The university has relationships with more than 150 community organizations throughout Boston with faculty, staff and students volunteering 50,000 hours of their time.
Northeastern has been deeply rooted in Boston since its founding 127 years ago, and even as it has grown into a global university with 13 campuses worldwide, the city remains its foundation.
“Boston is truly our heart and soul,” said John Tobin, Northeastern’s vice president for city and community engagement, speaking Thursday night at the second annual Heart of Community Awards. “We never forget our origins.”
And he brought the numbers to back it up.
Northeastern has relationships with more than 150 community organizations throughout Boston, and last year faculty, staff and students volunteered 50,000 hours to help support those organizations, Tobin said.
To recognize and spotlight those groups, the university created the annual award ceremony, which was held this year on the eighth floor of the EXP research complex.
Honorees included the Black Women Lead Project (Collaboration of the Year), Boston Building Resource (Partner of the Year), Stacey Villieda of the East Boston Social Center (Supervisor of the Year) and Boston police officer and community organizer Jamila Gales of Roxbury (Community Champion Award).
Collaboration of the Year
With partnerships with the Northeastern Library, the Boston Research Center, the Africana Studies Department, the Office of City and Community Engagement, and the Reckonings Project, it makes perfect sense why the Black Women Lead Project was the recipient of this year’s Collaboration of the Year award.
One of the largest public art installations in Boston, the Black Women Lead Project “honors over 200 incredible Black women who have made a lasting impact on the Boston community since the 1700s” by featuring them prominently on banners placed on a two-mile stretch along Blue Hill Avenue, it was announced.
With support from the Northeastern Library, Office of City and Community Engagement, and The Reckonings Project, the Black Women Lead Project was provided a $15,000 grant to create Wikipedia pages to honor historic Black women. The university also collaborated with the Black Women Lead Project to place banners in Northeastern Crossing, the university’s community space on Tremont Street.
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On top of this, Regine Jean-Charles, director of Northeastern’s Africana Studies and a professor in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities, created a “Black Women Lead” course in which students learned about these women’s contributions.
“This collaboration has not only heightened educational enrichment for students, but has had significant cultural and economic impacts on the community,” the award announcement noted.
“Residents expressed profound pride in seeing recognition of those who are not within traditional spheres of influence, as this project celebrates teachers, police officers, nurses, hairdressers, librarians, and more. The breadth and effectiveness of this partnership represents the values and best practices of truly transformational community collaboration.”
Partner of the Year
Boston Building Resources provides affordable second-hand building materials and hosts building and educational workshops for residents in the Boston area. Northeastern students volunteer at the organization weekly and the group has close ties to the university’s various student organizations, including the Student Government Association.
“Through these many avenues, Boston Building Resources imparts valuable lessons and life skills on its student volunteers,” it was announced. “According to the Northeastern faculty who nominated them, volunteers at Boston Building Resources ‘leave with a newfound sense of confidence in utilizing tools, working with others, and taking on projects both big and small. This type of quality, hands-on instruction is something that impacts volunteers for the rest of their lives.’”
“Boston Building Resources’ partnership with Northeastern truly embodies the nature of continuous, mutually beneficial collaboration that strengthens community and empowers the leaders of the future.”
Community Champion
Jamila Gales has dedicated her life to public service, both as a Boston police officer and as a community leader and organizer. She is the founder of the Girls Reflecting World or Grow program, which provides educational services and resources for teens in the Boston area.
The program, which is put on by the Boston Police Department, focuses specifically on helping girls build self-esteem and leadership skills as they transition into adulthood. To date, the program has helped more than 70 girls. Accepting the award on Gales’ behalf were two students who participated in the program.
Students who nominated Gales for the award said she “embodies the vision of constructing a resilient, thriving Boston community through the girls she empowers to make their voices heard.”
Supervisor of the Year
As the director of the Thriving Teens program at the East Boston Social Centers, Stacey Villieda exemplifies the values represented by the Supervisor of the Year Award by helping students set roots in their new community, the university highlighted.
The center provides two afterschool programs for teens — the Pillars of STEAM for middle school students and the Eastie Achievers for high schools students. Both programs teach students career development skills and the importance of science-related fields and the arts.
“One fellow, who nominated [Villieda] for this award, describes her as ‘great to work with because she encourages and supports new ideas, creativity, and innovations. She is such a supportive supervisor who is ready to try new things to make a community space that is as welcoming and functional for all to the best of her ability,’” event organizers said before presenting Villieda with the award.
Community grant recipients
The university also recognized 11 organizations that received one of its 2025 Community Grants. This year, Northeastern gave more than $30,000 in grants to the organizations supporting Fenway, Mission Hill, South End, Back Bay and Roxbury.
Those organizations include:
- Little Brothers–Friends of the Elderly Boston
- EVKids, Inc.
- Mass NOW
- The Upward Project
- 826 Boston
- Roslindale Food Collective
- Partners for Youth with Disabilities
- We Belong
- Love Your Magic
- The Pathway Initiative Inc.
- National Braille Press
