Each year, our parter organization Merrimack Valley Project recognizes those who have made a lasting impact across the Merrimack Valley. This year, North Parish is proud to nominate Joan Kulash as a Ministry in Community Action Honoree (MICAH). Join North Parish members on Sunday, November 15, 5 – 8 pm at the Lawrence Elks to celebrate Joan and the other community honorees. Contact racialjustice@northparish.org if you would like to attend or visit merrimackvalleyproject.org/micah to learn more.
Joan has served as Executive Director for Community InRoads for over 20 years. Community InRoads’ mission was inspired by a Dr. Martin Luther King sermon which stressed that “a true revolution of values will soon look uneasily on the glaring contrast of poverty and wealth” in our country. Originally known as Jericho Road and based on a model at First Parish in Concord, the program was founded by the Rev. Lee Bluemel and the North Parish of North Andover Unitarian Universalist congregation’s social justice committee, in order to help address profound social inequities in Greater Lawrence. Today, Community InRoads’ mission is to cultivate a collaborative network of effective nonprofits in order to address deep-seated social inequities in Greater Lawrence and Haverhill.
Over the years, Community InRoads expanded its programs and services from volunteer professional matchmaking to include educational and leadership programs, such as the Cultural Inclusion Program, which has cultivated a new generation of nonprofit board members who have a rich understanding of their city and the Grant Resource Center, established in partnership with Northern Essex Community College to serve the communities of Lawrence and Haverhill. Joan’s dedication to and passion for this mission are unparalleled and have made a lasting difference. Indeed, the more than 150 charitable organizations that have benefited from Community InRoads’ services offer a powerful testament to the reach of its mission and to the lasting impact of Joan’s dedication and leadership.