$344,000 awarded to 50 organizations offering engaging summer programming for local youth
In Methuen’s Arlington neighborhood, opening day of the Safe Haven Summer Parks and Recreation program means summer has officially arrived.
This year, the free program, run by nonprofit Methuen Arlington Neighborhood (MAN), Inc., started July 1, and as the temperature soared past 90 degrees, more than 60 kids flocked to the park for sports, playground fun, crafts, sprinklers, freeze pops and more.
While participants age 7 and up enjoy the program’s daily activities – which includes breakfast and lunch – Linda Soucy, who founded MAN, Inc. in 1992 as a grassroots, community-led neighborhood watch organization, is thinking about the big picture.
The poverty rate among families in this 14-street neighborhood, which borders the Arlington neighborhood of Lawrence, is more than double that of Methuen as a whole, according to Soucy. Families struggle to afford housing, utilities, food and transportation. MAN, Inc., supports local families by connecting them with social services and by offering year-round youth programing, like their after-school homework center.
But summer can be a particularly difficult time for households that lack resources, so youth programming that takes place right in the neighborhood, where it can be easily accessed, is critical. On any given day, attendance at the Safe Haven summer program can swell to more than 100 youth.
“We believe this programming is essential, as many children, particularly those age 10-15, would otherwise be left home alone because their families cannot afford childcare,” said Soucy. “This is a critical stage in their lives and access to a safe, supervised program can strongly influence long-term future choices while allowing youth to build friendships and connect with positive adult and teen role models.”
The Greater Lawrence Summer Fund: Supporting Safe, Supportive and Engaging Summer Programming
MAN, Inc., is one of 50 organizations to receive funding this year from Essex County Community Foundation’s Greater Lawrence Summer Fund (GLSF), which for 35 years has focused on closing the opportunity and achievement gaps for thousands of young people in Greater Lawrence by increasing access to enrichment and academic opportunities during the summer months.
The GLSF supports high-quality summer programs that enhance social, emotional and academic abilities; promote safety and physical and mental health and reduce summer learning loss.
“This funding provides a high-impact investment that provides structure, engagement and trusted adult relationships during a time when youth are most at risk of academic loss and disengagement,” said Soucy. “Without this critical support, our summer programming would not be possible.”
In total, the Greater Lawrence Summer Fund distributed $344,000 in funding this summer for programming that ranges from MAN Inc.’s neighborhood recreation program to the Greater Lawrence Fellowship of the Arts Mindful Arts program to Bellesini Academy’s Summer Academic Enrichment Program, and so much in between.
“Thanks to a generous community of donors, ECCF, through the Greater Lawrence Summer Fund, has the capacity to support so many wonderful organizations committed to making summer not only safe and engaging, but also a time for young people to make memories that will last them a lifetime,” said Hehershe Busuego, ECCF’s vice president of equity initiatives.
For a full list of 2026 Greater Lawrence Summer Fund grantees, visit www.eccf.org/greater-lawrence-summer-fund/.
About the Greater Lawrence Summer Fund
Each year, the Greater Lawrence Summer Fund awards up to $15,000 to nonprofit organizations offering summer programs that serve youth from the Greater Lawrence communities of Lawrence, Methuen, Andover and North Andover.
