Volunteer Endowment Fund

In 1959, when MAB established a former Volunteer Program for the blind, 28 sighted volunteers were matched with 34 blind individuals. Today more than 300 volunteers provide a confidential and reliable source of help for blind and visually impaired individuals across Massachusetts, at home and in the workplace. Volunteers read mail, magazines and paperwork; write letters and fill out forms; help with grocery shopping or errands; and sometimes drive clients to doctor’s appointments. They are some of our most important partners.

We are sometimes asked, “If they’re volunteers, why does the program cost money?” It’s a good question, and of course the donated hours of the volunteers are an invaluable contribution. To protect our clients, MAB’s must ensure that each volunteer is reliable and trustworthy. Therefore we must thoroughly interview, screen and train them. We take special care to match the needs of the client with the interests and preferences of the volunteer. And we must constantly recruit new volunteers and ensure that our current matches are continuing successfully. All of this falls to our regional Volunteer Coordinators, whom we are recognizing tonight along with our volunteers.

Over the last few years, nearly all of the annual funding received by the Volunteer Program has been eliminated or reduced. To sustain and strengthen this vital program for the next fifty years and beyond, MAB has created a 50th Anniversary Volunteer Fund. It is our goal to eventually endow the program fully. We think it’s a legacy of service worth preserving.

To support the fund, use our online gift form or mail your contribution to:

Development Office
MAB Community Services
200 Ivy St
Brookline, MA 02446

For more information please contact Cynthia Canham in the MAB Development Office at (617) 732-0245 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it