Nonprofit Spotlight
In recognition and support of the work of the over 100 nonprofits and social service organizations in Cambridge, we will be spotlighting member nonprofits in Connections throughout the year. In this edition, we spotlight the Charles River Conservancy.
The Charles River Conservancy is a Cambridge-based organization that offers volunteer opportunities for individuals and groups to perform landscape work and build permanent improvements. They serve as an advocate for the Charles River Parklands and the development of public access swimming on the Charles River. In partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, they are developing a skatepark under the ramps of the Zakim bridge in East Cambridge.
Purpose/Mission: The Charles River Conservancy is a nonprofit organization working to make the Charles River Parklands more active, attractive, and accessible for all.
Constituency served: Over 2,000 volunteers participate with the CRC annually and tens of thousands benefit every day.
Brief history: The Charles River Conservancy, founded in 2000, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit citizens advocacy group dedicated to the renewal and stewardship of the Charles River Parklands from Boston Harbor to the Watertown Dam. The Conservancy works in partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), the agency responsible for the Charles River parklands, parkways, and pathways. The Conservancy has over 24,000 supporters and volunteers who share the goal of reviving these urban Parklands.
Current news: On Saturday, June 2, CRC will hold a one mile Charles River Swimrace. Sign up at
www.thecharles.org. Sunday Parkland Games on Memorial Drive in Cambridge start June 3 and run through September, designed to promote healthy living and an active lifestyle with free games and athletic activities for all ages.
Impact on Cambridge community: The Charles River Conservancy helps clean the banks of the river by mobilizing volunteers to pick up trash, remove invasive species and paint railings and benches along the river. They are dedicated to making the parklands a better place for thousands of yearly visitors. They also advocate for bridge improvements, including underpasses, offering more continuous, safer pathways.
Proudest accomplishments: The Conservancy Volunteers have donated $1.26 million in labor to the parklands. CRC started swim races in the Charles and established the new tradition of RiverSing with Revels.
Future plans/goals: To bring the parklands to their full potential as a recreational amenity with better pathways and connections, swimming places, and landscaped parklands.
Greatest need: The Conservancy is looking to replace their ten-year-old truck, which is needed to bring tools to the volunteer events, and for more corporate volunteers.
Get involved: Contact Volunteer Coordinator Danielle Stehlik at (617) 300-8173 or
dms@thecharles.org if your company would like to landscape with the CRC: plant bulbs, paint benches and remove invasive species.
Contact: The Charles River Conservancy is headquartered at 4 Brattle Street in Cambridge or online at
www.thecharles.org.
Contact Lisa Cohen at
lcohen@cambridgechamber.org or (617) 876-4132 if you would like your organization to be spotlighted.
Save the Date Summer BAHsh Wednesday, July 18, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m., Rooftop Garden at the Marriott Hotel
Reserve your space at
www.cambridgechamber.org/chamber/viewevent.html?id=337
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