EVERETT — More than 400 people packed the Picasso Ballroom at Encore Boston Harbor on April 8 to help Northeast Arc celebrate An Evening of Changing Lives.
With support from donors and attendees, the agency raised more than $500,000 to support programs that help people of all abilities live as fully included members of their communities.
The highlight of the evening was an inclusive fashion show where people and families supported by Northeast Arc walked the runway with local celebrities, including: Encore Boston Harbor CEO Jenny Holaday, Senator Joan Lovely, Sullivan Tire Vice President Paul Sullivan, Ocean Havens Principal Ann Lagasse and Massachusetts Department of Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein.
The fashion show highlighted the diversity of services provided by Northeast Art, supporting people with disabilities from birth through end of life. It ended with former New England Patriot and two-time Super Bowl Champion Dan Koppen tossing footballs to donors in the crowd.
During the event, Northeast Arc honored longtime advocates Julie Rainer Cummings and Tom Gould with Changing Lives Awards.
Rainer Cummings of Marblehead is the owner of Concept Capital, and her family has been involved with Northeast Arc since the agency’s early years. Her late sister Lisa Rainer lived in a Northeast Arc residential home for more than 40 years. Rainer Cummings has served on the organization’s board of directors for 19 years, including a term as board chair.
Jo Ann Simons, president and CEO of Northeast Arc, presented the Changing Lives Award to Rainer Cummings.
“Julie has been a fierce sibling advocate, a constant presence and friend to everyone at Lisa’s residential homes, and a dedicated board member of the Northeast Arc for over 20 years,” Simons said. “Julie and her husband Jim Cummings have made NeArc a priority in their giving as well as establishing the Lisa Rainer Enrichment Fund, which supports our staff in so many ways, as well as being members of our 2054 Society.”
In accepting the award, Rainer Cummings spoke about her family’s lifelong connection to the Arc.
“Together as a family, we’ve experienced so much personal growth. This work shaped us all in ways I could have never imagined,” she said, also highlighting the role Northeast Arc played in her sister’s life. “The leadership and advocacy of the Arc gave us great faith, knowing that Lisa would always have a beautiful home, meaningful employment, and her social needs met, thanks to the agency’s unwavering support.”