Last fall, The Guild posted a practicum project opportunity with the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, focusing on gaps in psychiatric services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) experiencing mental health crises. Practicum projects help advance the work of the host organization as well as provide a real-world learning experience for a Master's student.

Last month, four Guild staff shared their experiences as immigrants to the United States in Suitcase Stories: Voices of the Guild. One of those storytellers is Estella Ngufor, who currently works at The Guild as a Residential Manager. We recently caught up with Estella to learn more about her background.

Thank you for joining us on April 14th for Suitcase Stories: Voices of The Guild, as we heard four Guild staff share their experiences as immigrants to the United States. The feedback was heartwarming:

"Thank you for sharing such powerful stories. As a fellow African, I agree we need to share our stories for others to know and appreciate our differences."

International migration affects everyone whether you are a newcomer to the U.S. or a relative, friend or colleague of immigrants. How we view and understand diverse backgrounds is profoundly influenced by the stories we hear, as well as our own interactions with people from around the world.

It is easier to have your own bias, prejudice and categorize someone to an already defined box without hearing their side of the story. “You only know my name - which you even struggle to pronounce right sometimes – but you don’t know my story.”

Our 2019-2020 Annual Report is here!

You can read the report online  or download a PDF for printing and emailing.

In the report, you will find stories about The Guild and the COVID-19 pandemic, our commitment to social justice movements, how The Guild School is transforming, and employee achievement.

From sadness to fear and guilt to helplessness, Guild families experienced a range of emotions while separated from their loved ones as the COVID-19 pandemic raged through the spring.

Janice Goodwin and her husband, Peter, went 89 days without seeing their daughter Jessica, an adult resident of Billerica House. They missed Jessica’s 23rd birthday and her weekly visits home.

In the high-turnover field of human services, The Guild has invested extraordinary resources in recruiting and retaining direct care staff members, including raising base wages, adding retirement benefits, and providing premium healthcare benefits. The result has been the stabilization of The Guild’s workforce and a remarkable advantage of diversifying the team with recent immigrants who represent at least 24 nationalities of origin.

To help enhance the quality of care for the individuals we serve, The Guild for Human Services sent supervisors to train with instructors from the Ivy League.

July 18, 2019

Jeffrey Thielman, Esq., CEO
International Institute of New England
2 Boylston Street, 3rd Floor
Boston, MA 02116

Dear Jeff,

Several weeks ago, Guild School student Thomas “T.J.” Sheppard was scheduled to have his wisdom teeth removed. To help the difficult procedure go smoothly, The Guild offered to send a member of the residential staff to accompany T.J. and his mother, Karen.

To the surprise of no one, Renel Desjardins, assistant residential manager of Cedar House, joined the Sheppards. T.J. and Renel have established a close, trusting relationship over the last year, a bond that has eased T.J. during challenging times and helped the 20-year-old cope better.