Founder and Chief Playmaker of the Life is good Kids Foundation to Deliver Commencement Address at Bay State College’s 68th Graduation Ceremony
BOSTON, MA – Steve Gross, the founder, Executive Director, and Chief Playmaker of the Life is good Kids Foundation, has been selected to deliver the commencement address at Bay State College’s 68th graduation ceremony on Wednesday, May 14, 2014.
Steve Gross is serious about the power of play – and its tremendous benefits for all people and the organizations where they work. He has devoted his career to the service of our most vulnerable children. Gross founded Project Joy, a Boston-based grassroots nonprofit, twenty years ago. The organization merged into The Life is good Kids Foundation in 2010, where it became the foundation’s singular program, under the name the Life is good Playmakers. The Playmakers partner with frontline professionals, such as teachers, social workers and child life specialists in hospitals, to help children overcome poverty, violence and illness through the healing power of play. A recognized expert and pioneer in utilizing exuberant, joyful play to promote resiliency in children, Steve has also extended those insights to adults, reconnecting them to the passionate, joyful and playful selves that enable them to be their best in and out of the workplace.
Gross and his team have trained and provided follow up support to over 5,000 “Playmakers” working directly with children in need across the country and in Haiti. His talents have also been called upon to respond to some of the greatest catastrophes of our time, including the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina, earthquakes in Haiti and Japan, and the 2012 Newtown school shooting.
Strongly believing in the organization’s mission, Bay State College has worked to partner with the Life if Good Kids Foundation as much as possible over the last several years. This past fall, the College’s Entertainment Management program put on a local benefit concert in which all proceeds went to the foundation.
“The Bay State College community is delighted to welcome Steve Gross as our commencement speaker,” said Craig Pfannenstiehl, President of Bay State College. “His leadership skills, commitment to public service, and overall positive outlook on life make him a true inspiration to our pending graduates.”
About Bay State College
Bay State College is a private college whose mission is to provide students with a quality education that prepares them for professional careers and increasing levels of higher education. Bay State College accomplishes this mission by providing a learning environment where teaching excellence and student services are blended to support the uniqueness of individual students, preparing them to achieve their full potential as ethically and socially aware citizens. For the fourth consecutive year, Bay State College has been named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction, the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning and civic engagement
About 68th Graduation Ceremony
Where: Berklee Performance Center
When: 3 PM, Wednesday, May 14, 2014