Our History
Olive in July Inc. is a non-profit organization that was established in 2011 and is located in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Our vision is to help meet the physical and emotional needs of disabled and low-income families in our community.
Originally focused on missionary work, our organization brought clothes, food, toys, school supplies, medical supplies, and other necessities to disable and low-income children and families in the Dominican Republic. However, in 2014, we turned our sights to the US when our president and founder, Eulalia A. Feliz, saw the needs of low-income families and families with disabled children in our local community. We began simply by hosting fun children's events such as ice cream socials, annual Christmas parties, toy giveaways, Thanksgiving dinners, backpacks giveaways and the “Stop Think Act” program. As of 2015, Olive in July has expanded to include ESL classes for adults through the Querer es Poder program, teaching basic English communication skills and helping find better employment opportunities. It was a VITA SITE authorized by the IRS to file tax returns of low-income families in the community, and offers classes to aid individuals seeking United States Citizenship.
We believe that we can change the world by helping disabled and low-income families in the best ways that we can. Serving them has made each family become a part of us, and there is no greater joy than seeing the smiling faces of our neighborhood kids when they get a backpack full of school supplies.
Our goal is to build the house of the tree that serves as a foundation of support of thousands of children, youth and immigrants with disabilities and families with limited resources, connecting them with basic resources according to need as well as integrating them in the educational, competitive, and ludic field; with systematic, pragmatic, and technological programs that are at the forefront of the new paradigms demanded by today's society.
We invite you to help us continue to serve these families through donation and volunteering to improve their quality of life. Every act of generosity is appreciated!
Why OLIVE IN JULY?
When Olive was 16 years old, he had a tragic accident that broke his back and left him paraplegic. Olive In July, Inc., which at that time was called “Christmas in July, Inc.”, funded his medical services and all basic needs. Despite the strong effort that our organization did for Olive, unexpected illness took Olive away from us. He passed away on February 21, 2015. We then decided to change our name to “Olive in July, Inc” in his memory.
