Among the nuggets in the FY25 Wellesley Annual Town Report (July 1, 2024-June 30, 2025) is a list of gifts given to town entities (see Article 5.6 of the Town Bylaw regarding acceptance of gifts).
The report includes gifts ranging in size from $20 to $261,383, the latter courtesy of Wellesley Education Foundation (WEF).
The Council on Aging received more than $42,000 in gifts, including a number in memory of Frank Lam, a COA employee who passed away in 2024.
The Select Board’s office accepted $164k in anonymous gifts dedicated to the police department, fire department, service dog Winnie, and holiday lights. You know who you are, and we thank you.
The Wellesley Free Library Board of Trustees were thankful for grants from the Friends of Wellesley Free Libraries and private donors, which cover 15% to 20% of the libraries’ operating needs.
The Department Public Works received gifts for benches, flowers, and trees.
The Recreation Department scored about $66k from Wellesley Friendly Aid for camp scholarships. About $800 was donated to support pickleball resources.
The schools were recipients of about $643k, including that big one from WEF targeted for various programs. PTOs contributed generously as well.
2025 Gift Report
In accordance with the Town’s Bylaw governing the acceptance of gifts (5.6), the Accountant shall include gifts, as reported by the Boards (unaudited), in the Annual Town Report (see section e).
Gifts to Wellesley COA (FY25)
| Donor | Amount | Purpose of Gift |
|---|---|---|
| Friends of the Wellesley COA | $21,115 | Lunch, Coffee, and Programming |
| Almira Simons Fund | $20,025 | Lunch, Scholarship and Programming |
| $300 | General Donation in Memory of Frank Lam | |
| $300 | General Donation | |
| $200 | General Donation | |
| Patrons of the COA | $103 | Coffee Donations |
| $100 | General Donation in Memory of Frank Lam | |
| $100 | General Donation in Memory of Walter Woods | |
| $75 | General Donation | |
| $50 | General Donation in Memory of Frank Lam | |
| $50 | General Donation in Memory of Frank Lam | |
| $50 | General Donation in Memory of Frank Lam | |
| $50 | General Donation | |
| $50 | General Donation in Memory of Frank Lam | |
| $25 | General Donation in Memory of Frank Lam | |
| $25 | General Donation | |
| $20 | General Donation |
Gifts to Select Board (FY25)
| Donor | Amount | Purpose of Gift |
|---|---|---|
| Anonymous | $100,000 | Community necessities & operations of the department (Police) |
| Anonymous | $50,000 | Operations of the Fire Department |
| Anonymous | $10,000 | Officer Winnie / Service Dog Fund (Police) |
| Anonymous | $4,000 | Holiday Lights |
| Dr. Anthony Cosimini | $2,999 | Town Hall Art Display |
| Brimmer May School | $500 | Civil Discourse Initiatives |
Gifts to Board of Public Works (FY25)
| Donor | Amount | Purpose of Gift |
|---|---|---|
| Victoria Keefe & Family | $1,518 | Fells Sitting Area Memory Bench |
| Konstantinos Fotadis & Jeanne Mayelle | $1,426 | Brookside Community Garden Memory Bench |
| Hill Garden Club of Wellesley | $899 | Elm Park Flowers |
| Rotary Club of Wellesley Foundation | $638 | Support Purchase of Seedlings |
| Elizabeth Lazaro | $600 | Tree to be Planted at Hunnewell Field |
| Catherine Zusky & Family | $600 | Tree to be Planted in Boulder Brook |
| $198 | Flowers at Weston & Cleveland Traffic Island | |
| Wellesley Gardeners’ Guild | $198 | Flowers at the Clock in the Square |
Gifts to the Trustees of Wellesley Free Library (FY25)
| Donor | Amount | Purpose of Gift |
|---|---|---|
| Nancy J. Lee | $10,000 | Hills Library |
| $100 | Non-Restricted Donation | |
| $100 | Non-Restricted Donation | |
| $100 | Hills Library |
Gifts to the School Committee (FY25)
| Donor | Amount | Purpose of Gift |
|---|---|---|
| Bates PTO | $6,405 | Bates School Programs |
| Bates PTO – Paid Directly | $40,890 | Bates School Programs / Materials |
| Coffee Pond Photography | $5,695 | Principal Gift Funds |
| Diamond Club | $22,288 | Sprague Baseball Field |
| Fiske PTO | $4,713 | Fiske School Programs |
| Fiske PTO – Paid Directly | $37,666 | Fiske School Programs / Materials |
| Friends of Wellesley METCO, Inc. | $7,185 | METCO Program |
| Friends of Wellesley METCO, Inc. | $125 | Performing Arts Programs |
| Grammy Museum Foundation, Inc. | $500 | WHS Music Dept. |
| Hardy PTO | $11,394 | Hardy School Programs |
| Hardy PTO – Paid Directly | $27,265 | Hardy School Programs / Materials |
| Hunnewell PTO | $7,525 | Hunnewell PTO |
| Hunnewell PTO – Paid Directly | $34,081 | Hunnewell School Programs / Materials |
| Misc. Donors | $920 | Birthday Book Program |
| Misc. Donors | $500 | Quebec Trip Scholarships |
| Misc. Donors | $600 | Various School Programs / Items |
| Misc. Donors | $459 | WHS Bridge Program |
| Misc. Donors | $50 | WHS Programs |
| Misc. Donors | $2,252 | WPS Athletic Dept. |
| Misc. Parent Donations | $333 | Performing Arts Programs |
| Misc. Parent Donations | $500 | WHS Programs |
| Misc. Parent Donations | $1,700 | WMS Programs |
| Paws PTO – Paid Directly | $2,452 | Paws School Programs / Materials |
| Robert Mulcahy | $2,400 | Sprague Field Plaque |
| Schofield PTO | $8,053 | Schofield School Programs |
| Schofield PTO – Paid Directly | $41,934 | Schofield School Programs / Materials |
| Sprague PTO | $7,600 | Sprague School Programs |
| Sprague PTO – Paid Directly | $26,198 | Sprague School Programs / Materials |
| Various District Donors | $50 | Fiske School Programs |
| Various District Donors | $500 | METCO Programs |
| Various District Donors | $210 | Performing Arts Programs |
| Various District Donors | $300 | Principal Gift Funds |
| Various District Donors | $50 | Schofield School Programs |
| Various District Donors | $500 | WHS Choral Program |
| Various District Donors | $5,085 | WHS Programs |
| Various District Donors | $500 | WMS Programs |
| Wellesley Education Foundation, Inc. | $261,383 | Various School Programs / Items |
| Wellesley Gentleman’s Society Inc. | $1,000 | Quebec Trip Scholarships |
| Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club, Inc. | $7,300 | Paws Grant – Science Seeds of STEM Curriculum |
| Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club, Inc. | $2,000 | WPS Athletic Dept. |
| Wellesley POPS | $325 | Performing Arts Programs |
| WHS PTO | $3,312 | WHS Programs |
| WHS PTO – Paid Directly | $31,093 | WHS School Programs / Materials |
| WMS PTO | $5,400 | METCO Program |
| WMS PTO | $9,303 | Performing Arts Programs |
| WMS PTO | $4,588 | WMS Programs |
| WMS PTO – Paid Directly | $8,164 | WMS School Programs / Materials |
| World of Wellesley, Inc. | $239 | STEM Program |
Gifts to Wellesley Recreation (FY25)
| Donor | Amount | Purpose of Gift |
| Wellesley Friendly Aid | $65,898 | Camp Scholarships |
| Misc. Donors | $785 | Pickleball Donations |
Note: Some names of individual donors removed.
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