Burlington’s Joyce Deliyiannis Honored for Service to Community with the Peter J. Gomes Service Award

SALEM, Mass. — Burlington’s Joyce Deliyiannis, the founder of Help Me Help Someone Inc. (HELPIS), was honored today by Congressman Seth Moulton during a digital ceremony for the 5th Annual Peter J. Gomes Service Award. Carlos Prudencio, a senior at Lynn English High School, is the Peter J. Gomes Service Award winner.

“Reverend Gomes was my mentor and my friend,” said Rep. Moulton. “His example inspired my own journey to serve in the Marines and later as a Member of Congress. The Gomes Service Award recognizes people in our community like Joyce who embody the values that Reverend Gomes instilled in me: integrity, compassion, and a commitment to serving others.”

Joyce Deliyiannis founded Help Me Help Someone Inc. (HELPIS), a social network of charitable and kind acts in Burlington, after giving a haircut to a client of hers who couldn't afford one. In waiving the cost of the haircut, the client agreed to cook meals for people leaving a nearby clinic. The initiative created a chain reaction that inspired thousands of acts of kindness in recent years.

Moulton created the award in 2016 in memory of Rev. Prof. Peter J. Gomes, his mentor and the minister of Harvard’s Memorial Church. More details about the award, as well as a list of past winners, can be found online.

Background

The recipient of the 2020 Rev. Peter J. Gomes Service Award is Carlos Prudencio.

Carlos was supported for the Peter Gomes Service Award by his mentor at Beyond Walls, Al Wilson, for his efforts to help distribute meals during the pandemic and leading racial justice initiatives in Lynn.

He has championed expanding the K-12 curriculum in Lynn to include human rights values of respect, compassion, and love. Together with the Human Rights Commission in Lynn, Carlos has garnered support for the initiative.

Carlos and a friend from school, Damianny Garrido, are leading a petition for a Black Lives Matter mural in downtown Lynn.

The other finalists for the 2020 Rev. Peter J. Gomes Service Award were:

• Elizabeth Lopez - A Lynn based volunteer who redoubled her service distributing meals to families in need during the coronavirus pandemic. Elizabeth is a fixture at charitable efforts in Lynn, and participated in numerous clean-up campaigns, food security initiatives, and community programs.
• Elizabeth Pettis - Elizabeth is the Executive Director at the Salisbury Council on Aging where she has served for the last 13 years. Elizabeth’s long-running dedication to ending senior isolation has proved invaluable during the pandemic. She works individually with seniors, even while organizing community-building programs, classes, and other social events.
• Vickie Mata - Vickie is a case manager with the Lynn Shelter Association where she helps guests find housing, healthcare, and job resources. Although she was an outstanding case manager before the pandemic, she has gone above and beyond in recent months to support people displaced from shelter during the pandemic.

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