508cheers

06/05/2026

We are proud to share that 508 C.H.E.E.R.S. Founder and Executive Director, Echo Collins, has been appointed to serve on the Massachusetts Department of Children and Families (DCF) Worcester East Area Advisory Board.

At 508 C.H.E.E.R.S., we believe youth, families, and communities deserve a voice in the decisions that affect them. We cannot advocate for change if we are not at the table.
This appointment creates an opportunity to bring community perspectives, lived experience, and youth voices into important conversations that impact children and families throughout our region.

We are honored to serve, listen, advocate, and help ensure that the voices of youth and families continue to be heard.

Your voice matters.
Your voice creates an echo.
Keep on showing up.

06/04/2026

Yesterday the students at Goddard School of Science and Technology showed what it means to turn compassion into service.

These students didn't just make meals yesterday.
They learned that service isn't about age. It's about action.

Through our Youth Feed Youth, After School Community Service Club, students helped support youth and families in our community while discovering the impact their own kindness can have.

Your voice creates an echo. Your actions do too. ❤️

Worcester Public Schools - Worcester, MA

05/21/2026

Today feels incredibly special. 🥹 BEYOND GRATEFUL! 😍

We are honored to share that 508 C.H.E.E.R.S. has been selected as a recipient of the Greater Worcester Community Foundation Facing Change: Sustainable Pathways Grant, receiving an $80,000 multi year investment to help strengthen and sustain our work with youth across Worcester.

This funding is more than a grant. It is an investment in youth voice, leadership, advocacy, and long term community impact.

What began in June 2022 as folding chair conversations, service projects, and a vision for what youth leadership could look like in Worcester has grown into school partnerships, advocacy initiatives, community service programming, civic engagement opportunities, and youth stepping confidently into rooms where their voices matter.

This investment will help us build the infrastructure behind that momentum. It will allow us to strengthen partnerships within Worcester Public Schools, continue developing our college intern pipeline, increase consistency in our school based programming, and ensure that youth leadership opportunities are not episodic, but enduring.

To our youth:
Thank you for trusting us.
Thank you for showing up.
Thank you for leading.

To our school partners, families, interns, volunteers, supporters, and community:
Thank you for believing in what is possible when young people are given space to lead.

And thank you to Greater Worcester Community Foundation Worcester Community Foundation for recognizing and investing in grassroots organizations doing transformative work in our communities.

We are just getting started.

CHEERS to building something lasting. 💙

05/20/2026

Make sure you come to the City of Worcester Division of Youth Opportunities Youth Convention This Friday Doherty Memorial High School !

3pm to 7:30pm!!!

Dinner provided and one amazing time!!!

Make sure you show up to 508cheers workshop in the 2nd Block of workshops 6pm to 7pm... YOUR INNER VOICE!

*engaging
*interactive
*connection
*applicable ways to cope and combat stress

And most importantly it's going to be a good time!!

You will receive our FREE youth mental health trauma informed workbook and some other amazing takeaways!

Can't wait to see you, adult welcome with their youth, ages 12 to 24!!

I truly hope to see you there, you know its going to be a great time!!!

You know Eck love da kids!!! 😎

CHEERS TO A BETTER COMMUNITY!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScf1waVhBEdagKm3Kd3WdIaw7prvvBBJUCQM8-kBhjTyATdlQ/viewform

05/15/2026

We are SO excited to be partnering with the City of Worcester Division of Youth Opportunities Youth Council for this amazing opportunity!! 💚✨

508 C.H.E.E.R.S. will be facilitating our
“Your Voice Matters: Showing Up for You So You Can Show Up Strong” workshop 🙌

This is not your typical sit and listen workshop 👏

Be prepared to: ✨ engage
✨ reflect
✨ grow
✨ connect
✨ laugh
✨ breathe
✨ and leave with REAL practical tools you can actually use to intentionally de stress, reset, and bring more peace into your everyday life.

Because your voice matters.
Your wellbeing matters.
And learning how to show up for YOU is powerful. 💚

We cannot wait to connect with the incredible youth leaders in our city!!

CHEERS to a better community ✨

05/06/2026

Our last Teen Trauma Tuesday session didn’t feel like a program.
It felt like REALNESS

04/22/2026

BIG NEWS 😍

We’re excited to share that 508 C.H.E.E.R.S. has been awarded funding from the Worcester Arts Council to bring back our most loved and missed program by our 508cheers youth!!

Keep your eyes out for our Youth Cultural Cooking Program: Preserving Heritage 🥘💙

This program will bring Worcester youth into the kitchen to explore culture, identity, and community through food. Together, they’ll learn to prepare traditional dishes, hear the stories behind them, and turn those meals into acts of service by sharing with our community.
✔️ 10 cultural cooking workshops
✔️ 100+ youth served
✔️ Meals created and shared with our community

This is more than cooking. This is culture, connection, and community in action.

CHEERS to a better community 🙌🌎🙌

03/26/2026

What a night 🎉

Our Executive Director, Echo Collins, participated as panel speaker at the I Got You Sis Women’s Summit along side some incredible women. 🫶

The entire evening from start to finish was powerful, purpose driven and impactful!

Even better, young women from 508cheers were in the room experiencing it all in real time.

It was impossible to leave the summit and not feel empowered, inspired and rejuvenated! ✨️

Thank you Positively Suzanne for all you do to support and uplift women.

02/16/2026

WE DID IT 💙

Our very first 2026 Truffle-Making Class Fundraiser for 508 C.H.E.E.R.S. fundraiser raised $800 ✨️

If we do a little, the results will be a lot!

Huge thank you to Bri’s Sweet Treats, LLC for donating $250, $10 per ticket!!! And 🗣 BIG SHOUT OUT to our incredible raffle sponsors: 🎉🎉

Aesthetics by Cie
Different Strokes Beauty
Vintage Grille Shrewsbury St Worcester
Unique Café
Miss Worcester Diner
Ziggy Bombs Specialty Steak & Cheese Subs
Suzanne’s Royal Tea
’s Sweet Treats

Your generosity fuels youth leadership and opportunity in our community.

When we GIVE, we GROW 🌱

CHEERS to a better community 🙌🌎🙌

02/13/2026

Wonderful opportunity, please share. 🙏

Scholarship applications are open and close at 11:59 p.m. on February 25, 2026.