Press Release:

As Homelessness in Boston Soars, SmallCanBeBig.org Launches With Goal Of Helping 100 Families in Need This Winter

Waltham, MA 1/21/2009 — The number of homeless families in Boston soared 22% in the last year, according to Mayor Menino's annual census. Even more troubling, the number of children without a home rose more than 24%.

Tragically, these numbers are almost sure to go higher. For more and more families in Massachusetts, unemployment rises as affordable housing shrinks. Their need for aid grows as resources to help them dwindle. It's a crushing paradox. Many of these families have no safety net and are not eligible for any governmental assistance. State emergency aid budgets are stretched, and traditional charity models are unable to deal with the magnitude of this winter's problem. What's needed right now is a new way to help these families. SmallCanBeBig.org is one new way.

In these tough economic times, SmallCanBeBig.org is a new, online charitable-giving venture that enables donors to directly and immediately come together to help families in need. SmallCanBeBig.org was started by John Connors, president of Boathouse Group. His simple vision is to connect people with a little extra to families without enough. Connors and his firm created SmallCanBeBig.org to answer that need. “This is the new way for people to directly help local families on the edge, by using the Internet to harness the power of small donations, of which 100%, goes directly to support a family's needs,” says Connors.

According to Mayor Thomas Menino, “I have always believed that the best way to end family homelessness is to keep it from ever happening to begin with. In tough economic times, SmallCanBeBig.org is a simple and direct way for anyone to help families hold onto their housing. Everyone can do their part to help their neighbors in need.”

Inspired by Mayor Thomas Menino's call to find innovative solutions to community problems, SmallCanBeBig.org has partnered with ten Massachusetts-based charities to give them an edge they've never had before. Using the web to network these organizations' efforts together in real-time, SmallCanBeBig.org is leveraging the charities years of frontline experience to identify specific families where small donations can make the biggest difference. This network also has the potential to speed the pace of giving, get the aid to needy families faster, and give these charities access to new donors.

The challenges these families face are real and mounting. “The need has never been greater and the capacity for each of us to act in an immediate way to stop family homelessness will make such a difference in the lives of our neighbors,” says Judy Beckler, Executive Director of St. Mary's Women and Children's Center, one of the partnering charities.

“These are good, hardworking families living down the street from us. They have had a bad break and have no other safety net.” says Amanda Zarle, Executive Director of SmallCanBeBig.org. “If we can help 100 families this winter, we can think about building a platform and expanding this to other cities. But first we have to help 100 families.”

SmallCanBeBig.org is unique in that it's local, it's direct and 100% of every donation goes to immediately address a specific expense or urgent bill like rent, utility or medical expenses. Donations provide the specific help necessary to get families back on their feet, so donors know exactly how their donations make a difference.

SmallCanBeBig.org also hopes to mobilize a new base of donors at a time when the economy has made things tougher for everyone — for those who need help and for those who want to help. By focusing on small donations that can have a big impact and leveraging social networking features, SmallCanBeBig.org encourages donors to involve family and friends in the giving and the helping, thus multiplying the power of small, direct donations. By pulling a community together, SmallCanBeBig.org can accomplish amazing things in our own backyard.

For additional information on SmallCanBeBig.org, contact Amanda Zarle or visit www.SmallCanBeBig.org.

Press Contact

Amanda Zarle
SmallCanBeBig.org
P: 781-663-6600
F: 781-663-6601
media@smallcanbebig.org

About SmallCanBeBig.org

SmallCanBeBig.org is the latest venture in online charitable giving started by Boathouse Group, Inc. The organization was founded in November 2008 and provides a new way for people to directly help local families on the edge by using the Internet to harness the power of small donations.

About Boathouse Group, Inc.

Boathouse is redefining “creativity” online and off, and in so doing, creates communications, campaigns, companies, and in this case, a charitable giving site. Its clients include Merrill Lynch, TomTom, Caritas Christi and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and its President is John Connors.

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