Gail Roberts: Giving Back to the City She Loves
Gail Roberts, our champion.
May 2025
March 2025
Legacy of Love: How One Family’s Journey Continues to Support Cambridge Families Today
When Peter Sturges reflects on his brother Morris's life, his voice softens with emotion, even decades later. It's a story about family bonds, difficult choices, and, ultimately, a commitment to ensure that other Cambridge families have the support that wasn't available in the 1940s. "Morris' institutionalization has had a significant impact on our entire family in different ways. It was devastating, absolutely devastating," Peter shares. Born in 1941 with Down syndrome, Morris was the second child of Alice and Walter Knight Sturges. They later had four more children. "My parents had the financial resources to care for Morris at home, but not the support," Peter explains. "They had absolutely no encouragement from the medical profession, from their religious leaders, from their parents. And as a result, he was institutionalized." Following the advice of doctors, priests, and family, Morris, at the age of three, was placed at the Perkins School in Lancaster, Massachusetts. For his mother Alice, the separation was deeply traumatic. This decision had an enormous impact on the family for decades. Separated from his family, Morris lived in various institutions until his death in 2001 at age 59. Peter and his siblings often wondered
December 2023
Why making a gift to CCF is a no-brainer.
Beth and Marty Milkovits share how seeing the impact of their gift is an incredible feeling.
December 2018
Philanthropy Spotlight: Charlotte Wagner on justice and philanthropy
Since 2005, Charlotte Wagner has honed the mission of the Wagner Foundation to focus on justice through economic mobility, health equity, cultural transformation and institutional fairness, including criminal justice reform. Its motto: Just and Robust. The Wagner Foundation is also a long-time supporter of CCF and a major donor to the Family Independence Initiative (FII), a core program of the Foundation’s Strong Families Initiative. Charlotte spoke with the Foundation about the theme of justice. Why invest in this city? Cambridge represents excellence in so many different facets, from Harvard and MIT, and their world-class research and thought leadership, to its amazing cultural and business epicenters. Still, 14 percent of our community residents live in poverty. That disparity concerns me. We support Family Independence Initiative, which has expanded into Cambridge thanks to CCF and other donors. Through FII, families develop a network and get themselves out of poverty through the supportive relationships they form. FII provides resources and empowers families to meet the challenges they face in a way that is best for them. Why do you support CCF? CCF serves as a critical convener and thought leader, bringing together great minds and unique perspectives to solve complex issues. As
