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Boston Center for Independent Living > BCIL’s 50th Anniversary

BCIL’s 50th Anniversary

Please join us on Saturday, September 21, 2024, from 1 – 4 pm at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Roxbury for an afternoon of connection and celebration. We will honor our founders and people like you who have helped make BCIL what it is today. We will share our stories, our successes, and our dreams for the future. Thanks to our generous sponsors, the event is free. We ask that you register in advance to help us with planning.

BCIL 50th Anniversary Celebration

September 21 @ 1:00 pm

Please join us on Saturday, September 21, 2024, from 1 – 4 pm at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Roxbury for an afternoon of connection and celebration. […]

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Join us as we celebrate BCIL’s 50th Anniversary!
Saturday, September 21, 2024, from 1 – 4 pm at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center, 1350 Tremont Street, Boston
• We will celebrate our shared history and honor our founders with a special presentation by people who helped start BCIL in 1974.
• Enjoy special performances by DEAFinitely and Tunefoolery.

 

  • DEAFinitely, Inc. is a Boston-based non-profit that provides access and opportunity to Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, hard of hearing, and hearing youth through the performing arts, mentoring, and American Sign Language (ASL) to help shift the narrative around communication equity. We’ll enjoy the talents of The DEAFinitely Performance Crew, a wide diversity of Deaf and hearing youth ages 7 to 17. DEAFinitely invites us all to together as a team. They move in and out of Deaf and hearing worlds, racially and socially diverse communities, and their comfort zones, speaking communication equity and action throughout the Boston community.
  • Tunefoolery consists of over 60 musicians in mental health recovery who play and practice together and perform at 300 concerts a year. The healing process for people in mental health recovery can be a very painful journey where one’s traumatic experiences and shortcomings often become the focus of the process. Tunefoolery uses music, creativity, education, paid work, and a loving community as a way to transform people’s lives and create a foundation to become productive, skilled musicians who can share the gift of music and hope with others.
• See demonstrations by the Boston Brakers (recently won the bronze medal at the United States Power Soccer Association 2024 Conference Cup Series) & Commonwealth Cruisers  power wheelchair soccer team, and The Whiplash Hockey team who play a version of 4-on-4 wheelchair street hockey.
• Our Shared History, Your Personal Story: Northeastern College students will set up recording booths for participants to share what the independent living movement has meant to them and their hopes for the future. Sign up for a time slot opens soon!
• Interactive games, dance, crafts, face painting, balloons and juggling for children.
• Have your photo taken at the red carpet station!
• Enjoy refreshments including cake and assorted light fare including New England’s The Sausage Guy!
• Rekindle old connections and make new friends! It will be a festive afternoon!
Thanks to our generous sponsors, the event is free. We ask that you register in advance to help us with planning. Register with this link https://tinyurl.com/BCIL50th
Come join the fun as we mark this incredible milestone in BCIL’s journey.

WHAT:   Speakers, entertainers, light fare and cake!

WHEN:  Saturday, September 21, 2024, from 1 – 4 pm

WHERE:  Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Roxbury

HOW:   Register with this link https://tinyurl.com/BCIL50th
Thanks to our generous sponsors, the event is free.  We ask that you register in advance to help us with planning.

Want to help?

  • Volunteers are needed on the day of the event to assist with setup, registration, and many other roles.  Indicate your interest on the registration form, and we will follow up with you to confirm.
  • For sponsorship opportunities, visit https://bostoncil.org/bcil50th/ or contact Susan Smith, Director of Operations and Development at ssmith@bostoncil.org
  • Additional speakers, entertainment, and more event details will be shared in the coming weeks.

For 50 years, BCIL has been at the forefront of the independent living movement.  We established one of the first Personal Care Attendant programs in the country and have led groundbreaking work through advocacy, services, and community organizing to improve access to transportation, education, housing, employment, health care, nutrition and so much more. Today, we serve thousands of people in the greater Boston area each year.  And we are keenly aware that much remains to be done to ensure equity, justice, opportunities, and dignity for people with disabilities. To find out more about how you can get involved and support our work, please visit https://www.bostoncil.org.

A special thanks to all who participated and attended the Wins, Lessons, and What’s Next for Independent Living virtual forum on May 16, 2024.

Sponsor BCIL's 50th Anniversary

BCIL 50th Sponsorship

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If you have questions or would like to discuss these sponsorship opportunities, please contact Susan Smith, Director of Operations and Development at ssmith@bostoncil.org or 617-338-6665 x 210 or Toni Troop, event consultant, at tonitroop@gmail.com or 617-212-7571.

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