DIGNITARIES JOINED IN celebrating a grant to complete the outdoor pavilion at the Milano Center on West Foster Street.

 

MELROSE — The City of Melrose received a $10,000 grant from the Foundation Trust, a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing new programming in partnership with small-to-medium-sized New England nonprofits to better serve high-risk populations and elevate underrepresented communities.

The City used the grant to furnish and complete its outdoor pavilion at the Milano Center, the Melrose Council on Aging’s (COA) senior center that provides social, recreational, wellness, and educational programming for Melrose’s older adults.

“We are grateful for the generous grant we’ve received from Foundation Trust,” said Erica Brown, Executive Director of the Melrose Council on Aging. “This funding will allow us to expand our services and transform the pavilion into a space from which the entire Melrose community can benefit. I am most excited that the participants of our daily lunch program will be able to enjoy their meals outside when the weather allows and that we will be able to expand programming with accessible outdoor events.”

The $10,000 grant supported the purchase of bistro tables and chairs, a television, a sound system, and accent and overhead lighting. Now that the outdoor pavilion is complete, the COA will host daytime and evening events for its members and lease out the space as an event venue to residents and organizations.

“We were thrilled to partner with the Melrose Council on Aging to elevate the versatility of the Milano Center outdoor pavilion,” said Dr. Janelle Johnson, Managing Director of the Foundation Trust. “The enhanced space will further encourage social engagement of Melrose’s older adults and serve as a valuable resource for the greater community for many years to come.”

The pavilion, which first debuted in 2022, was constructed using a state earmark secured by State Representative Kate Lipper-Garabedian (32nd Middlesex District) and State Senator Jason Lewis (5th Middlesex District).

About Foundation Trust

The Foundation Trust is a private operating foundation that leverages a unique combination of philanthropy, grantmaking, educational resource development, scholarships, outreach, and training to be a part of efforts to advance inclusivity, overcome adversity, and transform trauma worldwide. To learn more, visit FoundationTrust.org.