Volunteering

Wellspring House Welcomes New and Returning Members to Board of Directors

~ Wellspring House

Wellspring House is pleased to announce two additions to its Board of Directors: Leo Zerilli of Gloucester, MA, who rejoins the board following his return to the North Shore, and Luke McCabe, Vice President, Senior Business Banking Relationship Manager at Bank of America.

Wellspring House’s mission is to inspire families, adults, and young adults across the North Shore to achieve employment and financial security through stable housing, education, job training, and career readiness. This year, Wellspring served more than 2,000 individuals, including families, young adults, and adults, across more than 20 cities and towns on the North Shore.

“Luke and Leo join our board at an important moment for Wellspring House, as housing costs and financial pressure continue to rise for families across the North Shore and beyond,” said Joan Quinlan, Chair of the Wellspring House Board of Directors. “Luke and Leo bring exactly the kind of financial discipline, governance experience, and community commitment we need as we continue our work helping our neighbors build economic stability through stable housing, education, and employment – and a lasting foundation for self-sufficiency. We are thrilled to welcome them to the board.”

Leo Zerilli is an independent board leader with nearly 30 years of leadership experience in global wealth and investment management. He is the former President & CEO of Manulife Investment Management (Canada), where he held full P&L accountability across the firm’s investment, wealth management, and advisory businesses in Canada and the United States. Earlier in his career, he served as Chief Investment Officer of the John Hancock Group of Funds.

Zerilli has extensive board experience across public, private, and nonprofit organizations in North America, Europe, and offshore jurisdictions, including service as Chair of Manulife Group of Funds (Canada) and as a director of John Hancock Investment Advisors. He is a seasoned audit committee chair and holds an NACD Directorship Certification, along with an MBA, magna cum laude, from Boston University and a BA from Colgate University.

Zerilli previously served on the Wellspring House Board from 2019 to 2022, before relocating for his role leading Manulife Investment Management in Canada. Having recently returned to Gloucester, Massachusetts, he is rejoining the board and resuming his commitment to the North Shore community.

“I am thrilled to rejoin the Board of Directors at Wellspring House after a few years away,” said Zerilli. “Wellspring’s mission to foster job training, education, skill development, and economic independence addresses a root cause of hardship and remains vital to the strength of our community. It is a privilege to return at this pivotal moment, and I look forward to working alongside such dedicated leaders to advance our shared goals.”

Wellspring’s board also welcomes Luke McCabe, Vice President, Senior Business Banking Relationship Manager at Bank of America, where he works with business owners across Northeastern Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire to strengthen cash flow, support growth, and build long-term financial stability — coverage that spans much of the North Shore community Wellspring serves. He began his banking career in 2017 with J.P. Morgan in New York City before joining Bank of America’s Middle Market Regional Credit team as an underwriter in 2021. He holds the CFA designation.

Before entering financial services, McCabe served on active duty as an officer in a U.S. Army paratrooper unit, an experience that continues to shape his approach to leadership, teamwork, and service. He lives in Kensington, NH, with his wife and their two young sons.

“I am honored to join the Board of Wellspring House and look forward to supporting its mission,” said McCabe. “Wellspring House has built an incredible reputation for helping individuals and families achieve housing stability and long-term self-sufficiency, and I am excited to contribute to that important work.”

McCabe and Zerilli join Wellspring House’s Board of Directors as the organization continues its work providing housing, education, and stability to individuals and families throughout the North Shore.

Wellspring House is governed by an all-volunteer Board of Directors, whose members serve staggered three-year terms and contribute their time, expertise, and professional skills to guide the organization’s reach across the region. Board members are drawn from Gloucester, Cape Ann, and the broader North Shore, reflecting Wellspring’s long-standing commitment to community-rooted governance.

Leo Zerilli and Luke McCabe join Wellspring House’s Board of Directors

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About Wellspring House:

For over 45 years, Wellspring House has been inspiring families, adults, and young adults throughout the North Shore to achieve employment and financial security through comprehensive, integrated programs in education, job training, career readiness, and housing stability. This year, Wellspring worked with more than 2,000 individuals across 20+ cities and towns, helping them build living-wage careers and safer, more secure futures.

To learn more about this critical, life-changing work or how to support it, visit wellspringhouse.org.

Wellspring House Celebrates 51 English Language Learners at Annual ESOL Year-End Ceremony in Gloucester

~ Wellspring House

Mayor Paul Lundberg joins students, families, and community members to honor milestone achievements in English language and digital literacy

On Thursday evening, June 18, Wellspring House welcomed nearly 100 guests to its annual ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) Year-End Celebration in downtown Gloucester, honoring 51 students who completed English language and computer literacy courses this spring. The evening included a Certificate of Completion ceremony, remarks by Gloucester Mayor Paul Lundberg, and a reception featuring food prepared by students representing their home countries.

In total, 56 Certificates of Completion were presented recognizing completion of four spring ESOL classes and one spring Computer Class, with five students earning certificates in both. Mayor Lundberg joined the speaking program and took photos with students, celebrating a group that reflects the diversity and determination at the heart of the Gloucester community.

Wellspring 2026 ESOL Students with Mayor Paul Lundberg and Wellspring Volunteers

Meeting People Where They Are

Wellspring’s ESOL program is built on a simple but powerful principle – to meet people where they are and provide the range of services they need to move forward. Classes are offered in person at the Sawyer Free Library, a partnership that reflects Gloucester’s deep commitment to access and inclusion, and online, ensuring the program is available to participants regardless of schedule or circumstance.

The program’s core instruction is delivered by experienced teachers across three levels: Basic Beginner, Advanced Beginner, and Intermediate, with curriculum covering grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation alongside real-world skills such as completing job applications and navigating public services. Complementing the classroom experience, Wellspring volunteers lead small group sessions that provide additional support for students at all three levels, as well as focused instruction in foundational literacy skills and citizenship test preparation. Computer skills classes round out the program’s offerings.

Wellspring student Marlon Nunez, Wellspring’s Melissa Dimond and Mayor Paul Lundberg

This year, Wellspring also expanded its digital literacy offerings through 15-hour computer courses covering email, Google Suite, and internet browsing. To remove access barriers entirely, laptops and hotspots were distributed to students at no cost, made possible through a partnership with MassHire Metro North Workforce Board.

“These students are not just building language skills – they are building futures,” said Melissa Dimond, President and Executive Director of Wellspring House. “Every person who walks through our doors is working toward something larger – a better job, a stronger connection to their community, a more secure life for their family. That is exactly what Wellspring exists to support, and we are so proud of everything this year’s students have achieved.”

A Community of Friends and Neighbors

Gloucester has always been shaped by people who came here and built a life, and that story continues with this year’s graduates. These students are not just program participants; they are friends, neighbors, and part of the fabric of this community, working hard to build new skills and deepen their connection to the place they call home.

The impact of that work was best captured by the students themselves. Tania, an ESOL graduate, shared: “I applied for another job and the pay is better. Now I can make appointments for my children and for me without a translator, and in job interviews I no longer need to use a translator.” For Julio, the classroom built something equally important: “I’m feeling more confident when I have conversations with customers. Wellspring has helped me a lot to improve my English. I’m so happy to be here.”

Wellspring Student Yovany Bail Perez, Wellpsring Volunteer Tutor Elizabeth Hill & Wellspring’s Andy Allen

Why It Matters

For many North Shore families, limited English proficiency creates interconnected barriers to employment, stable housing, and civic participation. Financial security is the most powerful foundation for a healthy, self-determined life and English language proficiency is a critical gateway to getting there.

These outcomes are made possible by the generous support of donors, partners, volunteers, and advocates who believe that financial security and opportunity should be within reach for every North Shore resident.

To learn more about supporting or volunteering with Wellspring, please visit wellspringhouse.org.

Wellspring House Dedicates Colorful New Landmark Honoring 30-Year Partnership with Brookwood School

~ Wellspring House

WELLSPRING HOUSE dedicated a vibrant, handcrafted bench on the grounds of its headquarters at 302 Essex Avenue in Gloucester, marking more than thirty years of partnership with BROOKWOOD SCHOOL in Manchester. The bench, a whimsical, colorful work of functional art designed by artist Claudia Paraschiv and built by The Cornerstone Creative, was inspired by student artwork created during the 2024 celebration of the partnership’s 30th anniversary. It was officially unveiled during Brookwood’s annual first-grade spring planting visit last Wednesday, when students and families gathered at Wellspring to tend gardens, connect with the community, and carry forward a tradition that has shaped young lives for a generation.

The bench is dedicated in honor of three Brookwood educators, whose vision and dedication built the partnership from the ground up: Sarah Dawe, Pam Hawes, and Jeff Wilfahrt. Over more than three decades, they wove Wellspring’s values into the fabric of first-grade learning, crafting year-long curricula, organizing meaningful visits, and nurturing in hundreds of young students the understanding that small acts of generosity can bring great joy.

Wellspring’s mission is to inspire families and adults on the North Shore to achieve employment and financial security through stable housing, education, job training, and career readiness. Across the region, too many parents and young adults are doing everything right and still struggling to get ahead – facing rising housing costs, grocery bills, childcare needs, and constant financial uncertainty. Wellspring meets that reality with coordinated, compassionate support. The new bench, installed overlooking the wildflower garden that Brookwood’s young gardeners have helped cultivate season after season, reflects that same spirit: a space that is genuinely welcoming and restorative for every person who visits – families seeking stability, students arriving to take High Schol Equivalency exams, and individuals working to build more secure futures.

“Wellspring House is deeply grateful for this enduring partnership with Brookwood School,” shared Melissa Dimond, Wellspring’s President and Executive Director. “For more than thirty years, Brookwood’s students have brought their creativity, generosity, and care to everything they do here – tending our gardens, contributing to our community, and helping make this a place where people feel truly welcome. This bench is a celebration of that spirit, and a reminder of what is possible when a community decides to show up for one another.”

The Wellspring House–Brookwood School partnership is one of the longest-running community service collaborations on the North Shore, and one of the most hands-on. For more than twenty years, Brookwood’s first-grade classes have visited Wellspring each spring and fall to plant bulbs and flowers, cultivating the wildflower beds that now frame the new bench. Beyond the gardens, students have decorated holiday stockings for children in Wellspring’s family shelter, assembled “leaving baskets” for individuals transitioning into stable housing, and donated toys, art supplies, and holiday meals, each act of generosity carefully shaped by teachers into something children could carry with them long after first grade ended.

“For more than thirty years, Wellspring House has helped our students understand that service is not something separate from learning — it is learning. Generations of Brookwood students have arrived at Wellspring to plant, create, give, and connect, but they have also left with something lasting themselves: empathy, perspective, and a deeper understanding of community. We are profoundly grateful for this enduring partnership and for all that Wellspring has given to our students and families over the years,” said Jon Bartlett, Head of Schools, Brookwood School.

The bench was designed by Claudia Paraschiv of Studioful Design in Salem, MA, a woman-owned social enterprise rooted in participatory design, the belief that the most meaningful spaces are shaped by the people who will inhabit them, making it a natural fit for a project born directly from the imaginations of Brookwood’s students. Through a hands-on workshop, students were invited to draw and share memories of Wellspring House and reflect on what gives them a feeling of home. “The result was the creation of four symbols: a house for Wellspring’s mission, a tulip for the bulbs the children planted, a butterfly for the pollinators, and a heart for love and community,” Claudia shared.

The bench was brought to life by The Cornerstone Creative, a Gloucester-based nonprofit that uses woodworking and craftsmanship as a vehicle for youth mentorship. That both collaborators work at the intersection of making and community is no coincidence: it reflects exactly the values that have defined the Wellspring–Brookwood partnership for thirty years.

Wellspring House fosters and enhances its grounds with a wild mix of trees and perennials, creating colorful, inviting spaces to rest, relax, and restore. The new bench is the newest expression of that commitment – a place to sit, to breathe, and to feel, however briefly, that the world is a generous place.

Visit wellspringhouse.org to learn more about the range of meaningful ways to engage directly with the North Shore community through Wellspring. From hands-on outdoor work to sharing professional expertise to supporting families during the holidays, each opportunity is well-organized, personally rewarding, and connected to the more than 2,000 individuals and families Wellspring serves each year throughout the North Shore and beyond.

Brookwood’s Lindsay Murphy, Sarah Dawe, Jane O’Connor, Jeff Wilfahrt and Pam Hawes with Wellspring’s Melissa Dimond