Hancock Courts ~ Manos Felices!

Happy Hands at Hancock

The Hancock Courts Housing Project in Lawrence is home to nearly 1,000 residents occupying 190 family units and is arguably one of the poorest housing projects in Massachusetts. Communities Together (CT) currently runs an after-school program and summer program in one of the Housing Project's residential units. Called "Manos Felices", the program is named for the colorful handprints on the entrance door.

Manos Felices serves 35 to 40 children in pre-school to fifth grade, with attendance increasing to 50 in the summer. The program has developed to include homework help, snacks, storytime, crafts, microwave cooking classes, and the occasional field trip. Durin the year, our Chidren's Outreach Director and her volunteers supervise the children after school Mondays through Thursdays until 5 p.m. Project Bread and the Lawrence School Meals Program provide nutritious snacks. In the summer, the doors open at 11:30 a.m., and lunch is provided.

Other CT initiatives at Hancock Courts include programs for teeneaged girls and young mothers such as cooking classes and nutritious meal planning, a program that has visiting teens reading to 1st and 2nd graders, a "Birthday in a Box" program in which monthly sponsors bring a birthday party to Manos Felices to celebrate the birthdays of children born in that month.