2010 Community Catalyst Awards

On Monday, June 7th, MPDC honored three outstanding leaders by presenting them with a Community Catalyst Award at a reception at the offices of Boston Private Bank & Trust Company.   Sarah-Ann Shaw was joined by Red Sox legend, Mo Vaughn and Next Street Financial as recipients of the award given to individuals or organizations that have displayed a commitment to community development and community service.

Ms. Shaw, a lifelong Roxbury resident, was recognized for her years of dedicated service to the community as well as her achievements in broadcasting as the first African American television reporter in Boston.  Next Street Financial, a relatively new merchant bank headquartered in Roxbury, was selected as an award recipient as a result of their commitment to investing in small businesses and entrepreneurs, particularly those in the inner-city.  Next Street co-founders, Tim Ferguson and Ron L Walker, II were both on hand to receive the award.

Maurice ”Mo” Vaughn was honored for his off-the-field activities as co-founder of Omni York, LLC, a New York-based real estate firm specializing in rehabilitating and developing affordable housing.  Omni has developed over 4,000 units of affordable housing in New York and Massachusetts.

The Community Catalyst Awards were sponsored by Boston Private Bank & Trust Company, which recently partnered with Madison Park as a lender for qualified first time homebuyers of Luma, the agency’s new 20-unit affordable housing development.   Mark Thompson, CEO and President, of Boston Private Bank said of Madison Park: “I had a chance to tour their impressive sites and was struck by how they have been able to combine historic preservation, commercial redevelopment and housing production in order to promote the renaissance of Roxbury.”