Project Hope Executive Director Margaret Leonard Receives Honorary Degree
(Boston, May 29, 2009) – The University of Massachusetts Boston today honored Sister Margaret Leonard with the degree of doctor of humane letters, honoris causa, at its 41st commencement ceremonies for her considerable neighborhood development work as the long-time director of Dorchester-based Project Hope.
Since she began as an organizational and community leader in East Harlem more than 40 years ago, Leonard has pioneered transformational service and community-building practices. She has created tangible and long-lasting impact by addressing the structural social and economic forces that interfere with the well-being of low-income families and communities.
“We honor Sister Margaret Leonard for her creativity and compassion in not only serving the poor but also empowering them to move up and out of poverty,” said Chancellor Keith Motley. “Sister Margaret has personally participated in the transformation of a neighborhood. We honor her for her service on behalf of the community.”
In the 1980s, Leonard opened the Little Sisters of the Assumption’s convent doors to eight homeless families and coined “Project Hope,” with “Hope” standing for “House Open, People Enter.” Today, it is a vibrant multi-service center offering educational and economic empowerment programs serving Boston’s Dorchester and Roxbury neighborhoods.
Her visionary leadership took Project Hope into a brand-new Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified building in 2006, enabling significant program expansion. The Dudley Street facility, which received Silver Certification, is the first in area to be LEED-certified. “This is a building that teaches us how to live when we go home, so that generations to come will also be able to enjoy a healthy and fruitful planet Earth,” she says.
A catalyst in forging strategic alliances, partnerships, and collaborations at local, city, and state levels to support low-income families in moving from crisis to stability, Leonard co-chaired the City of Boston’s Homeless Planning Committee and co-founded two innovative and highly effective organizations: Homes for Families, a statewide advocacy organization, and One Family Scholars. She played a central role in creating the Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative (DSNI) in 1984, for which she serves is a board member. A powerful force in Roxbury and North Dorchester, DSNI worked closely with community members and planning consultants to develop a comprehensive neighborhood revitalization plan adopted by the City of Boston as the blueprint for change in the Dudley neighborhood.
She received the 2007 Award for Excellence in Community Development from the Massachusetts Housing Investment Corporation; the 2008 Legends Among Us Award from One Family, Inc.; and an honorary doctorate in humane letters from Assumption College, her alma mater, in 2008. A powerful and inspiring leader, she has made outstanding and long-lasting contributions to families with the lowest incomes, the communities in which they live, and the Commonwealth as a whole.
Others honored at UMass Boston’s 41st Commencement include main speaker Senator John Kerry, and honorary degree recipients Joe Kennedy, founder of Citizen’s Energy Corporation, and Edwin Moses, Olympic Champion.
About UMass Boston
With a growing reputation for innovative research addressing complex urban issues, the University of Massachusetts Boston, metropolitan Boston’s only public university, offers its diverse student population both an intimate learning environment and the rich experience of a great American city. UMass Boston’s seven colleges and graduate schools serve more than 14,000 students while engaging local, national, and international constituents through academic programs, research centers, and public service activities. To learn more about UMass Boston, visit www.umb.edu.