Staff Story
Michael Perry
Assistant Director at Dennison Memorial Community Center
“I'm living the dream”
Where did your journey begin?
My journey began as part of the New Directions program (now known as MassHire) during the summer of 2008. Then over the next few summers, I had the opportunity to work at Dennison through the United Way as part of their Summer Fund. Then in the Fall of 2010 I became a permanent member of the staff and had a job throughout the school year which made me happy.
What does your role here look like?
I was promoted to Assistant Director in the Spring of 2024, and my role has changed dramatically. I used to be the janitor here at Dennison and I was a counselor that had direct care with the kids. Over the last few years, I have been under the wing of Joe Neves as he has been taking me to trainings and meetings with EEC officials. I am also taking more control of the daycare responsibilities and soon I will be helping out with writing grants so I can help keep Dennison going for the next generation.
What's your favorite part of the job?
My favorite part of this job is learning from Joe so I can be the best director I can be. Also, I love being in direct care with the kids and learning about their stories. Mr. H has been a huge inspiration for me when it comes to that because each of these kids has a unique story and they want someone to talk to because they may not have that outlet at home, unfortunately.
How do you see the center's impact on the community?
We are a safe haven for so many of the underprivileged youth in this city. We try to give every kid a chance to be a kid here and enjoy everything we have to offer, whether that is basketball, video games, arts and crafts, soccer or just sitting down and talking about life.