Cheryl Flaherty
South Boston
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Cheryl Flaherty knows all about what it takes to bring a community together. A South Boston native who now lives in Quincy, Flaherty describes the housing development where she grew up as a place where “people come out to help each other all the time.” Now, as President of South Boston Special Kids and Young Adults (SBSK), Flaherty’s mission is to create a community where special needs children and their families can feel comfortable and safe. “My priority is getting the word out so people in the community with special needs kids know they have a resource to turn to,” she says.
Founded in 1996 and incorporated in 2017, SBSK serves as a place for special needs children to socialize, meet new people, and learn. Activities include talent shows, bowling, field trips, and much more.
Flaherty cites helping her grandmother to distribute clothes at the ABCD South Boston Neighborhood Opportunity Center as a child as one of the major catalysts for getting involved with SBSK as an adult. “I love the idea of nonprofits supporting each other,” she says. She credits her late uncle as her other major inspiration: “Harry was my inspiration for starting and the kids are my inspiration for staying.”