The Caring Force Blog A Recap of the TCF Rally!

Today was my last day as Project Manager of The Caring Force. And what a day!

Our Tenth Annual Caring Force Rally just wrapped up and it was a huge success! More than 1,300 Caring Force members registered for the event, and you shared connections to fill our Zoom room to listen to speakers, wear your Caring Force shirts, and show our community’s support for Student Loan Repayment and Fair Pay for Comparable Work.”

Thank you to everyone who attended the rally, met with their legislators and helped to strengthen the human services sector. People from across the Commonwealth helped ensure that everywhere from the Cape to the Berkshires was represented.

At this year’s rally, we heard many powerful stories from workers who represent the sector. Hetsron Alexandre from Roxbury Youthworks discussed his experience helping youth affected by violence, earning less than his DYS peers. Devon Brown from Advocates discussed the enormous burden of student loan debt on their finances and how it forces decisions over which bills to pay each month. Kristoffer DaCosta and Amanda Aguiar from Bristol Elder Services each discussed one of The Caring Force’s bills, explaining how low rates of pay and high rates of debt force are unsustainable for the sector and disrupt care for vulnerable populations. These were not easy stories to share, so we are incredibly grateful to all our workforce speakers.

We also heard from our legislators. Massachusetts Senate President and former Caring Bear recipient Karen Spilka discussed the incredible work done by community-based human services workers, especially during the pandemic. This year’s Caring Bear recipients, Senator Eric Lesser and Representative Tram Nguyen, discussed their support for the Council’s legislation and thanked Caring Force members for their efforts. They encouraged attendees to meet with their legislators and ask them to support both initiatives.

Michael Weekes also announced our new PSA in collaboration with WCVB-TV which you can watch by clicking here.

And from the bottom of my heart, thank you to every member of The Caring Force who helped make the Tenth Annual Caring Force Rally an event to remember! I have been so lucky to work on your behalf to fight for better wages and benefits that would strengthen the human services sector. I am certainly looking forward to continuing to advocate as member of The Caring Force.

The past couple years have been an amazing experience and I could not think of a better way to close them out.

Best,

Ravi Simon
Project Manager
The Caring Force

Back to All Blog Posts