2025 Light of Dawnn Awards

Simone de Oliveira is a dedicated Community Health Worker and Volunteer Program Manager at The Family Van, Harvard Medical School. On the frontlines of Boston’s underserved communities, she provides essential health resources, education, and support to those who need it most. Her work is driven by a deep-seated commitment to fighting for justice and a profound disdain for inequality, whether in healthcare, women’s rights, immigrant rights, or environmental sustainability.

As a native Brazilian, immigrant, and woman of color, Simone brings a unique perspective to her work, enriched by her fluency in Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish, and English. With years of experience in nonprofit roles—including as a labor and community organizer and domestic violence advocate—she has developed a deep understanding of the diverse needs of Boston’s communities. She earned her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Labor Studies from UMass Boston, a natural fit given her lived experiences and professional background. These experiences have fueled her passion for social and environmental justice and her ability to connect people, build relationships, and drive meaningful change.

In her role as Volunteer Program Manager, Simone leads with the belief that today’s work has the power to transform healthcare and inspire future generations of providers. She is a natural communicator, a team player, and a leader who thrives on bringing people together to create impact.

Outside of her professional life, Simone is a traveler, a food enthusiast, and an animal lover—she loves her two cats, Gilberto and Tigresa.  These passions reflect her curiosity, empathy, and love for life, which she brings into everything she does.

This award is a testament to Simone’s unwavering dedication to community, compassion, and justice. She is honored to be recognized and remains committed to making a difference, one person and one community at a time.

A Boston native, Erick Ramirez graduated from Bridgewater State University with a bachelor’s in social work and a minor in Criminal Justice. He gained a depth and breadth of experience through numerous internships in human services which fueled his interest in a non-profit career. Erick brings this experience, together with his passion for engaging with youth, and his belief that their potential is limitless, to his work.  Erick began his connection to the West End House community in 2010 and worked part-time during college before securing a full-time role with West End House in 2020 as Teen Outreach & Engagement Coordinator.  Erick’s passion for the mission, and strong work ethic over the last 5 years, accelerated his professional growth, resulting in his recent promotion to Director of Teen Impact.

In his role as Director of Teen Impact, Erick has been a driving force behind WEH’s post-pandemic teen engagement strategy, leading efforts that have redefined the organization’s impact on older youth. Under his leadership, teen enrollment at WEH has increased by an astounding 185%, with 522 teens actively participating in 2024. This growth is not just a testament to the effectiveness of Erick’s strategies but also to the trust and connection he has built with young people. His ability to meet teens where they are—both physically and emotionally—and to create programs that resonate with their interests and needs has been the cornerstone of this success.

Cathy Tranfaglia is passionate about helping others, and has worked for Viability for 28 years. Viability is a human service agency that provides a wide range of services primarily through State contracts. Cathy believes that supporting people to have meaningful employment is an important aspect of helping them be active members of their local community. Throughout her life, she has always been the one person people can count on to solve problems, find solutions, and provide support. As a single mom, Cathy chose jobs that could work around the needs of her children, as flexibility was the focus. Cathy quickly realized her passion for helping others achieve their full potential, and began working in the field of human services.

People with intellectual disabilities and people with autism often struggle to find, learn, and maintain employment. Cathy supports the employment process from the inception all the way through being stably employed long-term. Through her work with Viability, Cathy seeks to develop community relationships that bring employment to underserved individuals where businesses recognize acceptance, inclusion, and access. Creating relationships with local employers lays the groundwork for finding the right job for each person.

Employment becomes meaningful when your work is connected to interests and skills, and is based in the community that you call home. Cathy takes this mission very seriously. First, she gets to know the people she is supporting; learning their interests and skill sets, what their image of working is, the schedule they prefer, and what they do not want in a job. Knowing what someone does not want to do can often lead to finding the job that they will love. Cathy’s style of ‘getting to know’ you does not feel like an interview or assessment. Rather, she strives to help people feel comfortable to open up about their vision for employment and their future. Developing a relationship with each person seeking a job is key to supporting a person in the right job. Through her empathy, dedication, and skillset, Cathy provides key contributions to building stronger, healthier communities and improving the lives of vulnerable populations.