By David Benoit
Special to the Reporter

It was 1906 when The Little House opened its doors to the immigrants of Boston and next week it celebrates its 100th Anniversary with a party, and a call for further help to ensure it can keep working for another 100 years.

As the first settlement house in Boston, The Little House worked with the people who were new to Boston, teaching them English, getting them food, showing them how to cook and sew and clean&emdash;working to make them a part of a community.

Mark Hinderlie, the president and executive director of Federated Dorchester Neighborhood Houses, the organization that runs Little House, says a constantly changing place like Dorchester still needs these services.

"We are still welcoming new arrivals into this country and making it possible for them to be really integrated in," says Hinderlie. "It's an informal set of supports working on the strengths of the community so people are valued and appreciated for who they are."

Today the Little House is home to school programs for all ages, from preschoolers to an alternative middle school for students experiencing difficulties in the public education system. It has after school programs, summer camps, and GED programs for both adults and youths in trouble. And in a summer that shows early signs of violence and trouble, local youths need all the programming they can get.

"It's not an accident, there is a direct relationship, if you give kids a place to go and support and hope and ideas for moving their lives forward, they always take advantage of it," says Hinderlie. "If they feel abandoned and that no one really cares about them, and they have no place to go, and they are left to their own devices on the street, you see the results."

In times like these, where two men were recently shot in the middle of the afternoon right near another Federated program, the Log School, their mission seems especially important.

"This is 100 years of being a part of a community and really it's a celebration of the whole community, and it's an image of how, by working together, we can really make a difference," says Hinderlie. "It's especially poignant when you see the violence. It makes it a feeling of urgency for getting the work done."

When they celebrate on June 23, they won't just be partying though, they will be calling out for help and donations from the community too. Recent tax cuts have made it difficult to fund the many programs the Little House supports, especially for teens. Hinderlie describes the problem as a public policy issue, where people don't want to spend money on saving kids that may or may not turn to violence, and instead helping those who already have proven they are in need.

"People don't understand prevention, they'd rather treat the problem than prevent the problem from happening," he says. "It's just like doing car maintenance, you could change your oil or have a valve job. It's just thinking about how we make the community work. Well, it's a no-brainier to give teenagers a place to go, and a resource, and maybe a little guidance."

Leslie Moore, Federated's director of youth programs, is looking forward to a summer where a newly instituted outreach program engages kids and finds out what they would want in a youth program.

"It really marks an important time as Federated, that we are committed to the entire community," she says. "Someone needs to go out and find these kids. We need to have these connections."

Judith McDonough is the chair of the celebration and has been working to raise their goal of $100,000. They have raised $63,000 so far, and expect to pass the goal with an auction during the celebration.

"Most importantly it is to highlight and illustrate all the wonderful work that the staff at Federated does," says McDonough. "To have the opportunity to tell that story so that people can see the benefit of helping children."

The night will be full of food, music, and dancing, along with a performance show by artist Rob Surrette. One of the big pushes from McDonough will be to sponsor a youth for a week of summer camp.

"One week of camp is $105, so I am going to challenge people during the event because maybe people couldn't afford to spend money on a auction item, but they can connect with the fact that they are getting Mark, Stan, Susie, and Jamie in a safe environment and a nurturing environment where they can have a good time and learn something."

But McDonough was also clear that any and all help would be accepted.

For those interested in giving to the Little House you can visit their website fdnh.org.