Impact Stories

Ruth Whitney is a ballerina turned environmental activist who lives in Dorchester Center with her husband and two children. When she started thinking about retiring from the stage, Ruth began to focus more on another passion of hers: climate justice. She was alarmed by the real estate developments going up... Read more

“I was passionate about it, but I used to shy away from it because it made me angry, and I didn’t know how to articulate it and what to do with the anger.” That’s how Tatikqua Austin describes how she used to feel about social justice issues. Now, in part... Read more

Bernard Thomas-Anum came to the U.S. with his parents and older sister from Nigeria when he was eleven years old. While in elementary school, he wandered into the CSNDC’s Computer Learning Center (CLC), which is in his neighborhood, in the hopes of getting some help with his homework. “They had... Read more

“I've had it in my heart to buy a house for more than two decades. I needed to stop going from place to place and just wanted to be done with all of that,” says Tanya Spencer. When she and her husband, Jamal, took stock of their circumstances around 2017,... Read more

Small business entrepreneur, Tiffany Payne, was featured on "Small Business, Big City," a segment produced by WCVB Channel 5. You can watch the segment HERE. Tiffany graduated from CSNDC's CLC DotBiz/TGH Small Business Course in May 2022. Tiffany's mother also graduated from the CLC/TGH Computer Basics Course in December 2023.... Read more

“I'm a people person. Everywhere I go, I meet people,” says Darlene Harrison. “My kids always say, ‘Mom, you’re always talking to people. Do you know them?’ I say, ‘No, I just met them.’ That's just how I am. I’m a really friendly person.” That’s one reason why Darlene was... Read more

Sonia (left) with Donna at the grand opening of their new location “If I didn't have CSNDC helping me, I think it would have taken me much, much longer to learn the things that I've learned about how to run this business,” says Sonia Satchell, who, along with... Read more

“I don't live for anything other than purpose. If it doesn't align with my mission and my purpose, I probably won't even show up.” These words succinctly capture the passion and commitment of Solar Born, a 43 year-old resident of Dorchester who, along with CSNDC’s Community Organizer James Mackey, has... Read more

“My job is to provide education and resources for families,” says Mary White, a Dorchester resident who leverages her lifelong experience as an asthmatic and mother of asthmatic children to help families with similar challenges. She was one of the graduates of the Tech Goes Home program at CSNDC’s Computer... Read more

“I'm just going to be positive about this. I just have to speak it into existence.” That’s how Kaleisha Chance describes her refuse-to-fail attitude about becoming a first-time homeowner. And it paid off. Kaleisha is now the proud owner of one of the affordable homes developed by CSNDC on New... Read more

The roots of Marlena Carter-Diaz’s community activism began to form in an ongoing dispute with a neighbor at her Dorchester home where she and her family have lived for over 20 years. Despite her best efforts, she was unable to get her issues resolved to her satisfaction and was left... Read more

“Most people don’t realize how pavement and sidewalks interrupt the natural water cycle,” says Dave Queeley, the Director of CSNDC’s Green Infrastructure Certification Program. “In the natural water cycle, rain falls to the ground, goes into the ground water, then comes back up through the roots of trees and plants... Read more