Programs for civic life and culture
Harvard also seeks to strengthen communities in the Boston area by making its cultural resources available to these communities – through programs designed to strengthen community organizations and defend the rights and interests of local community residents – and in some cases by direct investment in community improvements.
Here are a few examples of the 137 programs that address Civic Life and culture
A Stitch in Time uses knitting to help fulfill community needs of warm clothing and caring outreach through three unique branches. The Outbound Branch aims to empower women in local shelters by teaching them how to knit. The Inbound program strives to teach and foster knitting among undergraduates on campus so that items knitted can be donated. The Inbound-Outbound Connection serves as an intermediary between these two programs.
The Abigail Adams Society was originally formed—albeit under a different name—by a group of conservative-leaning women at Harvard who felt that they had no forum in which to freely discuss their views on work, family, and the ever-precarious balance that professional women must strike between the two. They further hoped that the Forum would serve as a voice for women who felt alienated by modern mainstream feminism.
Every child should get to open a new toy at the holidays; Harvard Business School students hold a fundraiser every November to raise money for toys for local families, hopefully brightening the holiday season for less privileged children in the community.