Annual Gala honors Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, philanthropic leader and community champion Sandy Edgerley, and entrepreneur and philanthropist Shellee Mendes

Boston, MA - Economic Mobility Pathways (EMPath), a national nonprofit that dramatically improves the lives of people living in poverty, is thrilled to announce its upcoming 200-Year Anniversary Gala celebrating two centuries of transforming lives, empowering women, and advocating for change.

The EMPower Award will be presented to three remarkable women including the Mayor of Boston Michelle Wu. EMPath President & CEO and former Mayor of Boston Kim Janey will also celebrate Sandy Edgerley, philanthropist, real estate developer, and chair of The Boston Foundation along with Shellee Mendes, an award-winning entrepreneur, philanthropist, and change agent.

Latoyia Edwards, Emmy-Award winning anchor at NBC 10 Boston, will emcee the evening. The event promises to be an unforgettable night of storytelling, dancing and incredible food from local female chefs. The bicentennial gala is on Thursday, June 6, 2024 at 6:30pm at the historic BCA Cyclorama.

“I am honored to be recognizing this trio of trailblazers who empower other women around our great city and Commonwealth,” says Kim Janey. “EMPath and its legacy organizations have profoundly impacted the lives of women and families for 200 years. Our rich history of creating transformational change will continue to inspire us as we work with families to dream big, believe in themselves and reach for economic mobility.”

“EMPath has been supporting women and families here in Boston for two centuries,” says Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. “This organization is an essential partner in our community and a leader in disrupting poverty and uplifting women. I’m honored to receive this EMPower award and look forward to continuing to collaborate with EMPath as we work to strengthen the economic mobility of women and families for years to come.”

The evening will also feature small plates from some of Boston’s top female chefs from restaurants including Flour Bakery & Cafe, Pagu, Stillwater, Zuzu’s Petals and Shy Bird.

"EMPath is changing lives with genuine solutions to challenges that we can tackle as a community,” says Sandy Edgerley. “With Mayor Janey at the helm, this organization is continuing to make a major impact on the lives of individuals and families living in poverty each and every day. By supporting the work of EMPath, we are directly supporting the women and children who deserve to chart a better future.”

“When I had two young children, I was working two jobs and still found it impossible to pay for rent, food, clothing and childcare. I turned to organizations that offered support,” says Shellee Mendes. “Organizations believed in me, the way EMPath believes in individuals and families. It was an investment with huge returns for me, my family and for society. For all of the women out there experiencing poverty, economic mobility is possible.”

At the gala, Janey will also recognize the generosity of The Phyllis and Jerome Lyle Rappaport Foundation, which has given a $1 million challenge grant to EMPath in support of AMP Up, our three-year transformative economic mobility coaching program and study. With this randomized control study, we have enrolled more than 600 Boston and Cambridge Housing Authority residents.

This 200-year Anniversary Gala is a momentous evening in our season of celebration, marking several anniversaries and milestones, both in the history of the organization’s work over two centuries as well as in the work EMPath does today to disrupt poverty across the country. EMPath is impacted by its two legacy organizations – The Women’s Educational and Industrial Union, and Crittenton, Inc. The founding of these organizations was rooted in creating transformational change for women in Boston and around the country – from creating programs that help women enter and advance in the workforce, to providing reproductive health services, to establishing one of the first-ever free school lunch programs for kids.

This year’s Gala sponsors include PricewaterhouseCoopers, New England Patriots Foundation, Deloitte, Eastern Bank, State Street, OneDigital, Citizens, Point32Health Foundation, and Rhino Capital.

To purchase tickets to the 200-Year Anniversary Gala, visit our gala site. To learn more about EMPath’s 200-year history, visit our website.

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Economic Mobility Pathways (EMPath) is a 200-year-old organization that dramatically improves the lives of people living in poverty. Because creating economic opportunity is multifaceted, EMPath's approach is too. EMPath offers a unique combination of direct services; a learning network of human services organizations; and research and advocacy for what works. This “virtuous circle” allows each part of the organization’s work to inform what it knows, does, and shares with others to seed systemic change. To learn more, visit empathways.org.