About Us

Since 1947, Cushing has positively impacted thousands of exceptional lives.
All Ages. All Abilities. All Together.

Cushing Center icon

Having worked at Cardinal Cushing Centers for over 25 years, I can confidently say that not only does it take a village, but that village needs to be full of kind, smart, compassionate, and creative people who share a common goal.

We embody our mission of supporting people of all ages, all abilities, all together. With tenured staff and state-of-the-art facilities, we help exceptional people lead extraordinary lives.

Come for a tour, meet our community, and find your place at Cushing.

Michelle Markowitz

Michelle Markowitz
Cardinal Cushing Center President and CEO

Cushing Center icon
Cushing Center Campus in Spring

Our Vision

Cushing is a caring intergenerational community where people live full and meaningful lives at home, at work, at school and at play.

Individuals with intellectual disabilities are provided supports to achieve independence, and fulfilling relationships - while honoring Cushing’s founding values of the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi and Richard Cardinal Cushing, whose extraordinary vision encompasses all people, all faiths and all abilities.

Our Values

  • Community

    We respect the strengths of each person and foster caring relationships, kindness and friendship.

  • Creativity

    We encourage independent thinking, learning, and initiatives that result in inclusive solutions. 

  • Stewardship

    We consistently oversee and improve our organization to ensure its longevity for future generations.

  • Accountability

    We strive to efficiently use resources to improve services and systems. 

Our Impact

Cardinal Cushing Centers has changed countless lives - from the thousands of exceptional individuals they’ve served with care and compassion, to the endless members of the greater community who have championed our mission since being founded in 1947.

Raised
$

at our 2023 Springtime Gala

Our Opportunity Fund Exceeded our budgeted goal, bringing in over

$

from 642 donations and 438 donors.

Raised
$

for auditorium renovations/Cushing Performing Arts Program

2022/23 Year in Review

Neighborhood News

Updated Every Fiscal Year

Our MarketPlace building, a 20,000-square-foot, environmentally friendly building that houses the Cushing Café, Take 2 thrift store, and Unique Boutique gift shop, continues to thrive. The Greenhouse has also experienced wonderful growth, including an expanded garden that produces food for our Café and culinary programs. Our farm-to-table practices are enhancing our efforts to be a more environmentally friendly organization.

Due to the success of our formalized major gifts program, we have been able to take on several capital projects.

  • Construction renovation in the auditorium is scheduled for July completion, with detail finish work and the new multi-purpose space being ready for use by September 2023.
  • Demolition and construction work for the Washington Street adult residence began in the summer.
  • The entrance driveways, basketball court, and recreation area have new pavement, and the parking areas and track have been seal-coated.
  • Generators have been installed in our residential homes, heating and air conditioning are being replaced, and exterior painting is planned.
  • The Braintree St. Coletta Day School has a new sensory room and updated paint and carpeting throughout the building.

Fundraising Success

Last Updated: 05/15/2024

Our formalized Major Gifts program has realized great success, including:

$20,000 for repairs and renovations to our Greenhouse.

$50,000 for upgrades to our track, basketball courts, and recreation area.

$500,000 raised to date to rebuild the Washington Street adult residence.

$900,000 from a family - $800,000 to replace all of the windows in the Leonard Florence Education Center and $100,000 to repave and repair the entryway to Cardinal Cushing Centers in Hanover.

$1 million from a family - $200,000 for the auditorium renovations and $800,000 for stipends for our adult services’ staff.

Adults Using
Cushing Services

Students Using
Cushing Services

Cushing Centers Employees

Lives Positively
Affected

Countless

Partnerships

We are working with Ian Norrie, a Cushing alumni, on a collaboration to create employment training programs to harvest organic cranberries on 2 proposed 10-acre cranberry bogs. Students, adult participants, and staff have had several visits to see bog operations and participate in the harvest.

We had more than 50 athletes participate in 2023 Special Olympics Summer Games.

Our Braintree St. Coletta Day School offered weekly music therapy through a partnership with Sing, Explore, Create, a Rockland-based center for music therapy, education, and wellness.

Organization Excellence

We were able to provide our employees stipends for their continued commitment.

Jacquie Collins of Partnering for Performance led a leadership development series with a small group of Directors and Assistant Directors. The series, Partnering for Performance, ran through April 2023. Focus was on leadership competencies – Leading Self, Leading Others, Leading Organization.

We continue to look at our land assets strategically and have hired Architectural Resources (ARC) to complete a master plan that looks at how our real estate assets can be used to further the goals of our organization’s strategic plan.

Cardinal Cushing with students

Our History

Honoring our bright past; Building a bold future.

Richard Cardinal Cushing identified the need for “exceptional” children to have a place where they could learn, grow, thrive and achieve successes. In 1947, 35 students entered the doors of what was then called St. Coletta by the Sea.

Since then, thousands of children and adults have enrolled at Cushing - to discover their talents, nurture their passions, and lead remarkable lives in communities where all ages and all abilities can come together.

Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi

Rooted In Tradition

At the Cardinal Cushing Centers, our commitment to individuals of all ages, all faiths, and all abilities is grounded in the founding values of the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi and Richard Cardinal Cushing.

The Portiuncula Chapel, on the grounds of Cardinal Cushing Centers, Hanover, Massachusetts

The Portiuncula Chapel

The Portiuncula Chapel, on the grounds of Cardinal Cushing Centers in Hanover, Massachusetts, is Cardinal Richard Cushing's final resting place. He desired to be laid to rest close to his beloved exceptional children.

Timeline

1947

Richard Cardinal Cushing purchases approximately 175 acres of land in Hanover, Massachusetts, to found a school for “exceptional” children.

1947

1947

Five sisters from the Sisters of Saint Francis Of Assisi of Milwaukee, Wisconsin (noted for its expertise in working with intellectually disabled children), honor the Cardinal’s request to relocate from the Midwest in order to co-found and run St. Coletta by the Sea, the first school of its kind in the Northeast.

1947

October 15, 1947

St. Coletta by the Sea in Hanover opens, providing residences and classrooms for thirty-five children. With five sisters and three employees, the school provides academic studies and life skills training.

October 15, 1947

October 31, 1953

The Portiuncula Chapel, which will ultimately become the final resting place of Cardinal Cushing, is dedicated.

Read the Portiuncula Chapel Story »

October 31, 1953

1954

The Cardinal acquires one small residential home and some property abutting the Hanover campus to allow for increased student enrollment.

1954

1955

The Hanover campus is re-named St. Coletta School, Inc.

1955

1956

Enrollment is at 142 residential students and 10 day students in Hanover. The Cardinal procures a donation from the Joseph P. Kennedy Foundation for the construction of a residential dormitory on the Hanover campus. The dormitory on the Hanover campus is dedicated.

1956

1957

The Cardinal donates approximately five acres of land in Braintree and the St. Colletta Day School opens, with six students under the direction of Sister Johanna Flanagan.

1957

1967

Superintendent Sister Shawn Dunn hires John Shyne, Jr. to establish a vocational education center, operated in conjunction with the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission.

1967

1970

Richard Cardinal Cushing dies, ending more than 20 years of ongoing commitment to the two schools and the children they served. He is buried in the Portiuncula Chapel overlooking the Hanover campus.

1970

1971

The official name changes to Cardinal Cushing School and Training Center in tribute to the late Cardinal and his immeasurable contributions.

1971

1979

Groundbreaking for the Knights of Columbus-funded culinary arts center.

1979

1981

Mr. Shyne receives a HUD grant to build the Cushing Residence on the Hanover campus, a facility of 148 apartments for low-income senior citizens. The seniors in time became connected to Cardinal Cushing School and Training Center, participating in bingo nights and the Iron Kettle restaurant.

1981

1991

Adult (22+) programs initiated in Hanover and Weymouth, focused on providing residential and vocational options.

1991

2000

The umbrella organization is re-named Cardinal Cushing Centers, Inc.

2000

2004

11 six-bedroom residential units, designed with the “feel” of a traditional family home, open on the Hanover campus.

2004

2005

A 3,000-square-foot recreation center designed to host a variety of enriching activities for students, residents, and the community opens on the Hanover campus.

2005

2009

The first Life Opportunities Unlimited Program (LOU) opens in Braintree.

Learn more about LOU »

2009

2010

Cushing Centers receives its first three-year certification from CARF, The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities.

2010

2012

The second Life Opportunities Unlimited Program (LOU) opens in Hanover.

2012

2013

The Adult Family Care Program opens and Cushing receives its second three-year certification from CARF.

Learn more about AFC Programs »

2013

2013

Springtime Gala moves to the Seaport Hotel, Boston, to accommodate a growing number of guests, along with a fashion show, music, and auctions.

Springtime Gala Info »

2013

2015

Opened 3 new residences in Manomet, Scituate and Marshfield - totalling 12 residences.

2015

2018

In partnership with the Planning Office of Urban Affairs, Cardinal Cushing Centers converted one of their former dormitories and underutilized buildings into 37 units of workforce housing, now known as the Bethany Apartments.

2018

2020

The COVID pandemic leads to classes being taught remotely, followed by students being placed in Cohorts, with a hybrid model of both remote and in-person learning - along with outdoor learning spaces at both school locations.

2020

2020

The MarketPlace Building opens - a 20,000 square foot, environmentally friendly building that houses the Cushing Café, Take Two thrift store, and Unique Boutique gift shop, along with state-of-the-art training classrooms. This row of storefronts works toward the vision of creating an integrated neighborhood where people with and without disabilities live, work, learn, shop, and socialize together.

2020

2021

Industrial Arts program opened for students and adults - working with wood and other raw materials, which are sold in Unique Boutique.

2021

2023

Auditorium renovation completed, allowing a multi-use space for meetings, performing arts, and community events. Hanover driveways, parking lots, basketball court and track resurfaced/repaved.

2023

2024

New windows in Hanover School building, thanks to a $800,000 donation. New Washington St. residence built in Hanover.

2024

Take The Next Step

Think Cushing may be right for your loved one? Schedule a tour to visit and learn more.