By MERI KENNEDY

Late last month, the Electric Boat Quonset Point Employees’ Community Services Association (ECSA) presented Cranston’s Mae Organization for the Homeless with a $6,500 check.

This donation will support current programs and help fund the Mae Organization’s new therapeutic and holistic programs. Mae Organization plans on putting this grant toward the many holistic programs for mental health healing provided at the Mae Wellness Center.

The Mae Organization is located at 1221 Reservoir Ave. in Cranston, where the overwhelming community support has been very appreciated by all members.

“Among the many services we provide, we are elated to be welcoming clients and the public at large (for a donation) for haircuts, yoga, reiki and meditation,” said Martina Javid, founder of Mae. “Through our programs, we envision our at-risk friends breaking out of the cycle of homelessness and become thriving, self-sufficient citizens contributing back to society through new learned life skills, traits and giving back by means of volunteer through Mae.”

The Mae Organization’s mission is to promote healing and mental wellness for at-risk individuals and those affected by homelessness by providing basic life needs such as food, shelter and support while uplifting the spirit with therapeutic services which focus on the wellness of each individual.

“We are excited about forming this relationship with Electric Boat,” Javid said. “We are looking forward to many collaborations into the future.”

ECSA was founded in 1977 at a time when the facility saw two ship builders lose very young children and the community rallied together to support the families. It was because of this effort that a vision was born. The giving didn’t stop there as the ECSA was formally established. Since its inception, ECSA has grown from a handful of ship builders giving through payroll deduction to over 2,700 involved. Funds are donated/collected through payroll deductions either weekly (hourly) or bi-weekly (salaried) from employees’ pay. The amount of a donation is totally up to each individual employee, no amount is too small.

Since 1977, ECSA has provided funds of over $2 million dollars to local surrounding nonprofits who qualify for catastrophic assistance. The ESCA committee is a ‘hands-on’ volunteer team, using hands and heart together out in the community. Their mission statement has always been to use Electric Boat’s passion and pride to effectuate change in the community through direct volunteering and giving.