Triangle, Inc. handed an Inclusion Community Award to Everett Public Schools and the City of Everett last week for a partnership that is at least doing something concrete, which already puts it ahead of half the ribbon-cutting circuit.
The award was presented at Triangle’s annual fundraiser, “Celebrate,” held April 29 at the Regattabar in the Charles Hotel in Cambridge. More than 200 guests attended, and the event raised $125,000 for the Malden-based nonprofit.
Everett Mayor Robert J. Van Campen and Superintendent William D. Hart accepted the award. Also attending, according to the event announcement, were Robert Moreschi, facilities director for Everett Public Schools, Triangle Chief Program Officer Drew Warren, and Triangle CEO Rachel Kaprielian.
What was the award actually for? Not vague “support” language. Not a proclamation. A work program.
Triangle said four program participants each year work three days per week as a team cleaning school buildings in Everett. They are paid while doing it. That matters. “Our partnership with the school district demonstrates their commitment to disability inclusion and provides Triangle program participants with opportunities to build job skills and earn a paycheck,” Kaprielian said.
That last part is the point. A paycheck.
Triangle describes group employment as a stepping stone to competitive employment, meaning regular jobs in the broader labor market. Since launching its Inclusion Community program in late 2024, the nonprofit says it has built eight municipal partnerships creating more than 25 employment opportunities for participants.
Kaprielian also noted Everett’s long relationship with the organization. “Everett is one of the original ‘Triangle’ communities, alongside Malden and Medford, and we are thrilled to honor them with this award,” she said.
For once, the language matches the program. If a city says it supports inclusion, the obvious question is: doing what, exactly? In this case, the answer is not especially glamorous, which is usually how you know it is real. People are cleaning buildings, learning work habits, and getting paid.
There is also a practical point here for Everett schools and city government. Public praise is cheap. Building an arrangement that creates recurring paid work is not. Someone had to make room for it, supervise it, and keep it going.
That does not mean every awards-night speech should be taken as gospel. Fundraisers are built to flatter the honorees, and every nonprofit writes its own press copy with a little extra shine. Still, this one points to an actual program with an actual work product and actual wages.
That is more useful than the usual round of civic self-congratulation.
Triangle is based in Malden and provides employment and independent living programs for people with disabilities. The organization says more information is available at triangle-inc.org.