2012 Good Neighbor Award Winner!

2012 Charitable Contributions

• The Community Service Committee chose 10 local housing and homeless assistance organizations to receive grants of $2,500 each. The recipient organizations were: A Place to Turn in Natick; Community Action Agency of Somerville; Family Reach Foundation of Boston; Heading Home, Inc. in Cambridge; the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless based in Lynn; the Massachusetts Housing Shelter & Alliance in Boston; the Newton Partnership in Newton; “Our Place” Daycare Center for Homeless Children in Cambridge; Rebuilding Together Boston in Jamaica Plain; the Somerville Homeless Coalition; and Victory Programs, Inc. of Boston.
• The recipient of the 2012 GBAR Good Neighbor Award, Janet Porcaro, received a $2,500 grant in her name for The Newton Partnership.
• GBAR donated $10,000 to the National Association of REALTORS® Relief Foundation to support association members and other property owners who suffered damage or the loss of a home, business, or other personal property as a result of Hurricane Sandy. Funds for this donation come from the Greater Boston Real Estate Board Foundation, which is supported, in part, from voluntary contributions made by GBAR members during the annual dues billing process. The donation was disseminated via state REALTOR® associations in affected areas, and 100% of the monies donated to the REALTORS® Relief Foundation went to the victims of this disaster.
• GBAR organized the 5th annual “Furnish the Future” furniture drive benefiting the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless. Olympia Moving and Storage donated their time and trucks to pick up several truckloads of furniture, small appliances and household items and deliver them to the Coalition’s furniture bank, which later will be disseminated to families transitioning from homelessness to permanent housing. ~www.gbreb.com

Some of Janet’s Contributions

Janet has a passion for helping people. Over the past 22 years, Janet has stayed consistently engage in volunteer activities to benefit the Newton community, especially the youth and their schools. She served as PTO Co-President in 3 schools; sat of the Board of Newton PTO Council; participated in the Newton Public Schools Mathematics Curriculum Advisory Committees, and Technology Advisory Committee. Outside the school community, Janet has participated in the Newton Youth Commission. Under the auspices of the Mentor Connection; she piloted a Teen Cooking Program at the Newton Teen Center. With her leadership experience in the Newton community, she has developed a reputation as a respected and effective participant in local affairs.

In her 3 terms as PTO Co-Present, Janet used her skills and experience as a technology trainer, to automate processes, create electronic communication systems, develop sites, mentor other volunteers and advise the school system on technology issues. Her work as a communicator has helped to connect the enormous community. In fact, this is part of Janet’s passion for evolving new and better systems to reach out and engage the diverse community.

“Janet’s mind is always working, and she grows along the way.” ~Sally Brickell, Co-President, Newton North High School

Janet became increasingly aware of much-needed support for at-risk youth. Janet loves to cook–especially Italian cuisine.  After participating in the training provided by the Mentor Connection, Janet taught her first cooking class at the Newton Teen Center. Met with great success, the following winter, Janet worked with the Partnership to develop and deliver a successful Italian cooking series for the Teen Center.