Braintree's Dianne DeVanna Center Merges With Bay State Community Services
Bay State Community Services is a not-for-profit human service agency dedicated to improving the social functioning of adults, adolescents, and children within a framework that recognizes the primary importance of family and community.
For years, the Dianne DeVanna Center has been a staple of the Braintree and South Shore community. The organization was founded as a living memorial to an 11 year-old-resident of Braintree who was horribly abused and brutally murdered by her stepmother and her father in 1978. Dianne DeVanna was buried in a simple unmarked grave. The citizens of Braintree and the larger South Shore community responded by establishing a memorial committee to raise money to purchase a headstone to give her the dignity in death that she did not receive in life. When a headstone was donated outright, the committee decided to use the money that had been contributed to create a lasting memorial to Dianne and The Dianne DeVanna Center was born. Their mission - to …
