On November 19, 2020, NewVue Communities’ Community Organizer, Francisco Ramos, received one of the most distinguished awards at the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations’ (MACDC) Annual Meeting. Honored as the recipient of The Ricanne Hadrian Award, Francisco’s work exemplifies the dedication and commitment to building economically and racially just communities through resident engagement.
Named after a staunch champion for community organizing and former Deputy Director of MACDC who passed away in 1996, The Ricanne Hadrian Award recipient is chosen through nominations submitted by community development organizations.
A resident of Clinton Massachusetts, Francisco joined NewVue Communities in October 2018, bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience to his role as community organizer. His work history includes working with several Massachusetts organizations such as Health Care for All, the EDCO Collaborative, and United Interfaith Action, as well as various community-based organizations in Chicago.
Marc Dohan, NewVue Executive Director said, “throughout Francisco’s career, he has been building a program model to train and empower community residents by engaging them in topic-specific trainings based on interests within the community. Our Community Stewards program started with Francisco’s arrival to NewVue and since that time, the impact of the program has been meaningful and longstanding. Our art stewards created festivals, painted murals and revitalized back alleys. In response to COVID, a group of stewards helped scale up the number of meals served by the North Central Massachusetts Faith-Based Coalition to homeless families from 200 to 1,600 per month. The education stewards partnered with the school department to foster parent engagement and to empower families of children with disabilities. And in response to George Floyd’s murder, stewards helped organize marches, Juneteenth celebrations and a National Night Out event with the Fitchburg Police Department to talk about racial justice. These examples are just a small piece of the difference made by Francisco and stewards.”
Following the MACDC Annual Meeting, Francisco stated, “I thank everyone at MACDC for honoring me with this award. It is received on behalf of all the stewards that have completed the NewVue Communities trainings in the first two years of the leadership development program. The success of our work in Fitchburg and the North Central region is directly related to the commitment and volunteerism that the stewards have displayed. Their countless volunteer hours completing trainings, visioning projects, implementing them and creating social change, impacts our communities now and certainly for the future. The success of my work as a community organizer would not have been possible if it were not for the stewards. Thank you to everyone who celebrates this work with me.”
