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Anne Bresnahan joins New England Homes for the Deaf - Danvers, MA - Danvers Herald
The New England Homes for the Deaf, like all not-for-profit organizations, needs money, and it hopes to solve that deficiency with the help of its first-ever development director, Danvers native Anne Bresnahan.
“I have a long career in fundraising and sales, and I have a good network in the community and within the political realm,” said Bresnahan in a recent interview, all of which she believes will help her raise money for this signature and very special agency.
People in Danvers might know her from her school days, of course, but also from her years as a volunteer fundraiser for that iconic Danvers summer event, Family Festival, which she also chaired in 1989.
Or, they might know her from her years as a volunteer fundraiser for Congressman Peter G. Torkildsen, of Danvers, and then as a paid fundraiser for his campaign beginning in 1990. She eventually wound up as his campaign director, winning recognition from Vogue Magazine “as one of the most accomplished campaign managers in the country,” she said.
She had graduated from Boston Bouve College at Northeastern with a Bachelor of Science in Education and Health. She worked for Delta Air Lines from 1978-1996 in their sales and marketing departments. After her political work, she left for a more exotic life from 1999-2007, first in South Africa and then in Nigeria, where she was offered jobs helping their fledgling democracies to develop campaign and legislative skills.
Home since April, she hopes to bring her accumulated skills to bear fruit for the New England Homes for the Deaf.
She began her new job Jan. 7, and, she’s brimming with ideas.
“I’m extremely excited about this opportunity,” said Bresnahan.
For instance, she points to a pre-game advertisement that PepsiCo ran in this year’s Super Bowl featuring members of the deaf community. Because of it, she plans to submit an application to the PepsiCo Foundation to help expand the home’s physical therapy and rehabilitation area so that private payers might then use it.
“We are hoping to create corporate partnerships,” she said. “We hope to capitalize on the recent focus on the deaf community.”
She mentioned, with an obvious eye toward fundraising opportunities, that McDonald’s has American Sign Language on paper bags, and Samsung ran an ad featuring the deaf community.
She has already booked Turner Hill in Ipswich for a golf tournament in September. Both Bresnahan and Homes Director Barry Zeltzer noted that many members of the deaf community enjoy golf, so it is a fitting fundraiser for the community.
The Homes for the Deaf have never done these outreach fundraising events before.
Historic home
Part of Bresnahan’s mission is to ensure that the history of the Homes for the Deaf is honored in a tangible way, for instance, through displays of some of the artifacts found at the mansion, she said. The mansion, after all, is such a stunning piece of architecture, dating to 1845 and built by Matthew Hooper.
The Hussey family owned it in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Then Helen Keller, who is the focus of the famous story, “The Miracle Worker,” saw the mansion in 1924 and brokered a deal for the New England Home for Deaf Mutes to move there from overcrowded quarters in Everett.
Known as Riverbank, the home, with its cupola rising above the treetops, greets travelers along Route 35 and gracefully perches beside the Waters River, like an old-world manor house. But, the home served as a rest home only, Director Zeltzer said, and sicker patients had to leave for a skilled nursing facility, most often where staff had no expertise in deaf communication.
The New England Homes for the Deaf is now one of only two in the country that provide a “continuum of care,” said Zeltzer, with independent living in the Thomson House and assisted living and nursing home services in the newer, back building. Because there are two separate homes, the name changed from singular to plural, Zeltzer explained, although the sign out front remains singular.
Zeltzer noted that the deaf community has historically been “undereducated and underemployed.” As a result, most do not have much money for their care.
“Medicaid reimbursements do not cover our costs,” Zeltzer said.
That is why the Homes officials are looking to sell Riverbank, with a proviso that the mansion exterior be kept historically true.
Thomson Companies, of Federal Street, has expressed an interest in the building for use as an older-adult condominium community. The company will be presenting plans to the Planning Board soon, which may include plans for new homes on the other side of the property.
“Nothing is final,” Zeltzer emphasized, and he was reluctant to give any details. However, money from the sale will be used to replenish the endowment fund for the homes, he and Bresnahan said.
“We are really a Massachusetts legacy,” said Zeltzer, agreeing with Bresnahan about the importance of the facility, the connection to Helen Keller and its long history.
Bresnahan, who has years of marketing and sales experience working for Delta Airlines, and years of fundraising and management skills working for politicians and governments, will be sending out direct mail solicitations with an emphasis on the need.
“We want to develop a culture of philanthropy,” she said.
And, with her background and energy, she’s set a course for success.
The New England Homes for the Deaf, like all not-for-profit organizations, needs money, and it hopes to solve that deficiency with the help of its first-ever development director, Danvers native Anne Bresnahan.
“I have a long career in fundraising and sales, and I have a good network in the community and within the political realm,” said Bresnahan in a recent interview, all of which she believes will help her raise money for this signature and very special agency.
People in Danvers might know her from her school days, of course, but also from her years as a volunteer fundraiser for that iconic Danvers summer event, Family Festival, which she also chaired in 1989.
Or, they might know her from her years as a volunteer fundraiser for Congressman Peter G. Torkildsen, of Danvers, and then as a paid fundraiser for his campaign beginning in 1990. She eventually wound up as his campaign director, winning recognition from Vogue Magazine “as one of the most accomplished campaign managers in the country,” she said.
She had graduated from Boston Bouve College at Northeastern with a Bachelor of Science in Education and Health. She worked for Delta Air Lines from 1978-1996 in their sales and marketing departments. After her political work, she left for a more exotic life from 1999-2007, first in South Africa and then in Nigeria, where she was offered jobs helping their fledgling democracies to develop campaign and legislative skills.
Home since April, she hopes to bring her accumulated skills to bear fruit for the New England Homes for the Deaf.
She began her new job Jan. 7, and, she’s brimming with ideas.
“I’m extremely excited about this opportunity,” said Bresnahan.
For instance, she points to a pre-game advertisement that PepsiCo ran in this year’s Super Bowl featuring members of the deaf community. Because of it, she plans to submit an application to the PepsiCo Foundation to help expand the home’s physical therapy and rehabilitation area so that private payers might then use it.
“We are hoping to create corporate partnerships,” she said. “We hope to capitalize on the recent focus on the deaf community.”
She mentioned, with an obvious eye toward fundraising opportunities, that McDonald’s has American Sign Language on paper bags, and Samsung ran an ad featuring the deaf community.
She has already booked Turner Hill in Ipswich for a golf tournament in September. Both Bresnahan and Homes Director Barry Zeltzer noted that many members of the deaf community enjoy golf, so it is a fitting fundraiser for the community.
The Homes for the Deaf have never done these outreach fundraising events before.
Historic home
Part of Bresnahan’s mission is to ensure that the history of the Homes for the Deaf is honored in a tangible way, for instance, through displays of some of the artifacts found at the mansion, she said. The mansion, after all, is such a stunning piece of architecture, dating to 1845 and built by Matthew Hooper.
The Hussey family owned it in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Then Helen Keller, who is the focus of the famous story, “The Miracle Worker,” saw the mansion in 1924 and brokered a deal for the New England Home for Deaf Mutes to move there from overcrowded quarters in Everett.
Known as Riverbank, the home, with its cupola rising above the treetops, greets travelers along Route 35 and gracefully perches beside the Waters River, like an old-world manor house. But, the home served as a rest home only, Director Zeltzer said, and sicker patients had to leave for a skilled nursing facility, most often where staff had no expertise in deaf communication.
The New England Homes for the Deaf is now one of only two in the country that provide a “continuum of care,” said Zeltzer, with independent living in the Thomson House and assisted living and nursing home services in the newer, back building. Because there are two separate homes, the name changed from singular to plural, Zeltzer explained, although the sign out front remains singular.
Zeltzer noted that the deaf community has historically been “undereducated and underemployed.” As a result, most do not have much money for their care.
“Medicaid reimbursements do not cover our costs,” Zeltzer said.
That is why the Homes officials are looking to sell Riverbank, with a proviso that the mansion exterior be kept historically true.
Thomson Companies, of Federal Street, has expressed an interest in the building for use as an older-adult condominium community. The company will be presenting plans to the Planning Board soon, which may include plans for new homes on the other side of the property.
“Nothing is final,” Zeltzer emphasized, and he was reluctant to give any details. However, money from the sale will be used to replenish the endowment fund for the homes, he and Bresnahan said.
“We are really a Massachusetts legacy,” said Zeltzer, agreeing with Bresnahan about the importance of the facility, the connection to Helen Keller and its long history.
Bresnahan, who has years of marketing and sales experience working for Delta Airlines, and years of fundraising and management skills working for politicians and governments, will be sending out direct mail solicitations with an emphasis on the need.
“We want to develop a culture of philanthropy,” she said.
And, with her background and energy, she’s set a course for success.