Main Street Community Foundation is proud to award a $1,000 grant from the Myra Boccardi Desroches Advancing Young Minds Fund to the Town of Plymouth Small Wonders Holiday Program to provide books for kids ranging in age from 6 months to 18 years.

Established in 2022 at Main Street Community Foundation, the Myra Boccardi Desroches Advancing Young Minds Fund was created by Myra’s family to honor her life and her passion for children, teaching, and literacy. The Fund’s advisors, Michael Desroches and Rebecca Boccardi Zappone, Myra’s husband and sister respectively, support the Fund’s mission by recommending organizations that provide literacy services and resources needed to make literature more accessible to young minds.

The Town of Plymouth Small Wonders Program serves local children and families annually. Families apply via the Human Services office and upon meeting income eligibility guidelines, families complete a "wish list" for each of their children. The program provides a variety of wish list items to each child, including clothing, blankets, toys, books, winter apparel, bedding, and gift cards. As for the books purchased with this grant, every book was specifically asked for by the child who will receive it. Each season, the program tends to the wishes of between 75 and 100+ children in Plymouth, with this year reaching 146 thanks to the program’s volunteer team.

Ann Marie Rheault, volunteer coordinator of the Small Wonders Program, said of the grant, “This program is a success each year due to the support of our community and beyond and via generous donations, such as this from the Myra Boccardi Desroches Advancing Young Minds Fund. We are so thankful to Becky, Mike and Ryland for allowing us to help keep Myra's memory alive in such a meaningful way.”

For more information on The Myra Boccardi Desroches Advancing Young Minds Fund at Main Street Community Foundation, or to make a donation, visit http://fundraising.advancingyoungminds.org.