Communities United, Inc. (CUI), a non-profit organization that provides high-quality education and family services throughout eleven MetroWest cities and towns, is hosting its fifth annual gala fundraiser—Back on Track: Funding our Children’s Futures—virtually this year on Thursday, October 15, 2020 at 6 p.m. The gala is free to attend and open to the public. 

Teachers and staff from CUI are speaking on the daily challenges they face as they prepare to teach in the new age of COVID-19. WCVB-TV Channel 5, Boston’s news and community leader, serves as the exclusive media partner and News Center 5 Anchor Ed Harding emcees. There is also be a special guest performance by Emmy Award-winning singer and songwriter Rachel Platten, who sings her hit, "Fight Song." During the approximately 45-minute-long virtual event, members of CUI share with viewers the amazing and innovative ways they supported children and families such as sending home the book of week with activities each week and what life is like for their teachers and staff during this challenging time. They also ask for donations to help purchase supplies suitable for maintaining social distancing guidelines that keep the teachers and students safe and in class. Sponsorship opportunities for the virtual gala are still available as well.

“This year presents a different challenge for CUI with the many restrictions of COVID-19, but I am confident that our teachers and staff will make this school year our most effective one to date,” said Terri Natale, Executive Director at Communities United, Inc. “Our teachers rose to the challenge with innovative solutions when we had to close mid-March, and we want to equip them with the necessary funds and resources as they prepare for what will most likely be a challenging school year, as home distance learning will be the primary mode of education for nearly half of our children.”

Communities United, Inc. provides educational programs and family services to families within the local community. The team is made up of 80 employees including teachers, social workers and administrators. Regardless of economic backgrounds, CUI offers a breadth of services that are geared towards early childhood development. They focus on children four months to five years of age by providing interactive programs that encourage participation from the children. 

To register for the CUI fifth annual gala fundraiser, please click here. And to learn more about ways to sponsor the gala and support Communities United, Inc., please click here.

About Communities United, Inc. 

Communities United, Inc. is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization whose goal is to give preschool children and families an opportunity to experience growth by providing an environment that encourages participation and interaction in a full range of developmentally appropriate activities. While CUI serves children from the full socio-economic spectrum, the organization’s focus is on identifying the most at-risk families and ensuring that their needs are met. CUI actively serves families living in the communities of Arlington, Belmont, Brookline, Burlington, Lexington, Needham, Newton, Waltham, Watertown, Wellesley and Woburn.