many different parts of the town come together to make a difference.”

Danvers supports youth and families in many ways: a good school system, opportunities for community service, quality recreation programming and facilities, effective social services, and more. “All of these help make Danvers a healthy, vibrant community,” says Steve Bartha, town manager. “However, we can’t pretend that Danvers is perfect. We have many of the same issues facing communities across the Commonwealth and around the country. DanversCARES helps us to identify and respond to those issues.”

Read entire article: https://www.nshoremag.com/faces-places/communal-caring-with-danverscares/

Clark School Offers Competitive Edge For Student Athletes

Northshore Magazine – August 2016

Clark School offers challenges on the playing field though a state sports program.

There are times during a teenager’s school years when they have to choose which path to take. Will they take honors courses, join the debate team, act in a play, or try out for a sports team?

Clark School, a private school in Rowley, exposes students to a wide variety of opportunities. Some are looking for a more challenging, individualized curriculum—while others, who are professional dancers, actors, or athletes, need the flexibility to accommodate their ever-changing schedules. Clark’s unique learning environment also provides an education designed to help those with learning disabilities such as dyslexia.

Since 1978, Clark School has been welcoming students who demonstrate high intellectual, creative, or leadership abilities. Clark School students respond to an environment that encourages them to develop their talents fully, in and out of the classroom. The school emphasizes positive personal values, high achievement and meaningful participation in the community.

It wasn’t until last fall, however, that the school was able to accommodate the needs of its student athletes. Because of its size, Clark School was not able to offer competitive high school teams in any sport on its own. “More and more we heard from our students and prospective students that athletics were important to them,” says Jeff Clark, head of school at Clark. “Because we want each of our students to be successful, we began to explore the ways in which we could provide athletic experiences to them.”

The process for Clark School, and any other school in the state in a similar situation, is to contact the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA), a private, nonprofit association organized by its member schools to govern, coordinate, and promote education based programs for high school students.

Read Article: https://www.nshoremag.com/faces-places/competitive-edge/

North Shore Cancer WALK Chair is a Bad Ass Chick

Loren Raye of Boston’s Amp 103.3fm featured North Shore Cancer WALK co-chair, Ann Hargraves as her Bad Ass Chick of the Week.

In 2014, Ann was diagnosed with Stage 4 Lymphoma and given two weeks to live. Fast forward to 2018: not only is she in remission, but she’s planning a wedding, raising her children, and has been asked to co-chair the North Shore Cancer WALK. Her desire to join in the walk began while she was getting treatment: she promised herself that if she’s able to walk, she was going to participate. So, six weeks after she wrapped up chemo, she did it. Ann’s raised over $15,000 so far (not including this year!) and she was even the top fundraiser two years in a row. The North Shore Cancer WALK is taking place next weekend and it’s not too late to sign up if you’re interested.

Listen here: https://1033ampradio.radio.com/blogs/loren-raye/lorens-badass-chick-ann-hargraves