• Contact Us
  • Events calendar
Entering Swellesley
Pinnacle, Wellesley

The Swellesley Report

More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

  • Advertise
  • Contribute
  • Eat
  • Wellesley Square
  • School news
  • Private schools, sponsored by Riverbend
  • Camp
  • Kids
  • Top 10 things to do
  • Business news
  • Embracing diversity
  • Seniors
  • Letters to the editor
  • Guidelines for letters to the editor
  • Fire & police scanner
  • Worship
  • Deland, Gibson Insurance Athlete of the Week
  • Raiders sports schedules & results
  • Live gov’t meetings
  • 2023 Town Election
  • Events
  • About us
  • Natick Report
 
Needham Bank, Wellesley
Write Ahead, Wellesley

Wellesley community news: Longtime trails volunteer honored; School Supplies Drive has begun; housing grant deadline approaches

July 17, 2021 by Bob Brown 1 Comment

The latest Wellesley, Mass., community news:

Longtime trails volunteer honored

Miguel Lessing, who recently retired after 17 years of service to the Wellesley Trails Committee, has been honored by the group with a plaque on a bench along the Cochituate Aqueduct trail alongside Morses Pond (you can see the plaque in person on the trail near the Russell Road parking area).

Lessing chaired the committee for 8 years, and volunteer efforts ranged from leading guided walks to trail cleanups and design. He’s also contributed to the town through other volunteer efforts, including with the Council on Aging.

Trails Committee Vice Chair Denny Nackoney spoke during a brief ceremony at the bench, recounting some of the projects completed during Lessing’s tenure with the group. These included extending the Charles River Path along the river to Weston, permitting of the Sudbury Aqueduct for the Sudbury Path, and filling in the missing link on the Brook Path through the Hunnewell playing fields. Lessing also put great effort into helping the town identify trail crossings in need of safety markings.

Nackoney ended his words with this: “So Miguel, we just want to thank you for your leadership and dedication to Wellesley Trails. May you enjoy this bench and walking Wellesley Trails. And I know if you see any trail problems, you will report them immediately. Another big tree down over the aqueduct!”

As a member of the Trails Committee myself, I’ve enjoyed and appreciated Miguel’s approach of blending creativity, efficiency, and humor in getting things done. Ever an on-the-go guy, Miguel definitely deserves to take a break or two by resting on this bench with his plaque on it.

 

miguel trails bench

miguel trails bench
Miguel Lessing, pup Mapenzi, Susan Hurwitz

 

miguel trails bench
Photos courtesy of Wellesley Trails

 

School Supplies Drive has begun

kids backing kids logoKids Backing Kids, a nonprofit launched about a year ago by a Wellesley family, is already gearing up for the start of next school year by organizing a drive to provide more than 200 students with backpacks filled with supplies.

The cost of a new backpack and supplies can be daunting for families, but having the materials—from 3-ring binders to pencils and index cards—can get kids off on the right foot to have a strong school experience.

Kids Backing Kids is coordinating with Wellesley Public Schools and Wellesley Housing Authority on this year’s School Supplies Drive. Last year, more than 150 school backpacks were delivered, and the need is even greater this year, according to the organization.

You can help by sponsoring students in one of two ways:

  • Kids Backing Kids will provide you with a list of school supplies and a backpack for each student that you sponsor. Purchase the supplies (about $60 to $75 per student) and put them into the backpack(s). A volunteer will pick up the backpack(s) on Aug. 25-26 (or earlier, if you won’t be around on those dates).
  • Sponsor one or more students by donating online ($75 per student, although any amount will help). A volunteer will do the shopping and stuff the backpack(s) on your behalf.

Contact Kids Backing Kids for more info, including if you want to volunteer with the outfit.

Housing grant deadline approaches

Newton-Wellesley Hospital is inviting local nonprofit organizations to submit proposals seeking to address housing insecurity and housing inequities in the communities surrounding the hospital. Newton-Wellesley points to the well-documented relationship between safe, secure, and affordable housing and health.

Beginning in October, Newton-Wellesley Hospital will invest $1.9 million in programming designed to address housing insecurity at both an individual level and a policy or systems level, with more than $486,000 in funding available in the first year of the grant and $475,000 available annually for three additional years.

Newton-Wellesley is seeking to award a single grant to a community-based organization or collaborative of organizations focused on addressing housing insecurity within NWH’s primary service area. The target population is individuals or families facing issues of housing insecurity, with a focus on communities of color and immigrant communities. Grant applicants are expected to propose a multi-faceted approach to housing insecurity, including addressing immediate issues, reducing the impact on mental health, and increasing economic independence.

The deadline for proposals is 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 6, 2021. Visit www.nwh.org/grants  to view the request for proposals. Submit any questions to NWHgrants@partners.org by Friday, July 16.


    • Subscribe to Swellesley’s daily email
    • Please consider contributing to Swellesley to sustain our independent journalism venture
print

Filed Under: Fundraising, Health, Outdoors

Comments

  1. Michael Tobin says

    July 17, 2021 at 5:45 pm

    Congrats and well deserved, Miguel! Thank you for your years of service for the enjoyment of the beauty in this town.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisements:

Linden Square, Wellesley
EXPLO, Wellesley
Wellesley Hills Junior Women's Club

Tip us off…

Please send tips, photos, ideas to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

Advertisements

Wellesley Square, Wellesley Merchants
Wellesley, Jesamondo
Beacon Hill Athletic Club, Wellesley
Fay School, Southborough
Sexton test prep
Feldman Law
Wellesley Theatre Project
Volvo
Cheesy Street Grill
Mature Caregivers
Admit Fit, Wellesley
charles river chamber
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
Never miss a post with our free daily Swellesley Report email
Name: 
Your email address:*
Please wait...
Please enter all required fields Click to hide
Correct invalid entries Click to hide

You can subscribe for free, though we appreciate any contribution that supports our independent journalism.

Most Read Posts

  • Sign up now for summer camp in Wellesley (and beyond)
  • Letters to the editor on The Swellesley Report
  • Voting rights expert to give talk at Wellesley College
  • Wellesley High parents pan standards-based grading, school leaders say improvements planned
  • Wellesley business buzz: La Toscana's, Express Gourmet to serve alcohol; Where the town banks (not SVB!)

Click on Entering Natick sign to read our Natick Report

Entering Natick road sign

Upcoming Events

Mar 23
9:00 am - 10:30 pm

Select Board office hours

Mar 23
11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Wellesley Neighbors information session

Mar 23
7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Babson Arts presents “The Forgotten Kingdom”

Mar 25
7:00 pm - 9:30 pm

The Lightning Thief, The Percy Jackson Musical

Mar 26
10:00 am - 10:30 am

6th annual “Plunge for Elodie”

View Calendar

Popular pages

  • Wellesley’s 2023 Boston Marathon charity runners
  • Wellesley’s 7 official scenic roads

Recent Comments

  • Mike on Time is right for new owners of Wellesley’s Coconut Thai Cafe
  • Ken on Wellesley High parents pan standards-based grading, school leaders say improvements planned
  • J covino on Wellesley High parents pan standards-based grading, school leaders say improvements planned
  • LADY WELLESLEY on Wellesley High parents pan standards-based grading, school leaders say improvements planned
  • Michali Lerner on Wellesley High School hosting standards-based grading discussion

Links we like

  • Danny's Place
  • Great Runs
  • Jack Sanford: Wellesley's Major League Baseball Star
  • Tech-Tamer
  • The Wellesley Wine Press
  • Universal Hub
  • Wellesley Sports Discussion Facebook Group

Categories

  • 2021 Town Election (24)
  • 2023 Town Election (13)
  • Animals (429)
  • Antiques (49)
  • Art (596)
  • Beyond Wellesley (53)
  • Books (380)
  • Business (1,568)
  • Camp (12)
  • Careers/jobs (53)
  • Churches (82)
  • Clubs (241)
  • Construction (301)
  • Dump (131)
  • Education (3,219)
    • Babson College (252)
    • Bates Elementary School (18)
    • Dana Hall School (37)
    • Fiske Elementary School (11)
    • Hardy Elementary School (48)
    • Hunnewell Elementary School (47)
    • MassBay (57)
    • Schofield Elementary School (26)
    • Sprague Elementary School (19)
    • St. John School (2)
    • Tenacre Country Day School (11)
    • Upham Elementary School (35)
    • Wellesley College (615)
    • Wellesley High School (1,008)
    • Wellesley Middle School (208)
  • Embracing diversity (97)
  • Entertainment (823)
  • Environment (779)
  • Fashion (145)
  • Finance (15)
  • Fire (174)
  • Food (360)
  • Fundraising (650)
  • Gardens (165)
  • Government (625)
    • 2020 Town Election (47)
    • 2022 Town Election (15)
  • Health (870)
    • COVID-19 (203)
  • Hikes (6)
  • History (403)
  • Holidays (442)
  • Houses (164)
  • Humor (47)
  • Kids (869)
  • Law (8)
  • Legal notices (10)
  • Letters to the Editor (89)
  • Media (72)
  • METCO (4)
  • Military (13)
  • Morses Pond (109)
  • Music (584)
  • Natick Report (30)
  • Neighbors (282)
  • Obituaries & remembrances (86)
  • Outdoors (658)
  • Parenting (63)
  • Police (786)
    • Crime (398)
  • Politics (560)
  • POPS Senior Profile (10)
  • RDF (7)
  • Real estate (348)
  • Religion (139)
  • Restaurants (345)
  • Safety (156)
  • Scouts (2)
  • Seniors (128)
  • Shopping (164)
  • Sponsored (6)
  • Sports (1,024)
    • Athlete of the Week (14)
  • STEM (109)
  • Technology (165)
  • Theatre (397)
  • Town Meeting (26)
  • Transportation (242)
  • Travel (17)
  • Uncategorized (1,245)
  • Volunteering (351)
  • Weather (180)
  • Wellesley Election 2019 (21)
  • Wellesley Free Library (282)
  • Wellesley Holiday Gift Guide (2)
  • Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend (20)

© 2023 The Swellesley Report
Site by Tech-Tamer · Login