lthank you letters from children

‘The face of BC in the community’

For more than 30 years, the șÚÁÏčÙÍű College Neighborhood Center has supported the Allston-Brighton community by sponsoring programs, connecting residents to BC’s resources, and providing funding to local nonprofits. It also helps students enhance their college experience.

șÚÁÏčÙÍű College Neighborhood Center Director Maria DiChiappari likes to say that “you can get everything you need” when you visit the center.

That’s because unlike other offices at șÚÁÏčÙÍű College, the BCNC shares a building in Brighton with a lawyer, a chiropractor, a massage therapist, and a nail salon. Although somewhat unusual, DiChiappari describes the location as a space integral to the University’s Jesuit ideal of service, intentionally enmeshed in the neighborhood.

“Our purpose has always been to be a presence in the neighborhood, for people to know us and to connect and to find resources,” DiChiappari said. “Allston-Brighton is a vibrant, diverse, and collaborative community.”

For more than 30 years, the BCNC has helped BC students enhance their college experience while supporting the Allston-Brighton community. The center first opened its doors in 1995 with a mission to support the community by sponsoring programs, connecting residents to BC’s resources, and providing funding to local nonprofits.

Maria DiChiappari

Maria DiChiappari

DiChiappari has been building community partnerships by collaborating with local social, health, and educational services since she became the center’s director in 1997; today, the BCNC supports 29 local nonprofits with 150-200 students mobilizing in the community each semester. The Brighton office offers a central location where visitors can attend community meetings and connect directly with DiChiappari.

Anyone who lives or works in Allston-Brighton is eligible for the BCNC’s services, all of which are free. BC students volunteer in four signature programs: conducting weekly English conversation classes with adult immigrants through English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL); tutoring at Faneuil Gardens After School Program, Saint Columbkille Partnership School, and the Steppingstone Foundation through the Literacy Partnership Program (BLPP); providing one-on-one assistance to Allston-Brighton residents through Volunteer Tutoring; and mentoring eight- to 11-year-old girls in BC’s Girls Inc. chapter (formerly known as Strong Women, Strong Girls). Each program is led by a student coordinator who helps manage logistics and volunteers, from ensuring participants can attend tutoring sessions to creating lesson plans.

BLPP coordinator Isabella Bernaldo ’26 considers community to be continuous outreach; BCNC, she says, is outreach in practice. She remembers a poignant moment returning to the BC campus after a tutoring session and seeing her student with family members on a bus.

“We waved at each other, and it was an experience that was flipped for me. Growing up, it was sometimes strange to see teachers outside of school. However, at that moment, I saw the impact of BLPP in action. Though I work with students at the school, their lives go beyond the school walls.”

ESOL coordinator Daniela Bello ’26 shared a similar sentiment, noting that BCNC has taught her that community isn’t built through grand gestures but through genuine connection created by consistently showing up.

“From freshman through sophomore year, I worked closely with a student named Maria. At the beginning of every class, we would spend a few minutes catching up. She would tell me about what was going on in her life, and she always made sure to ask about mine, too. Over time, it felt like two friends having a conversation.”

thank you letters from children

Letters to For Girls Inc. co-director Clare Donnelly ’26 from former mentees. “This experience has been especially meaningful because while I am supporting my mentees’ academic and personal growth,” she says, “I am also gaining perspective, empathy, and a deeper understanding of the communities that make up șÚÁÏčÙÍű.”

For Girls Inc. co-director Clare Donnelly ’26, working at the BCNC has shown her that community is built through commitment and trust—and that taking the time to understand who mentees are and what they need as individuals allows real relationships to develop over time.

“I’ve seen how access to encouragement and support can shape a young person’s confidence and sense of possibility,” said Donnelly. “This experience has been especially meaningful because while I am supporting my mentees’ academic and personal growth, I am also gaining perspective, empathy, and a deeper understanding of the communities that make up șÚÁÏčÙÍű.”

BCNC’s work is twofold: In addition to connecting BC students to the community through the center’s four signature volunteer opportunities, DiChiappari also serves on community boards, task forces, and focus groups. She uses her plugged-in neighborhood insight to partner BC volunteers with community members, such as when she connected part-time Music Department faculty member Barbara Gawlick with a local school. Gawlick was looking to include a service-learning component to her class and ultimately raised money to tune instruments for the school; 15 years later, that connection has become the Music Outreach Program, a self-sustaining partnership that helps more Allston-Brighton students access the arts.

Among the many organizations to which DiChiappari brings the BCNC’s resources is the Allston-Brighton Adult Education Coalition. There she met Jo-Ann Barbour, executive director of Charlesview Inc., an Allston-Brighton organization dedicated to providing affordable homes and accessible community spaces, and funding community-based programs. According to Barbour, the BCNC’s partnership is extensive and enduring, from supporting advocacy and education around substance abuse to serving as a community representative on a charitable fund that awards grants within Allston-Brighton.

“We absolutely love Maria and the work she does through the BCNC for our community,” said Barbour.

Michelle Duval is the director of the Gardner Pilot Academy’s Adult Education Program, which provides free English classes for speakers of other languages. Duval, who also works with DiChiappari on the Allston-Brighton Adult Education Coalition, emphasized DiChiappari and the BCNC as the face of șÚÁÏčÙÍű College within the community.

“Maria is instrumental in finding support for folks living in Allston-Brighton. I encourage students to visit BCNC and use the services there if our ESOL classes have a waitlist.”

For DiChiappari, that’s the whole goal.

“The BCNC is designed to be in the community, for the community,” she explained. “We want to be easily accessible so that we can be a true neighbor and provide resources.

“It’s not about going in and changing things. It’s about asking, ‘How can we make an impact together?’ and being a presence in the community as men and women for others.”

“șÚÁÏčÙÍű College is proud of the over 30-year record of community engagement, outreach, and support that the BCNC provides to residents and non-profits in the Allston-Brighton community through their tutoring, mentoring, ESOL, student service, and grant programs,” said Director of Community Affairs Bill Mills.

“They truly are the face of șÚÁÏčÙÍű College in the community, helping match BC resources to community needs.”

DiChiappari encourages anyone interested in getting involved with the BCNC to reach out, from faculty looking for ways to connect their classes with the Allston-Brighton community to students who want to volunteer. Visit the BCNC site to learn more.

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