BOSTON – Next week, the Catholic Charities Labouré Center will host their 37th Annual Spring Reception. The event will honor the Kerr family with the Jack Shaughnessy Service Award, and will feature both a live and silent auction to raise funds in support of the Labouré Center programs.
The Kerr family – and in particular brothers John, Kevin and Michael – will receive the Jack Shaughnessy Award for their support of the Labouré Center.
The Jack Shaughnessy Service Award is presented yearly to an individual who has shown exceptional dedication and service to Labouré and to the Boston community.
Born and raised in South Boston the Kerr brothers have always remembered and supported the South Boston community. Over the years, John Kerr, a practicing pharmacist in Plymouth, Kevin Kerr, a Boston attorney and Michael Kerr, President of The Growth Fund of America have individually and as Trustee of the WHH foundation, been financial benefactors of the Labouré Center.
South Boston and public service legend Tom Tinlin will return as auctioneer to host the live auction, featuring items such as: luxury tickets to the Boston Bruins, Boston Celtics, and Boston Red Sox; a personal shopping experience with Trunk Club; overnight stays at the Loews Back Bay Hotel, Westin Waterfront, Marriott Copley Place; a Las Vegas getaway; a Newport, RI, trip giveaway, featuring restaurant gift cards, wine tastings, and mansion tours; Hy-Line Cruises Vineyard passes; and many others. The program will also feature Cardinal Seán O’Malley; Deborah Kincade Rambo, President and CEO of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Boston; and Jacob Bombard, Director of Catholic Charities Labouré Center.
This year’s event will take place in a new location, at The Exchange (212 Northern Avenue, in Boston’s Seaport District), a multi-purpose event venue featuring dramatic architecture, high ceilings, and spectacular panoramic views of Boston Harbor.
The Laboure Center first opened its doors in 1907, founded by a series of community organizations and concerned residents to serve the needs of newly-arrived immigrants struggling to provide basic needs for their families.
Today, Labouré continues to provide critical programs offering comprehensive health, education and social services to over 3,000 children, teens, families, individuals and elders in South Boston and surrounding communities. Catholic Charities is building a just and compassionate society rooted in the dignity of all people.
Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of Boston
One of the largest providers of social services in Massachusetts, Catholic Charities of Boston encompasses nearly 75 distinct programs in 26 locations.
Five regional offices, with local advisory boards and their own longstanding groups of supporters, provide help with basic needs across ages, races, cultures, and religious faiths.
Nearly one-third of its $34 million annual operating budget is provided by private philanthropy. Originally a loose coalition of Catholic Charities groups in communities across Eastern Massachusetts, Catholic Charities of Boston became one independent nonprofit in the late 1990s.
Whether through food assistance, help for struggling teens or outstanding refugee and immigration support during a time of intense uncertainty for that population, Catholic Charities provides support for individuals’ most basic needs while respecting the dignity of each individual.
