NEWTON, Mass. – May 3, 2023 – Mainstay Supportive Housing & Home Care, a Newton-based non-profit organization which provides affordable and supportive housing for adults with intellectual and other disabilities across the Commonwealth, is today announcing the appointment of Newton resident Nancy Gair as the 10th member of its Board. Gair brings to Mainstay a lifelong passion for working with vulnerable people and helping them grow.
“We are pleased to welcome Nancy Gair to Mainstay’s Board of Directors,” said Robert Manasse, Chair of the Board. “As Mainstay embarks on its new three-year strategic plan, ‘Strengthening Our Communities,’ we look forward to Nancy’s valuable contributions.”
Mainstay operates supportive homes for adults with intellectual disabilities in Newton, Norwood, Malden and Walpole. As part of its strategic plan, Mainstay has been expanding its board in terms of size, diversity and representation of the communities it serves. According to Mainstay President Larry Oaks, the number of board members has more than doubled in the last four years.
“Nancy is an exceptionally well-rounded person and, as a resident of the City of Newton, she brings a critically important local perspective to our board. She also has previous experience serving on a non-profit board. We’re lucky to have Nancy on our team,” said Oaks.
Gair has lived in Newton for the past 16 years. After graduating from Yale University in 1981, she lived in England, working in theater, film, and radio. During that time, she volunteered with the National Childbirth Trust (NCT), a UK charity which creates communities, activities, and classes for new families. Gair trained with the NCT to teach childbirth education and early parenting classes, a practice she continues today in the Boston area, as well as online. Upon her return to Newton 16 years ago, she recognized a gap at her sons’ middle school drama program, and helped establish PoPS – Parents of Performing Arts Students – which provides valuable continuity within the Newton school system for theater parents. For six years she also served on the board of the Weston Drama Workshop.
“I am looking forward to discovering ways to be meaningfully involved in Mainstay’s communities while helping to expand their reach,” Gair said.
Media Contact:
Matt Ellis
Ellis Strategies, Inc.
matt@ellisstrategies.com | (617) 278-6560
About Mainstay: Mainstay Supportive Housing is a registered 501(c) (3) that provides human service and housing programs across Massachusetts, including permanent supportive housing and compassionate, person-centered home care. Mainstay programs have helped hundreds of people live productive and stable lives in their own communities every day for all of these years. Mainstay was founded in 1975 to provide services to people with mental illness, and its mandate has since expanded to cover a variety of vulnerable populations, including low-income elders; people with intellectual, developmental, and physical disabilities; and the recently homeless. Learn more at www.mainstayliving.org.