Working with the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless

Team Blaket (Emily Schlosser, Jesse Wade, Morgan Buckley, and Tonya Chadwick) had these words to share about their EXPECT experience.

Over the course of the semester, our group had the opportunity to work with the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless most specifically on their Bed for Every Child Initiative.  This campaign was created to provide bedding including frames, mattresses, pillows and sheets to children throughout Massachusetts who would otherwise go without; sleeping on a floor, or sharing a bed with a parent or sibling.  We worked directly alongside the coalition’s Development Coordinator, Alycia Dell’Orfano with whom we met nearly every Wednesday over the course of the semester.  The experience offered each of us something different but together we were able to work on design pieces, press releases and even had some direct interaction with the policy end of things through visiting the coalition in Lynn and through attending Legislative Action Day at the State House.

Morgan and Tonya had the opportunity to attend Legislative Action Day at the State House in February.  This day was dedicated to building awareness and advocating for homeless children and adults in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.  In the morning, Tonya and Morgan were responsible for assisting with the registration process.... Following registration were the testimonies from legislators and those struggling with homelessness.  This was a wonderful opportunity to have faces put to the mission of the coalition.  Once the testimonies wrapped up, we were asked to help deliver legislative packets to the legislative offices of those who were not able to attend the event. This experience was rewarding in that it enabled us to interact with the staff from the coalition, the very youth that were being represented by the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless and other community groups who were present.... Our client was very pleased with both the quantity and quality of the work that we produced for the A Bed for Every Child initiative and as a team, we couldn’t be prouder to help them in the many ways that we did.

The team created two press releases for two events,“Wear Red for a Bed’ and “Bed Rock.”  The group also created newsletters, save the date flyers, logos, and invitations to be used by the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless.  

Save the Date and Invitation created by Team Blanket.