Our Story

CWS was founded over 140 years ago by Annie Adams Fields in Boston to improve the lives of the city’s poor.

Ms. Fields believed that access to high-quality education and employment opportunities was the most critical way she could improve the lives of those in poverty. She sought to apply business principles and efficiency to this mission.

Since then, CWS has stayed true to the mission set by our founders, while also expanding the scope of our programs and widening the range of the populations and geography we serve.

Our History

Community Work Services was founded in 1877 as the Cooperative Society of Visitors Among the Poor of Boston to provide services to the poor of Boston and address the roots of poverty through employment, education, and housing improvements. Our founder, Annie Fields, is said to have been a transitional figure in the development of a professional social-service network. Mrs. Fields hoped to apply business principles and efficiency to benevolent activities and charity work. For over 140 years, CWS has stayed true to the mission set by our Founders while also expanding the scope of our programs and widening the range of the populations and geography we serve.

The success of CWS would not be possible without the commitment and diligent support of our organization’s earliest champions and Past Board Members, which are showcased below alphabetically.

Individuals Who Helped Make CWS Possible:

Mr. Benjamin S. Calef

Mrs. Benjamin S. Calef (Annie M.)

Mr. Richard S. Fay

Mrs. James T. Fields (Annie)

Mr. George A. Goddard

Mrs. James Lodge (Mary G.)

Mr. Edward J. Lowell

Mr. S. B. Schlesinger