Page 6 - BusinessWest November 28, 2022

foundation’s new office in Springfield.
It was added several months ago, and it’s now
a permanent feature, said Bolduc, adding that many of the topics discussed — and stories heard — at the table have prompted those assembled to reach for the tissue box.
This process of listening is a big part of the early work being done at the foundation, said those we spoke with, adding that all those involved are still in the process of learning, iden- tifying issues and ways in which the foundation can become involved, and then developing strate-
“When sustainability becomes the goal, we then need to look at what we have to do to make this happen. And we found that we just have to roll up our sleeves and get to work — in all the ways.”
gies for this involvement.
Summing it up, Bolduc and Mumblo called it
the “Sustainability Challenge,” noting that it has both foundational building blocks — funding, alliances both local and national, data collection, and tracking of progress are just some of them — and a number of initiatives and programs ranging from foster care and supportive housing to sum- mer camps, mentoring and tutoring programs, and scholarships.
The foundation’s work on the Sustainability
Challenge is still very much in its infancy stage, said Bolduc, adding that, while he has been talk- ing about his new foundation for the better
part of a year now, the sale of the Pride
chain was quite complicated, and it took several months to “unravel a lot of complicated issues,” as he put it.
Mumblo, the foundation’s
first employee, did not come on board until July, he said, adding that this hire was an important ini- tial step.
For Mumblo, the offer from Bolduc
to lead the foundation, extended about a
year ago, came somewhat out of the blue. When Bolduc called, she was serving as executive direc- tor of Christina’s House in Springfield, a nonprofit focused on providing transitional housing for women and their children, work that earned her status as one of BusinessWest’s Women of Impact for 2021. And she was quite happy in that work.
“I thought Christina’s House was going to the place where I retired eventually,” she said, adding she asked for time to think about this opportu- nity, and was given it. Her career plans changed when she learned more about the new founda- tion and the initial roadmap for how it would carry out its mission.
“Bob’s vision and values in the world really aligned with mine,” she noted. “And the bottom line for me was that it was not about handing out checks; it was about doing work — not just talk- ing, but being immersed in the community and listening to what the community really needed and then building the foundation around that need. That’s what brought me here.”
She’s now leading a foundation that has that broad mission statement — and was inspired by all that Bolduc saw, heard, and learned about area communities and specific neighborhoods, and the many kinds of challenges they are facing.
“Because, over my career, I’ve had stores in all the different neighborhoods, I’ve had the oppor- tunity to get to know the populations in these neighborhoods, and I saw the need in the inner cities to help youth and families,” he explained. “When our family decided to start a foundation, we made that our mission — to work with youth and families in the inner cities.
“We had to define the problem and set goals,” he went on, adding that this work is in many ways being shaped by some interviews with 15-year- old girls conducted several years ago.
“We asked them what they wanted to do when they grew up,” he recalled. “And when the ques- tion came, ‘do you think you’ll go to college?’ every one of them said, categorically, ‘no, I could
DIFFERENCE
Now Accepting
Nominations for The
Class of 2023
Difference Makers is a celebration of individuals, groups, organiza- tions, and families that are positively impacting the Pioneer Valley and are, as the name suggests, making a difference in this region.
Help us identify those making a difference through initiatives to improve quality of life; through success in business, public service, or education; through contributions that inspire
others to get involved; through imaginative
efforts to help solve one or more societal issues; or through a combination of the above.
A PROGRAM OF BUSINESSWEST
Deadline: December 10, 2022
YPS SANTACON
5:30 PM
15
DEC
Jingle & mingle with us through Downtown Springfield!
Register today at springfieldyps.com/events
6 NOVEMBER 28, 2022
FEATURE
BusinessWest