By Seth Daniel
More than 30 Charlestown non-profits and residents turned out last Wednesday, Jan. 18, for a meeting to launch the new MyCharlestown.org website and to talk about what will be and can be offered on the new site operated by SCI, Inc. and sponsored by Spaulding and MGH.
The site is up and running now and this interested can register their organizations, or they can check out the content and sign up for a e-mail newsletter, called an e-mail blast. The first “blast” will come out on Feb. 1 and will be bi-weekly from there on out.
“The website was great and our kickoff went fantastic,” said Rosemarie Boucher, who has worked on a committee to launch the site for several months. “We are live now. We’re trying to bring something positive and be a trusted source for community information. Others have tried in the past, but we think this one will succeed because there is no agenda. It can be hard in Charlestown to find out what is going on with all the organizations and meetings. Whether you’re born and raised here or you just moved in last week, you will have access to good community information at the click of a button with MyCharlestown.org.”
The meeting was a cross-section of the community and its organizations, which was encouraging to Boucher and the committee.
Those represented included the Health Centers, the Charlestown Mother’s Association, the Kennedy Center, Friends of City Square, Friends of the Training Field, Friends of John Harvard Mall and many others.
“All different parts of Charlestown came out to find out more about this and get involved,” she said. “We still need to get the word out to people that it’s live and get them to sign up. The more people who use it and the more non-profits who utilize it, the better it will be for everyone. We think it will be valuable in connecting all the non-profits. It’s often hard to find out who is doing what. When they’re connected, we can support each other rather than compete with each other. We hope the site will prevent the duplication of efforts, promote collaboration and identify resources for people.”
The front-page of the site features a nice picture of the Monument with the Navy Yard in the foreground.
The site is operated by SCI, Inc., which operates Healthy Chelsea and MyDorchester.org.