Annual Gala honored 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, gathered hundreds for an exciting night of dancing, conversation, and small bites from a collection of Boston’s best female chefs at the 200-Year Anniversary Gala celebrating two centuries of transforming lives, empowering women, and advocating for change.

The EMPower Award was presented to a trifecta of incredible women including the Mayor of Boston Michelle Wu. EMPath President & CEO and former Mayor of Boston Kim Janey also honored Sandy Edgerley, philanthropist, real estate developer, and chair of The Boston Foundation along with Shellee Mendes, an award-winning entrepreneur and philanthropist.

Latoyia Edwards, Emmy-Award winning anchor at NBC 10 Boston, was the emcee for the bicentennial event, which took place at the historic BCA Cyclorama. The program featured a video highlighting EMPath’s rich history and the work that EMPath is carrying forward for families today.

“Last night’s celebration of EMPath's 200 Years was stunning, as we honored two centuries of working with women and families to improve lives and move toward economic prosperity. Most importantly, we highlighted the incredible achievements our programs participants have made in the past year,” said EMPath President and CEO Kim Janey. "Thanks to our incredible partners, sponsors and donors, we will continue this work of disrupting poverty and working with women and families to realize their biggest dreams.”

The gala featured an exhibition of historical photographs and artifacts chronicling EMPath’s 200 years. Newspaper articles and photos from 100 years ago were highlighted alongside stories of well-known leaders such as Dr. Harriet Clisby, a doctor and founder of one of EMPath’s legacy organizations, and past participants such as Amelia Earhart. This 200-year Anniversary Gala was part of 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’s legacy organizations – The Women’s Educational and Industrial Union, and Crittenton, Inc. – were rooted in creating transformational change for women in Boston and around the country. They created programs that helped women enter and advance in the workforce, provided reproductive health services, and established one of the first ever free school lunch programs for children.

Jessica, a participant in EMPath’s flagship program, shared her story of receiving one-on-one coaching from an EMPath mentor, who supported her as she began working toward her goals and realizing her dreams. Over the past five years she has moved out of public housing, has a full-time job as a financial coach for the City of Boston and says she has deepened her relationship with her son, who is now on the honor roll for the first time.

At the gala, all three honorees accepted the EMPower Award and gave inspiring remarks to the crowd.

“Thank you to EMPath for this EMPower Award. I am deeply appreciative of the partnership that the City of Boston has with EMPath to reshape what’s possible for so many women and families in Boston,” said Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. “The generational impact from their leadership is changing lives and building our brightest future.”

Shellee Mendes shared, “I am incredibly honored to accept EMPath’s EMPower Award. This moment means a lot to me, especially as someone who has experienced homelessness and has known what it is like to struggle. This award represents more than just personal achievement. It stands for the strength of so many women and moms facing similar struggles. It is a reminder that with the right support, anyone can overcome adversity and thrive.”

“I am deeply grateful to receive the EMPower Award from EMPath and appreciate this recognition,” said Sandy Edgerley. “EMPath has been a beacon of hope and transformation for countless individuals and

families, and it is a privilege to be part of this journey. As we celebrate EMPath’s 200th anniversary, we acknowledge the tremendous progress we have made and the challenges that still lie ahead. Together, we are building a future where economic mobility is accessible to all.”

The evening also featured small plates from some of Boston’s top female chefs from restaurants including Flour Bakery & Cafe, PAGU, Stillwater, Zuzu’s Petals, Tiny Spoon Chef, and Shy Bird.

At the gala, Janey also recognized 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. More than 600 Boston and Cambridge Housing Authority residents have been enrolled in this randomized control study, which will evaluate EMPath’s one-on-one coaching model, called Mobility Mentoring®, that supports families as they work to climb the economic ladder.

This year’s gala sponsors included Sandy and Paul Edgerley, The ‘Quin House, Suffolk, PricewaterhouseCoopers, New England Patriots Foundation, Deloitte, Eastern Bank, State Street, OneDigital, Citizens, Point32Health Foundation, and Rhino Capital.

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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.