50TH ANNIVERSARY GALA • MAY 29, 2026
I Am Abby’s House
50 Years of Brilliance and Belonging
Hogan Center at the College of the Holy Cross
Worcester, Massachusetts
The Theme
“Brilliance is the fullness of a life honestly lived.”
Executive Director Julie Orozco opened the evening by reflecting on what it means to turn fifty — and why that number meant something different when it belonged not to a person, but to a place built entirely by and for women.
From Julie Orozco’s Remarks
When we are young, we move through the world trying to figure out who we are. We are full of energy and ideas and hope, but also insecurity. We question ourselves constantly. We want to belong somewhere so badly. And then life begins to happen. We love people. We lose people. We build things. We break things. We survive things we never imagined surviving. Brilliance is not found in flawlessness or performance, but in the fullness of a life honestly lived. And belonging is not something we earn by becoming more acceptable to the world around us, but something we begin to claim by finally allowing ourselves to fully be who we are. Fifty years ago, Abby’s House began as something deeply grassroots. A small collective of women saw suffering around them and simply decided they could not look away. They did not have endless resources or polished systems or strategic plans. What they had was conviction. Humanity. Courage. A belief that women deserved dignity, safety, and belonging. There are women sitting in this room tonight who know what it means to start over after losing everything. There are women here who have carried entire families on their backs while quietly wondering who was carrying them. There are women in this room who have hidden their pain behind competence, humor, or achievement no matter how exhausted they were.
“They are Abby’s House. You are Abby’s House. I am Abby’s House. We are Abby’s House.”
A Worcester Milestone
Key to the city
PRESENTED MAY 29, 2026
Presented by City Manager Eric D. Batista and Councilor-at-Large Kate Toomey to Executive Director Julie Orozco
On behalf of the city of Worcester, City Manager Eric D. Batista and Councilor-at-Large Kate Toomey took the stage to honor Abby’s House and its 50 years of service — recognizing the organization not merely as a Worcester institution, but as the soul of this city.
Award recipients
The Honorees
The evening recognized individuals, families, and a community of volunteers whose decades of commitment have shaped what Abby’s House is today.
Lightkeeper Award • First-Ever Recipient
Staff Compassion and Commitment
Shayla Halloran
Created in memory of Junie and Freda — two residents who lived at Abby’s House fully and on their own terms — the Lightkeeper Award honors a staff member whose presence and compassion reflect the light they brought to this community. Shayla is its very first recipient.
Liberty Farm Award
Resilience, Growth, and Transformation
Dr. Jennifer Hylton
Founder of the Counseling and Assessment Clinic of Worcester, Dr. Hylton has stood alongside Abby’s House year after year — bringing exceptional mental health and substance addiction services to Central Massachusetts and serving as the evening’s presenting sponsor.
Annette Rafferty Award
Extraordinary Commitment to Women and Families
Jeanne Adler
A part of the fabric of Abby’s House for more than 35 years — first as a volunteer at the Women’s Center, then in shelter staffing, and for the past 15-plus years as a beloved constant presence in the Thrift Shop. Even when her formal role ended, she stayed.
Abby Kelley Foster Award
Public Service and Advocacy
Senator Robyn Kennedy
A Worcester native whose career — from the YWCA of Central Massachusetts to the State Senate — has been rooted in championing women and families. Accepted on her behalf by Kayanna James.
Stephen S. Foster Award
Community Partnership
The Dabrowski Family
In memory of their daughter Amanda, this family has given endlessly and from the heart — returning year after year through “Amanda’s Army,” with a lifetime fundraising total of over $76,000. Every woman at the gala received a rose in Amanda’s memory.
Stephen S. Foster Award
Community Partnership
Brotherhood of Utility Workers, Local 330
For more than 25 years, the National Grid union right here in Worcester has brought the magic of Christmas to residents and shelter guests — filling rooms with gifts and joy for children who might otherwise go without.
Haven Award • In Loving Memory of Nora Keil
Outstanding Direct Service
The 2025 Thrift Shop Volunteers
Six days a week, these remarkable women show up — sorting, pricing, folding, polishing shoes, and greeting every person by name. Because of their dedication, 2025 became a record year for Thrift Shop sales, with every single month meeting or exceeding its goal. This award is given in loving memory of Nora Keil, whose legacy lives on in the Thrift Shop she helped build into something extraordinary.
Featured Speaker
“I got you.”
Nancy Corey
Abby’s House resident and featured gala speaker Nancy stood at the podium and told the room things she once could not say out loud — about living in her car during a snowstorm, about losing her career, her mother, and her apartment in the span of a single season, and about the morning a staff member opened a door and said three words that changed everything for her. Watch her full speech below.
“Abby’s House did not just give me shelter. It gave me back myself. It reminded me that I am resilient. That I have value. That I am still me, even when things fall apart.”
Nancy Corey
“For me, staying is not about being stuck. It is about choosing stability. It is about choosing safety. It is about choosing a place where I can continue to grow.”
Nancy Corey
“I am not my job. I am not my trauma. I am not my worst season.”
Nancy Corey
“Being unhoused is not a character flaw. It is often one unexpected moment. One diagnosis. One loss. One trauma. That is all it takes.”
Nancy Corey
The Finale: Thrift Shop Fashion Show
Fashion Through the Decades
The evening closed the way Abby’s House began — with women, with community, and with a little flair. The Thrift Shop fashion show walked fifty years of style down the runway, decade by decade, in a celebration of strength, sisterhood, and the spirit that has always lived inside 52 High Street.
Summer Appeal 2026
Be the reason someone hears: “I got you.”
Right now, women are finding their way to Abby’s House for the first time. Your gift this summer funds the stability that makes hope possible — a safe place to sleep, an advocate on-site, and a community that refuses to look away.
$50
So she doesn’t have to sleep in her car.
$100
So she has a bed to come home to.
$250
So someone hears, “I got you.”
$500
So she can get herself back.
#IAmAbbysHouse • #AbbysHouse50 • abbyshouse.org