By Cary Shuman
Community Action For Safe Alternatives (CASA) held its Rising Tides Youth Community Awards Program May 14 at the Lodge of Elks Hall.
CASA Board President Rubin Ribiera delivered the welcoming remarks. CASA Executive Director Amy Epstein also addressed the large gathering of CASA participants and families.
CASA Board of Director Stephen Ruggiero said in his speech at the event:
“I am honored to be here and to deliver this important message on behalf of the CASA Board of Directors.
Before I get started, I just wanted to introduce myself: My name is Stephen Ruggiero and I am a former CASA Participant and I have been on the CASA Board since 2016.
I’d also like to thank you all for being here tonight to celebrate with us and I wanted to also thank a few of our distinguished guests that we have in the room: Eric Reidister from Senator Edwards’ Office, Rep. Jeff Turco, Councilor Suzanne Swope, former Council Vice President Hannah Belcher, and former Councilor Tracey Honan.
I would also like to extend a special thank Carl Williams from Senator Elizabeth Warren’s Office who is here tonight and invite him to the podium to say a few words.
Lastly, I’d like to thank all of our MVP Donors who are here tonight: the Winthrop Marketplace, Kelly Gaule & Vuolos, the Winthrop Lodge of Elks, Winthrop Charities, the Winthrop Foundation, and the Brownie Foundation
My message tonight is simple…Organizations like CASA do not survive because of buildings, logos, or even state and federal grants alone. They survive because a community decides they matter. And tonight, I’m asking all of us to make that decision together.
For nearly 30 years, CASA has been one of the cornerstones of this community. Founded by parents and community members who cared deeply about the well-being of young people in Winthrop, CASA has created safe, supportive, welcoming spaces for kids and families across our town.
And what makes CASA truly special, especially today, is this:
Every CASA program is completely free of charge.
No membership fees.
No registration costs.
No participation costs.
No child turned away because a family cannot afford it.
That commitment matters enormously right now.
Families everywhere are feeling the heat. Between housing costs, groceries, childcare, sports, transportation, and everyday expenses, many parents are being forced to make difficult choices about what opportunities they can provide for their children.
CASA removes that barrier.
It ensures that every young person in this community has access to mentorship, leadership opportunities, support services, safe after-school spaces, and positive community programs — regardless of their family’s financial situation.
That means a child can walk through the doors and participate without worrying whether their parents can afford another bill.
And for some families, that makes all the difference.
For some kids, CASA is where they build confidence. For others, it’s where they find friendship, support, leadership opportunities, or trusted adults who care about them.
And in today’s world, that kind of support, compassion, and empathy matters more than ever.
We all know families are under pressure. Schools are under pressure. And young people are facing growing mental health and social challenges.
At the same time, organizations like CASA are facing increasing uncertainty around state and federal funding. Prevention and youth programs are often among the first things at risk when budgets tighten and when our government, federal and local, makes decisions that negatively impact the well being of our community.
But here’s the reality:
Free programming is not free to provide.
It takes staff.
It takes resources.
It takes safe spaces.
It takes supplies, training, insurance, and accountant fees.
And sometimes, it’s the basic things people don’t even think about:
CASA has to pay rent to the Town just to keep its doors open.
CASA has to buy drinking water for the kids who come through its programs every day because the water at the EB Newton building is non-potable.
Those may sound like small things, but they add up quickly. And they are reminders that even organizations doing extraordinary work for our community still face ordinary, everyday expenses.
Keeping CASA running requires more than passion.
It requires financial support and it requires a community willing to invest in its young people.
That being said, primary prevention efforts work.
You may never see the crisis that didn’t happen.
You may never know the student who stayed in school and stayed connected instead of falling through the cracks.
You may never see the impact one trusted adult or one safe space had on a child’s life.
But those outcomes are real.
And communities either invest in young people now, or pay a far greater price later.
And honestly, for many people in this room, especially the hockey parents here tonight, my mom being one of them, that idea probably feels very familiar.
Because hockey parents understand what it means to show up for kids. They understand the early mornings, the late nights, the freezing cold rinks, the fundraising, the carpools, and the sacrifices it takes to help young people grow and succeed.
No hockey team succeeds because of one player alone.
It takes teammates.
It takes coaches.
It takes families.
It takes a community.
And the same is true for our town and for CASA.
To quote Helen Keller, “Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”
Those words feel especially true in a community like Winthrop.
Because every child deserves to know that adults in this community are in their corner. Some kids find that support on the ice or on the field or on the stage; others find it through CASA. Every child deserves a team behind them. That’s what CASA provides. And just like in any sport, strong communities make sure nobody gets left behind
And I know people are asked to give to many causes. I know times are not easy for everyone. But I would ask you to think about what kind of community we want Winthrop to be in the future.
Do we want a town where opportunities are only available to families who can afford them?
Or do we want a community that believes every child deserves support, opportunity, and belonging?
Tonight, we have the opportunity to do what great teams do:
Step up when it matters most.
So I’m asking you tonight to support CASA however you can.
If you can donate, please do so. Each table has a QR code on it…scan the code and please consider contributing to the extent you can. Go visit our information booth to learn more and take a look at our donor packet. To top it off, we just learned that Rep Turco has pledged to match the first $1,000 donated tonight!
If you can volunteer, get involved.
If you own a business, consider becoming a trusted partner.
Because when you support CASA, you are helping ensure that every child in this community – not just the ones whose families can afford it – has access to support, opportunity, belonging, and hope.
And that is something truly worth protecting.
To donate to CASA online please visit: www.winthropcasa.org