Reporter’s People

U.S. Senator John Kerry will deliver the principal address at UMass-Boston’s commencement on May 29, the university announced last week.

Sen. Kerry will be joined by honorary degree recipients Joseph Kennedy, former U.S. Representative and founder of Citizens Energy; Sister Margaret Leonard, founder of Project Hope; and Edwin Moses, former Olympian, champion of drug-free athletics, and motivational speaker.

“The university is pleased to honor Senator Kerry with the Chancellor’s Medal and to welcome him as our principal commencement speaker. We look forward to celebrating his longstanding commitment to the values of our university and honoring his lifetime of service to veterans and the poor,” said Chancellor Motley. “And we are so pleased to also honor Joe Kennedy, Sister Margaret, and Edwin Moses for their leadership and dedication to service.”

Sister Margaret will be presented with the degree of doctor of humane letters, honoris causa, for her considerable neighborhood-development work as the leader of Project Hope since 1985. Since then, Leonard helped transform the Little Sisters of the Assumption’s convent into a vibrant multi-service center offering homelessness prevention, educational and economic empowerment programs serving Boston’s Dorchester and Roxbury neighborhoods. A catalyst in forging strategic alliances, partnerships, and collaborations at local, city, and state levels to support low-income families in moving from crisis to stability, Leonard is the former co-chair of the City of Boston’s Homeless Planning Committee and cofounded two innovative and highly effective organizations: Homes for Families, a statewide advocacy organization, and One Family Scholars, an organization that provides college scholarships to formerly homeless and low-income mothers.

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The Downtown Boston Rotary Club donated 30 laptop computers to the John P. Holland Community Council recently. The council, a non-profit affiliate of Boston Centers for Youth and Families (BCYF) Dorchester Cluster, will use the computers for programming ranging from resume preparation, and job searches to community organizing. The gift is worth more than $20,000.

Bill Milligan, Chairman of the John P. Holland Council, credited this collaboration with the Downtown Boston Rotary Club to the hard work of Gloria Moon, BCYF Dorchester Cluster Administrator and Kevin Sibley, Program Officer for the John P. Holland Council, Inc. 


“This is a unique partnership that matches the generosity of prominent and resource-rich downtown organizations, with organizations seeking to serve a real need in the city’s neighborhoods,” said Milligan. “Without the efforts of Moon and Sibley and the support of The Rotary Club, this donation would not have happened,” added Milligan.


The Holland is part of a cluster that includes the John Marshall Community Center and the Grover Cleveland Community Center. These computers will also be used by these centers. The centers serve hundreds of neighborhood youth each year through its programming and drop-in centers.