Contact: Betsy Freedman Doherty
774-287-6418 (cell)
Betsy_FreedmanDoherty@WaysideYouth.Org

Wayside Youth & Family Support Network Wins 2025 Top Workplaces Culture Excellence Award(s) for Innovation, Purpose & Values

FRAMINGHAM, MA, April 15 – Wayside Youth & Family Support Network has announced that it is a 2025 Top Workplaces Culture Excellence winner for the second consecutive year. Energage, a purpose-driven organization that develops solutions to build and brand Top Workplaces. The Top Workplaces program has a 17-year history of surveying and celebrating people-first organizations nationally and across 60 regional markets.

Top Workplaces Culture Excellence awards recognize organizations that excel in specific areas of workplaces culture:

Innovation

This award will celebrate organizations who have embedded innovation into their culture and create an environment where new ideas come from all employees.

Purpose & Values

This award celebrates organizations who have both embedded their mission and values into their culture and are efficient in their work to bring it into reality.

Top Workplaces awards are based on feedback from a research-backed employee engagement survey. Details about how Wayside Youth & Family Support Network builds a great workplace culture are available on Top Workplaces

“The true strength of any organization, regardless of the industry, is the workforce. Wayside is so fortunate to have such talented and dedicated employees who make a real impact in our communities,” said Sara McCabe, President and CEO.

“Earning a Top Workplaces award is a badge of honor for companies, especially because it comes authentically from their employees,” said Eric Rubino, Energage CEO. “That’s something to be proud of. In today’s market, leaders must ensure they’re allowing employees to have a voice and be heard. That’s paramount. Top Workplaces do this, and it pays dividends.”

ABOUT WAYSIDE YOUTH & FAMILY SUPPORT NETWORK

Founded in 1977, Wayside Youth & Family Support Network is a non-profit, nationally accredited human services agency headquartered in Framingham, Mass. dedicated to building strength, hope and resiliency through its family-based outreach services, residential treatment programs, and community-based counseling services to thousands of children, youth and families throughout Eastern and Central Massachusetts. To learn more about Wayside, please visit https://www.waysideyouth.org

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April 15, 2025

Contact: Betsy Freedman Doherty
774-287-6418 (cell)
Betsy_FreedmanDoherty@WaysideYouth.Org

Wayside Youth & Family Support Network Receives $20,000 Grant from Watertown Community Foundation to Provide Emergency Assistance for Local Families

WATERTOWN, MA – Wayside Youth & Family Support Network’s Multi-Service Center in Watertown has been awarded a $20,000 grant from the Watertown Community Foundation to provide emergency assistance gift cards to local households facing urgent financial crises.

These funds will help Watertown residents struggling with unforeseen hardships by covering essential needs such as overdue utility bills, transportation, moving costs, medical prescriptions, food, and personal care supplies. Priority will be given to households that do not qualify for existing state or federal assistance programs.

“We are deeply grateful to the Watertown Community Foundation for their commitment to supporting vulnerable families in our community,” said Laura Kurman, Director of the Multi-Service Center of Wayside Youth & Family Support Network. “This funding will provide immediate relief to individuals and families experiencing unexpected financial strain, helping them maintain stability during difficult times.”

The Watertown Community Foundation awards grants to nonprofit organizations that serve the local community, striving to support the most vulnerable, invest in health and well-being of the Watertown community, foster community engagement and leadership, advance education and youth development, and promote the arts and protect the environment.

Wayside’s Multi-Service Center through its’ Social Service Resource Program, funded by the City of Watertown, provides comprehensive support to individuals and families in Watertown, offering critical resources to those in need. This grant will further Wayside’s mission of strengthening family well-being and community stability.

For more information about Wayside Youth & Family Support Network visit WaysideYouth.org.

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December 12, 2024

Contact: Betsy Freedman Doherty
774-287-6418 (cell)
Betsy_FreedmanDoherty@WaysideYouth.Org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wayside Youth & Family Support Network Named Boston Globe Top Workplace for Second Consecutive Year

FRAMINGHAM, MA (December 8, 2024) – Wayside Youth & Family Support Network is honored to be named a Boston Globe Top Workplace for 2024, marking the second consecutive year the organization has received this distinction.

Top Places to Work recognizes the most admired workplaces in the state voted on by the people who know them best, their employees. This year, 175 companies made the Globe’s annual Top Places to Work list, including 39 newcomers. In all, the employee engagement company Energage, invited more than 8,000 organizations with employees in Massachusetts to participate. 68,000 workers at 323 companies rated their employers on leadership, values, training, benefits, and other metrics. There are four categories: small (50-99 employees); medium (100-249); large (250-999); and largest (1,000 or more). Wayside Youth and Family Support Network was ranked 50 out of 55 employers in the large category. This recognition underscores Wayside’s ongoing commitment to creating a supportive, equitable, and employee-centered workplace culture.

As highlighted in Boston Globe’s coverage, Wayside’s focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) continues to set it apart. One standout initiative is its approach to equity in health insurance benefits. Employees earning less than $25 per hour receive a discounted health insurance rate, reducing disparities among staff. “We have not ever had a single higher-paid employee complain. I think that’s part of the Wayside culture,” said Guimel DeCarvalho, Chief Information Officer. “If any of our policies or procedures is creating some kind of disparity, we try to create some new policy that will fix that.”

This innovative approach resonates with staff. Trini Swinnen, a Human Resources Generalist and immigrant from Argentina, shared how the discounted health insurance played a pivotal role in her decision to join Wayside two years ago. “The country I came from, the health system is free. When I moved to the US, I learned it is very expensive to get the health care you need,” said Swinnen. “Getting a lower rate was a relief. I really feel that they care about their employees and support employees in the best way they can.”

In addition to equitable health benefits, Wayside supports employees with a wide range of programs, including assistance for immigrants navigating the green card process and creating a workplace environment where all staff feel valued and supported.

Wayside remains dedicated to its mission of serving children, youth, and families through a range of mental health and community-based programs. This recognition reinforces its values of equity, compassion, and collaboration. For more information about Wayside Youth & Family Support Network and its programs, please visit waysideyouth.org.

About Wayside Youth & Family Support Network: Founded in 1977, Wayside Youth & Family Support Network is a non-profit, nationally accredited human services agency headquartered in Framingham, Mass. dedicated to building strength, hope and resiliency through its family-based outreach services, residential treatment programs, and community-based counseling services to thousands of children, youth and families throughout Eastern and Central Massachusetts. To learn more about Wayside, please visit www.waysideyouth.org.

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Contact: Betsy Freedman Doherty
774-287-6418 (cell)
Betsy_Freedmandoherty@Waysideyouth.org

WAYSIDE YOUTH FAMILY SUPPORT NETWORK WINS 2024 TOP WORKPLACES CULTURE EXCELLENCE AWARD(S) FOR INNOVATION, COMPENSATION BENEFITS, LEADERSHIP, PURPOSE VALUES

Framingham, Massachusetts, March 25, 2024 – Wayside Youth Family Support Network has announced today that it is a 2024 Top Workplaces CULTURE EXCELLENCE winner. Energag, a purpose-driven organization that develops solutions to build and brand Top Workplaces. The Top Workplaces program has a 17-year history of surveying and celebrating people-first organizations nationally and across 60 regional markets.

Top Workplaces Culture Excellence awards recognize organizations that excel in specific areas of workplaces culture:

INNOVATION

This award will celebrate organizations who have embedded innovation into their culture and create an environment where new ideas come from all employees.

COMPENSATION BENEFITS

This award celebrates the organizations who provide employees not only with material rewards but also with the appreciation for their work.

LEADERSHIP

This award will celebrate organizations whose leaders inspire confidence in their employees and in the direction of the company. These leaders understand the needs of customers which front-line employees hear every day.

PURPOSE VALUES

This award celebrates organizations who have both embedded their mission and values into their culture and are efficient in their work to bring it into reality.

“Our employees make an important impact on families across the state, and we are proud of the work they do,” said Sara McCabe, president and CEO. Top Workplaces awards are based on feedback from a research-backed employee engagement survey. Details about how Wayside Youth Family Support Network builds a great workplace culture are available on Top Workplaces

“Earning a Top Workplaces award is a badge of honor for companies, especially because it comes authentically from their employees,” said Eric Rubino, Energage CEO. “That’s something to be proud of. In today’s market, leaders must ensure they’re allowing employees to have a voice and be heard. That’s paramount. Top Workplaces do this, and it pays dividends.”

ABOUT WAYSIDE YOUTH FAMILY SUPPORT NETWORK

Founded in 1977, Wayside Youth Family Support Network is a non-profit, nationally accredited human services agency headquartered in Framingham, Mass. dedicated to building strength, hope and resiliency through its family-based outreach services, residential treatment programs, and community-based counseling services to thousands of children, youth and families throughout Eastern and Central Massachusetts. To learn more about Wayside, please visit www.Waysideyouth.org.

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Food on the shelfs at the Watertown Food Pantry, which has seen an increase in the number of people using its services since the start of the Pandemic. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)
For many, Watertown is a destination for food and eating, with dozens of restaurants, markets small and large, and a farmers market through the warmer months. However, a significant number of residents have trouble affording to feed themselves and their families.

The hunger problem in Watertown is often not visible, but those who provide assistance and services to people in need have noticed a recent increase in the number of people in town facing food insecurity, spiking during the Pandemic. And, while the COVID cases have dropped, the numbers of people going to Watertown’s two food pantries, or needing help to put enough food on their table has remained at about the same level.

Watertown has found some ways to help people have enough to eat, both traditional efforts, including Food Pantries, and new ones, such as the Community Fridge and programs funded by the Watertown Community Foundation to deliver food to some of the City’s most vulnerable residents. Some of these programs, however, will be coming to an end as post-Pandemic funds dry up.

Watertown News and Watertown Cable Access Television joined forces to look back at the rise in food insecurity, speaking to those making use of the local and state food insecurity programs, the people on the front lines providing help, and sought to find out what else can be done. This story is the first in a six-part series on food insecurity, and Watertown Cable will be producing a series of programs looking at the issue airing at a later date. The series is made possible, in part, by a grant provided by the Watertown Community Foundation.

The Pandemic Spike

The Pandemic brought some issues in Watertown into focus, said Jan Singer, the former executive director of the Watertown Community Foundation.At the dawn of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Singer remembers gathering her board members to workout how the organization could help the community weather the Pandemic. They looked at ways to provide COVID kits to those who had tested positive, computers for families who needed it so their children could participate in remote learning, and emergency funds for things like rent, utilities, and food.

Food insecurity was not unknown before March 2020, Singer said, who said the WCF was working with the Watertown Public Schools to send students home with backpacks full of food for the weekend. The program was aimed at children of families in the Watertown Public Schools who qualified for the free lunch through the federally funded National School Lunch Program.

“We had a special grant for this from the Perpetual Benevolent Fund,” she said. “We brought their board members in to see how we were doing it and what was going on, so food insecurity was an issue long before the Pandemic and when the Pandemic hit it just exacerbated it and it has not stopped.”

Kathy Cunningham, coordinator of the Watertown Food Pantry, said she has seen many more people use the pantry in the last few years.

“So, when I first began here, we were doing 40 families a week …” Cunningham said. “And then it graduated up to probably 70 families, and then once the pandemic hit, we were running approximately 200 families every single day that we were open, which was okay. It was fine. We made sure that we did a lot of outreach. We had a lot of feeder programs. We were never without, we never let anybody go hungry or anything on that level.”

After people got back to work and things began to return to normal after the Pandemic, the number of families the Watertown Food Pantry served began to decline, but did not return to previous numbers.

“So after the COVID and things are starting to get back to normal, such as the children attending school, I would say we probably leveled off at around 180 a week, for probably six, seven months at least,” Cunningham said. “And now we’re averaging between 140, 160 each week.”

The Watertown Food Pantry, located in the basement of the former Methodist Church near Watertown Square at 80 Mt. Auburn St., is one of two pantries in town and is open on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The other is run by the Catholic Collaborative in the basement of Sacred Heart Church, 770 Mt. Auburn St. in East Watertown on Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.

During the Pandemic, another food source became available, a grass-roots community effort called the Watertown Community Fridge. This started near Francis Market on Belmont Street, and then moved to the same church that houses the Watertown Food Pantry. Food is put in the fridge, an is available for free to anyone. Also, people can donate fresh, frozen, and non-perishable items.

Read full article here….

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
December 8, 2023
Contact: Betsy Freedman Doherty
774-287-6418 (cell)
Betsy_FreedmanDoherty@WaysideYouth.Org

The Boston Globe Names Wayside Youth and Family Support Network a Top Place to Work for 2023

Magazine honors the best employers in Massachusetts

Framingham (DECEMBER 3, 2023) – Wayside Youth and Family Support Network has been named one of the Top Places to Work in Massachusetts in the 15th annual employee-based survey project from The Boston Globe.

Top Places to Work recognizes the most admired workplaces in the state voted on by the people who know them best—their employees. The survey measures employee opinions about their company’s direction, execution, connection, management, work, pay and benefits, and engagement. The employers are placed into one of four groups: small, with 50 to 99 employees; medium, with 100 to 249 workers; large, with 250 to 999; and largest, with 1,000 or more. Wayside Youth and Family Support Network was ranked 50 out of 55 employers in the large category.

“The best employers are always striving to put their people first, whether they’re honoring small individual. accomplishments or adjusting company-wide policies to become more inclusive. “Said Katie Johnston, the Globe’s Top Places to Work editor.

Additionally, Wayside was listed as one of 23 companies that excel at championing DEI.  “This recognition is a testament to our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace,” says Guimel DeCarvalho, Wayside’s Vice President of Administration and Chief Information Officer. “We have been doing the hard work of embedding diversity, equity, and inclusion into our workplace culture because it is what is best for our people and our business.”

The rankings in Top Places to Work are based on confidential survey information collected by Energage (formerly Workplace Dynamics), an independent company specializing in employee engagement and retention, from more than 137K individuals at 347 Massachusetts organizations. The winners are constantly working to improve their workplaces, from investigating how artificial intelligence can assist. workers, not replace them, to helping workers get to know each other in an increasingly hybrid world. Top Places to Work online extras include sortable rankings and features showcasing companies that are going the extra mile to make their workplaces more supportive and responsive to their employees’ ever-changing needs. All can be found at Globe.com/TopPlaces. Readers can follow the news on Twitter at #workboston.

About Wayside: About Wayside Youth & Family Support Network: Founded in 1977, Wayside Youth & Family Support Network is a non-profit, nationally accredited human services agency headquartered in Framingham, Mass. dedicated to building strength, hope and resiliency through its family-based outreach services, residential treatment programs, and community-based counseling services to thousands of children, youth and families throughout Eastern and Central Massachusetts. Wayside Youth & Family Support Network has been a strong presence in Watertown for decades. The Wayside Multi-Service Center, which joined Wayside in 1996, has provided services to the community since the 1960s. Today, Wayside operates multiple youth programs aimed at preventing risky behavior and building healthy ones. Wayside also runs the Watertown Social Services Resource Specialist Program, linking members of the community to vital services. To learn more about Wayside, please visit www.Waysideyouth.org

About Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC

Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC (“BGMP”) is a multimedia organization that provides news, entertainment, and commentary across multiple brands and platforms. BGMP offers leading integrated advertising solutions that connect communities, ideas, and causes through powerful storytelling and multimedia experiences. BGMP properties include The Boston Globe, Globe Opinion, Globe.com,

Boston.com, STAT, The B-Side, Globe Publishing Services, Globe Events, and Studio/B.

###

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Wayside Youth and Family Support Network Honors Maysa Ramos and Sophia Suarez-Friedman at 2023 Latino Excellence Awards

Watertown, Massachusetts – October 26, 2023 – Wayside Youth and Family Support Network is delighted to announce the recognition of Maysa Ramos and Sophia Suarez-Friedman at the 2023 Latino Excellence Awards, hosted by the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus.

Maysa Ramos and Sophia Suarez-Friedman were nominated for this prestigious award by Sen. Will Brownsberg (Suffolk and Middlesex Counties) and Representative Steven Owens (29th Middlesex District), respectively for their incredible work and dedication to the Watertown community through Wayside’s Multi-Service Social Service Resources Specialist Program.

Maysa Ramos, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), has been instrumental in connecting Watertown residents with essential social services, including resources for emergency financial needs. She also oversees afterschool programs and provides behavioral health support at the West Suburban YMCA.

Sophia Suarez-Friedman, a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW), has played a crucial role in coordinating initiatives like Watertown’s Mutual Aid program, support groups for Latina moms, and the Watertown Community Fridge. Wayside Youth and Family Support Network is immensely proud of Maysa and Sophia’s achievements, and we extend our heartfelt congratulations to them.

About Wayside: About Wayside Youth & Family Support Network: Founded in 1977, Wayside Youth & Family Support Network is a non-profit, nationally accredited human services agency headquartered in Framingham, Mass. dedicated to building strength, hope and resiliency through its family-based outreach services, residential treatment programs, and community-based counseling services to thousands of children, youth and families throughout Eastern and Central Massachusetts. Wayside Youth & Family Support Network has been a strong presence in Watertown for decades. The Wayside Multi-Service Center, which joined Wayside in 1996, has provided services to the community since the 1960s. Today, Wayside operates multiple youth programs aimed at preventing risky behavior and building healthy ones. Wayside also runs the Watertown Social Services Resource Specialist Program, linking members of the community to vital services. To learn more about Wayside, please visit www.Waysideyouth.org

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September 21, 2023

Contact: Betsy Freedman Doherty
774-287-6418 (cell)
Betsy_FreedmanDoherty@WaysideYouth.Org

Belmont Wellness Coalition Receives Five-Year Drug Free Communities Grant Renewal from ONDCP and CDC

Belmont, MA — September 21, 2023— The Belmont Wellness Coalition (BWC), a program of Wayside Youth & Family Support Network’s Multi-Service Center in Watertown, is excited to announce that it has been awarded a five-year extension of the Drug Free Communities grant from the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Belmont is one of the 160 communities nationwide to receive this prestigious grant in the current cycle.

The grant renewal recognizes the tireless efforts of the Belmont Wellness Coalition over the past five years in its commitment to reducing youth substance misuse through collaborative community efforts. Lisa Gibalerio, Program Coordinator/Public Health Educator at Wayside and a long-time Belmont resident, stated, “This funding is a recognition by the federal government that Belmont, through the establishment of the Belmont Wellness Coalition, has worked diligently over the past five years and is poised to continue the work of reducing youth substance misuse through collaborative community efforts.”

Over the past year, the Belmont Wellness Coalition has initiated various community-oriented programs. These include Narcan training for Belmont residents, a webinar on Understanding Teen Mental Health, a workshop at the Chenery Middle School addressing suicidal ideation, informative sessions for high school parents on the Massachusetts Social Host Liability Law, and guidance to prevent teen substance misuse.

The BWC works closely with the School Department in administering and analyzing Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) data.  This biennial survey covers Belmont Public school students in grades 7 through 12, addressing crucial topics such as youth mental health, substance misuse, stress, screen time, sleep, and bullying. Gibalerio emphasized, “This data is integral to all the work that we do in Belmont. It informs our programming for both families and youth.”

BWC’s outreach initiatives include hosting a monthly parenting group, the creation of twice-monthly prevention-centered educational videos, tip sheets and resources posted to social media and on the website, as well as offering workshops on a wide variety of prevention related topics.  The BWC also oversees a peer group at Belmont High School called Student Mental Health Advocates.

Founded in 2017, the Belmont Wellness Coalition unites parents, youth, community leaders, clergy, local business representatives, school department officials, and town employees to work collaboratively toward the Coalition’s mission: using education and empowerment to reduce substance misuse and promote healthy choices and positive decision-making.

The BWC holds virtual monthly meetings and welcomes new members interested in supporting their mission. For more information about the Drug Free Communities grant or the Belmont Wellness Coalition, please contact Lisa Gibalerio, MPH, Public Health Educator at lisa_gibalerio@waysideyouth.org.

About Wayside: Wayside Youth & Family Support Network has been a strong presence in Watertown for decades. The Wayside Multi-Service Center, which joined Wayside in 1996, has provided services to the community since the 1960s. Today, Wayside operates multiple youth programs aimed at preventing risky behavior and building healthy ones. Wayside also runs the Watertown Social Services Resource Specialist Program, linking members of the community to vital services.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

August 11, 2023 

Contact: Betsy Freedman Doherty
774-287-6418 (cell)
Betsy_FreedmanDoherty@WaysideYouth.Org 

Wayside Youth & Family Support Network receives funding from the Boston Children’s Route 128 Community Health Initiative  

Framingham, MA. August 11, 2023. Wayside Youth & Family Support Network has received $147,651 over three years from Boston Children’s Hospital as part of the hospital’s Route 128 Community Health Initiative. The funding is designed to help advance the health and well-being of children and families. 

Empowering Caregivers for Generational Change will provide short-term parent and caregiver skill-building consultations and community programming in Waltham and Needham to 

increase caregiver’s awareness of children’s mental and behavioral health development (both strengths and needs) and support caregiver’s ability to respond to behavioral and mental health needs of youth.  The Clinical Director of Wayside’s community-based site in Waltham, Elizabeth Garreau, will be overseeing this project.  

The grant to Wayside Youth & Family Support Network is part of Boston Children’s total commitment of $15.1M over the next seven years (2023-2029) to aid community organizations and agencies in their efforts to support underserved children, youth, and families in the communities of Brockton, Framingham, Needham, Quincy, Randolph, Waltham, and Weymouth. An initial $7.7M has been distributed to funded partners for use over the next three to four years and is focused on two key areas – Mental Health and Well Being and Flourishing Families.  

“Wayside is very grateful to Children’s Hospital for this substantial funding that allows us to provide enhanced support and education to parents and caregivers with the goal of achieving greater emotional health and wellbeing,” says Sara Mcabe, LICSW, Wayside’s President and CEO.  

“We are so pleased to broaden our community health commitment even further to children and families outside of Boston. Through the Boston Children’s Route 128 Community Health Initiative, we will support organizations that are addressing the mental and behavioral health concerns of children and youth, as well as ensure that parents and caregivers have the capacity to build a strong future for their families,” says Shari Nethersole, MD, Vice President for Community Health and Engagement. “The hospital has long recognized that one of the best ways for us to make a difference is to partner with others in the community. This is now an incredible opportunity for us to encourage collaboration and strengthen the connections between these organizations. We hope this funding will promote partnerships, allow them to grow in new ways, and create an even stronger network of support for children and families.” 

About Wayside Youth & Family Support Network: Founded in 1977, Wayside Youth & Family Support Network is a non-profit, nationally accredited human services agency headquartered in Framingham, Mass. dedicated to building strength, hope and resiliency through its family-based outreach services, residential treatment programs, and community-based counseling services to thousands of children, youth and families throughout Eastern and Central Massachusetts. To learn more about Wayside, please visit www.waysideyouth.org. 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

June 30, 2023

Contact: Betsy Freedman Doherty
774-287-6418 (cell)
Betsy_Freedmandoherty@Waysideyouth.org

Wayside Youth & Family Support Network Announces Sara McCabe
as President and Chief Executive Officer.

Framingham, MA – After an extensive search process, Sara McCabe, LICSW was unanimously appointed by the Board of Directors to be Wayside’s new President and Chief Executive Officer, effective July 1, replacing long time CEO Eric L. Masi, Ed.D as he retires.

Sara began her career at Wayside in 2003 as a residential counselor and teacher at Wayside’s special education school, Wayside Academy. Since then, she’s held many roles including Assistant Director of Wayside Academy, Training and Risk Management Director and Campus Director.

In 2017 Sara was promoted to Vice President of Campus Services responsible for overseeing six adolescent residential programs, the Wayside Academy, and the psychiatric day treatment program at the Framingham Campus. In addition to her role as Vice President, Sara also oversaw the Marketing and Development Department and led the Agency’s 2020 Strategic Planning process. In September 2021 Sara was promoted to the agency’s first Chief Operating Officer charged with positioning the agency for continued growth in Central, Eastern and Northeastern Massachusetts.

Sara is a strong advocate for the child welfare system and received the Massachusetts National Association of Social Workers Social Policy Award in 2021. Sara is an adjunct professor at Boston University in the School of Social Work. She received her Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Framingham State University in Framingham, Mass. and her Master of Social Work from Wheelock College in Boston, Mass. She holds her independent clinical license in Massachusetts.

“We are incredibly excited about Wayside’s future with Sara at the helm,” said Loretta Holloway, Board Chairperson. “Sara is a passionate, focused, transparent, and innovative leader and advocate for youth and their families. She is committed to Wayside’s mission and ensuring that Wayside remains the leader in support for families and for being an equity-minded place to work”

About Wayside:
Founded in 1977, Wayside Youth & Family Support Network is a non-profit, nationally accredited human services agency dedicated to Building Strength, Hope and Resiliency through its family-based outreach services, residential treatment programs, and community-based counseling services to thousands of children, youth, and families throughout Eastern and Central Massachusetts.

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