Boston|Featured Event
FALL BALL for EMPath!
Event Details
Salon Monét’s Shellee Mendes Hosts “Fall Ball” to Support EMPath
September 19th fundraiser will help Economic Mobility Pathways step up initiatives to help low-income families climb economic ladder
At a time when families are struggling more than ever to put food on the table, when winter heating bills loom, when work commutes drain wallets, Shellee Mendes is stepping up to the plate once again!
Mendes is hosting a “Fall Ball” fundraiser to raise money to help Economic Mobility Pathways (EMPath) the Boston-based, national nonprofit organization applauded for providing families experiencing poverty with the tools necessary to get onto the economic ladder and build better lives for themselves and their children.
The Fall Ball takes place on Saturday, September 19 from 4 – 8 pm at the Mendes-Martin Mansion in Braintree, MA. https://empathways.org/events/2026-fall-ball
An EMPath board member, Mendes shows by example how the combination of hard work andsupport when you need it can help people to put poverty behind them. Once homeless with two young children, she built a thriving business that now includes two hair salons on affluent Newbury Street. She is the only African American female hair salon owner on that high-end Back Bay avenue. Recently, Salon Monet was named by boston.com as one of the top 15 businesses out of the hundreds that grace Newbury Street.
Former Boston Mayor Kim Janey leads EMPath, a 202-year-old organization that works to disrupt poverty through a multi-faceted approach, combining direct services, including a shelter program for women and children; a global learning network with member organizations across the United States and in 11 countries around the world; research into what anti-poverty initiatives actually work; and advocacy to advance systemic policy changes.
As EMPath President & CEO, Janey states that the supportfrom Shellee Mendes and other board members and supportershas been vital to the organization’s success. “We can’t thank Shellee enough for always being there with ideas, connections, and
willingness to put in the hard work and energy to raise needed funds and make a difference for people who are struggling in this very challenging economy,” said Janey. “At EMPath we have the ability tohelp people in need onto the ladder of economic mobility, but in these tough times we needassistance from those who can offer a hand up. I am so grateful to Shellee and all of our supporters.”
Mendes said that she is proud to honor the incredible work that EMPath does, not just in Boston, but across Massachusetts and the nation. “The EMPath model, providing access to assistance and needed resources, is transformational,” she said. “I know firsthand that the kind of support they give can be life-changing.”
Janey and Mendes call on everyone who appreciates a good time for a great cause to sign up NOW for the EMPath Fall Ball and support the work of an amazing and critically needed organization!
https://empathways.org/events/2026-fall-ball
ABOUT EMPATH: Economic Mobility Pathways (EMPath) is a 202-year-old, Boston-based nonprofit that disrupts poverty through direct services, advocacy, research, and a global learning network. Our mission is to transform people’s lives by helping them move out of poverty and to provide other institutions with the tools to systematically do the same. To learn more, visit empathways.org.