(BOSTON, MA) – The ABCD Community Heroes Celebration on Friday, October 30, 2026 at the Boston Marriott Copley Place honored 19 outstanding volunteers and community partners whose kindness, leadership, and dedication have made a meaningful difference in Greater Boston and Mystic Valley communities. Dr. Lee Pelton, former President and CEO of The Boston Foundation, participated in a keynote conversation with ABCD President and CEO Sharon-Scott-Chandler and was presented with the Legacy of Leadership Award. National Director of Programs, Liberty Mutual Foundation and Vice President, Community Impact Katrina Shaw accepted the Corporate Citizen Award on behalf of Liberty Mutual Insurance. CBS Boston journalist Paul Burton served as emcee.
“I am proud and honored to recognize our 2026 ABCD Community Heroes, and our leadership and corporate citizenship awardees who embody the change in society that ABCD and our partners strive toward every day,” said ABCD President and CEO Sharon Scott-Chandler. “Upon his transition from higher education leadership, Lee masterfully positioned The Boston Foundation as a change agent in the nonprofit sector through a focus on equity in its programs, grantmaking and civic leadership. We are both inspired by and grateful for his impact on the nonprofit and education sectors.”
Scott-Chandler continued, “Liberty Mutual’s four decades of partnership, and its investment in supporting the people ABCD serves has spanned a remarkable range of impact, including support for programs related to basic needs, youth homelessness, workforce development, critical COVID-19 relief and alternative education. Liberty Mutual, time and again, has shown up to help ABCD and other community based organizations meet the most pressing needs in our community to create pathways out of poverty for individuals and families.”
About the 2026 Community Heroes
ABCD programs such as Head Start & Children’s Services, Health Services, Elder Services, ABCD Neighborhood Opportunity Centers in Greater Boston and the Mystic Valley and partner organizations the Asian American Civic Association, John F. Kennedy Family Service Center and the Women’s Service Club of Boston nominated Heroes from the community.
Heroes include a survivor of human trafficking who now serves on the Massachusetts Governor’s Council to Address Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, and Human Trafficking, is an adjunct professor at a local university and partners with ABCD to bring trauma-informed, survivor-centered education experience into spaces that serve survivors; a father son- duo who volunteer with mutual aid groups to end food insecurity in their neighborhood; a police officer building bridges by organizing athletic leagues at community centers that double as safe spaces for youth; and a banker who leads financial literacy sessions at ABCD’s ESOL program. A complete list of the 2026 ABCD Community Heroes who represent neighborhoods across Boston and Mystic Valley is available here.
Legacy of Leadership Award
Lee Pelton was recognized in 2024 by Non-Profit Times on its list of America’s 50 most powerful and influential nonprofit leaders during his tenure as the CEO & President of The Boston Foundation, one of the nation’s leading philanthropic organizations with $2.2 billion in assets. Under his leadership, the Foundation’s defining ambition was to achieve equity, which first involves acknowledging and then seeking to eliminate the underlying causes of disparities for historically marginalized communities.
“I am deeply honored to receive this recognition from ABCD, an organization for which I have enormous respect and admiration. For generations, ABCD has not only worked to expand opportunity and advance equity across Boston, but has also helped nurture, empower, and celebrate the community leaders and activists whose voices and actions are so essential to shaping our city’s future,” said Lee Pelton. “I am especially grateful to be recognized by an organization that understands the extraordinary power of community leadership to create meaningful and lasting change.”
Corporate Citizen Award
“ABCD’s impact on Greater Boston is felt in every neighborhood it serves. We are grateful to partner with ABCD, and we thank their staff, volunteers, and neighbors for the work they do every day to help families build a better future,” said National Director of Programs, Liberty Mutual Foundation and Vice President, Community Impact, Liberty Mutual Insurance, Katrina Shaw.
Since its founding in 2003, the Liberty Mutual Foundation has proudly awarded more than $400 million in grants to its nonprofit partners. They support organizations that work to empower individuals who are struggling to thrive amid challenging situations. The Foundation focuses on advancing security and building resilience for people and communities by supporting
basic services, youth homelessness, housing stability, workforce development, education and climate resiliency.