On September 29, Rogerson Communities raised $490,000 in support of older adults, their housing, care, and well-being at our annual Welcome Home Gala. Now in its 26th year, this premier fundraising event brings together the Commonwealth’s leaders and visionaries to raise awareness of the issues facing this vulnerable population, and to celebrate those who share Rogerson’s passion and commitment to helping people age with dignity in their communities.
More than 250 guests—including community and business leaders, philanthropists, corporate sponsors, and local influencers—began the evening with a lively cocktail reception in the Boston Harbor Hotel’s Wharf Room, greeting and taking photos with one another while pianist Grace Sun played in the background. As evening fell over Boston Harbor outside the ballroom windows, dinner was served, and the main program began.
Emcee Erika Tarantal of WCVB Channel 5 welcomed those in attendance and posed a hypothetical question: what would you do with 120 billion dollars? This, she explained, is the estimated cost of building all of the affordable housing Massachusetts will need by 2030. Though the reality is stark, Rogerson has a plan to rise to the challenge, as explained by President and CEO Walter Ramos, who took the stage next.
Rogerson’s current strategic plan calls for adding 1,000 affordable housing units by 2030. Walter showcased two major developments already underway: a rebuilt and expanded Rogerson House memory care assisted living community in Jamaica Plain, and a vastly enlarged Daggett-Crandall-Newcomb Home (DCN) in Norton, Massachusetts. In addition to increasing Rogerson’s housing and memory care capacity, the projects include amenities like an on-site Fitness First studio, salon, library, garden spaces, meeting rooms, and more—all characteristic of Rogerson’s high quality of living. The DCN project in particular represents a major leap forward in Rogerson’s mission, with a tenfold expansion of support capacity on-site, a point Walter noted to enthusiastic applause.
Board Chair Mary Jeka then took the podium, sharing a message of support from Governor Maura Healy before offering her own remarks, recounting the difficulties she experienced, even as a person of means, finding care for her own aging mother. She then called on the audience to spread the word about Rogerson.
“We need more people to know what we’re doing, why we’re doing it, and how we’re doing it,” she declared. “Once people learn about Rogerson Communities, they are truly amazed at both the breadth of the services we provide and the level of quality and compassion we hold ourselves to.”
The evening’s featured speaker, Katie Smith Sloan, National President and CEO of LeadingAge, gave the evening’s keynote address. She brought into sharp focus the senior care challenge in the United States, from cultural ageism to a demographic mismatch between a growing number of older adults who need care and shrinking number of younger adults able to provide it. Nonprofit organizations like Rogerson, she went on to say, are key to addressing such challenges.
“The work of Rogerson Communities is more important than ever,” she noted. “Your commitment to serving more people in a variety of ways is beyond reproach. Your dedication to collaborating with other nonprofits is essential… because we are stronger together. Bringing strength to strength, filling gaps, and leading with compassion.”
At the conclusion of her address, Walter and Mary presented Katie with a Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her service to older adults and support of organizations like Rogerson.
They also took the opportunity to recognize another longtime champion of Rogerson, Past Board Chair John Cupples, with his own Lifetime Achievement Award. As a fixture of Rogerson’s board for nearly 50 years, John has contributed to many landmark accomplishments, from our first independent living residence to our first memory care facility.
The awards portion of the program was capped off by the presentation of the Charles E. Rogerson Award to Nixon Peabody Partner and Senior Counsel Jeffrey Sacks. Jeff has devoted much of his legal career to expanding affordable housing in Massachusetts, particularly for older adults, and has partnered with Rogerson in that effort time and again. Pointing out in his acceptance speech that the crisis in affordable housing touches nearly everyone in some way, he called for meeting it with bold action, collective responsibility, “and above all, a willingness to say yes. Yes to affordable housing. Yes, in my backyard.”
The Gala reached a crescendo with a live auction and fund-the-mission pledge drive. Auctioneer Tom Stebbins zigzagged from table to table with high-energy patter, calling out dollar amounts, cheering on bidders and donors, and urging all in the room to do just a little bit more to support the Rogerson mission.
And support it they did: a total of 74 bid paddles went up during the auction and pledge drive, adding nearly $80 thousand in less than 30 minutes to an already successful evening of generous philanthropy.
“Welcome Home 2025 exceeded our expectations,” said Rogerson’s Vice President of Advancement Bob Sherburne following the Gala. “The feedback we’ve received from attendees has been overwhelmingly positive, and we’re thrilled that our community of supporters had such a great time together.”
President and CEO Walter Ramos summed up, “We are so grateful for the enthusiastic support we have received from our friends and sponsors. In these difficult and uncertain times, it is so comforting to know our community will always assist us to protect the well-being of older adults.”
