Revitalize Community Development Corporation granted $500,000 from the MassMutual Foundation

Springfield, Mass. - Revitalize Community Development Corporation (RCDC), a nonprofit that performs critical repairs on homes of low-income families with children, the elderly, military veterans, and people with special needs, today announced a $500,000 grant from the MassMutual Foundation. The grant will be used towards the RCDC capital campaign to construct a warehouse and distribution center to meet the growing demand for their services and provide RCDC the capacity to house all critical components of their programming in one centralized location.

 

This announcement was made today during the ribbon cutting ceremony for RCDC’s newly acquired office building at 240 Cadwell Drive in Springfield, MA, an event that was attended by state and local leaders including Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno; State Senator Jacob R. Oliveira of Hampden, Hampshire, and Worcester counties; State Representative Lindsay N. Sabadosa of 1st Hampshire County; City Council President Jesse Lederman; and City Councilor Kateri Walsh. Including the support from the MassMutual Foundation, the capital campaign has received almost 50% of the $3.3 million fundraising goal to date.

"I’m honored to be a part of Revitalize CDC. We’ve grown from a small, volunteer-run organization with a budget of $5,000 when we started in 1992 to an agency with paid staff and thousands of dedicated volunteers and a nearly $5M budget. In our 30+ years, we’ve helped tens of thousands of individuals improve their homes and their health and wellbeing,” said Colleen Shanley-Loveless, RCDC President & CEO. “We couldn’t do it without our volunteers and the businesses and partners that donate their time and funding to support our programs. Whenever I read a thank you letter or hear from a participant, I’m thankful for our community’s generous support. We hope community members will join us in our capital project – every donation helps put us closer to our goal.”

RCDC serves more than 2,500 low-income individuals annually, yet still has a waitlist nearly 900 projects long, including overwhelming demand in the North End and Mason Square. RCDC’s current storage spaces, which include four shipping containers, are in disrepair and spread across the city, leading to program delivery complications and cost inefficiencies. This new facility will provide RCDC the capacity to better serve its beneficiaries.

“Revitalize CDC has played a significant role in the economic development of Springfield, providing critical home repair and health education resources to those in need,” said Dennis Duquette, head of Community Responsibility at MassMutual and president of the MassMutual Foundation. “The MassMutual Foundation is proud to collaborate with RCDC and other like-minded organizations that help to foster financial resiliency in our neighborhoods and work to create a more vibrant Springfield.”

Construction is set to begin at 240 Cadwell Drive in Springfield, MA where the distribution center is projected to open in May of 2024.