STEM supporters: How to advertise on The Swellesley Report
Wellesley Boy Scout Troop 185 gets traction on the ice
Thanks to Scoutmaster Paul Sullivan for this update on Wellesley Boy Scout Troop 185:
Wellesley Boy Scout Troop 185 embraced the cold during a winter campout that included instruction in technical ice climbing. The new skills they gained not only strengthened their confidence, but will serve them in many areas of life.

Another popular event during this camping trip was the highly competitive cooking contest. Scoutmaster Paul Sullivan said, “Our Scouts take this competition very seriously and submit very impressive dishes. Menus can very sophisticated or simple—but all are prepared extremely well.”
Patrol Leader Healy and his patrol members submitted the winning menu consisting of a creamy homemade tomato soup and hearty country grilled cheese sandwiches.
Troop 185 meets weekly and has monthly outdoor activities. Next on the agenda in April is the troop’s Annual Fishing Derby.

Members of Troop 185 also have a great time at summer camp. Check out the link to their short fun video, “Prepping for Summer Camp.”
Boys ages 10½ to 17 are welcome to join Troop 185 and are eligible to participate in Summer Camp 2021.
For more information contact Paul Sullivan at [email protected]
Wellesley Service League’s Centennial Youth Service Award app deadline is 3/31/21
The Wellesley Service League (WSL), a non-profit service organization with a mission to serve the needs of the Wellesley community, is accepting applications for its annual Centennial Youth Service Award.
Applicants should live in Wellesley or attend Wellesley High School; expect to complete their senior year in high school in spring 2021; and have demonstrated unusual dedication and selflessness in a volunteer capacity. Ideally, this volunteer service will have been performed in the local community.
Recipients will each receive a $1,500 award from Wellesley Service League, and their names will be engraved on a permanent plaque that hangs in the Wellesley Community Center.
Access the Wellesley Youth Service Award application here.
Email the completed application and any questions to: Kimberley Moldaver-Carr, immediate past president, Wellesley Service League, at [email protected].
The application deadline for the Centennial Youth Service Award is March 31, 2021. Please note that children of active WSL members or those of WSL executive board members are ineligible to apply.
More on the Wellesley Service League
The Wellesley Service League (WSL) has presented the annual Centennial Youth Service Award for 36 years. The mission of the WSL is to recognize outstanding volunteer service among our youth and encourage the spirit of volunteerism within the community.
Find more information here about the Wellesley Service League‘s community partnerships; how to join; and the history of 90+ year-old service organization.
Wellesley Scout Troop 182 hosting open house on Sunday, Jan. 31
Kids in grades 5 to high school are invited to a virtual open house hosted by Wellesley’s Scout Troop 182 on Sunday, Jan. 31 from 7-8pm.
RSVP to [email protected] for a zoom link.
Troop 182 is now in its 108th year of serving youth in Wellesley and surrounding towns.
Even with the challenges that 2020 presented, the troop held several camping trips; held regular virtual and in-person (as weather allowed)
meetings; and participated in four community service projects. This summer, the troop is planning to attend Scout summer
camp at the Yawgoog Scout Reservation in Rockville, R.I.
Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club grant applications due Feb. 1, 2021
The Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club (WHJWC) grant applications will close on Feb. 1, 2021. The Club awarded grants of over $60,000 in 2020, focusing on the needs of vulnerable populations during the coronavirus pandemic.
The 2021 Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club grant application is available here. Following the grant review process, applicants will receive written notification of the committee’s decision by the end of May 2021, regardless of whether they are awarded a grant or not. Particular emphasis is placed on those programs that have a significant impact on the Wellesley community.
If you have any questions about the Grant Program, please contact the WHJWC at: [email protected]
Applications must be received or postmarked by Feb. 1, 2021.
Here are some examples of grants awarded by the WHJWC:
Wellesley Service League grateful to be part of holiday cheer
The members of the Wellesley Service League (WSL) have completed their goal of spreading seasonal cheer during the volunteer organization’s yearly Holiday Giving Tree initiative. Chairs Angela Kenny and Carol Morrow said, “…it took a veritable village of volunteer sleigh drivers, elf packagers and decorators, holiday shoppers, list checkers and messengers, and community well-wishers” to ensure that all gift donations were ready to go to participating families.
Wellesley Youth Commission Director Maura Renzella took over from there, another partner in the long-standing tradition that adds to the excitement of the season for everyone involved.



More on the Wellesley Service League
Wellesley Gardeners’ Guild decorates literally the whole town
Members of the Wellesley Gardeners’ Guild took advantage of the mild early-December temperatures to work their holiday magic on the planters at the Wellesley Free Library. Member used evergreens, boxwood, red dogwood branches, and more to create a display that will welcome library patrons and staff throughout the winter.


Delivering fresh greens to the post offices
The club has a lot going on lately. Members also decorated the Wellesley Square and Wellesley Hills post office boxes right after Thanksgiving. Cypress was used for the spiller; many varieties of boxwood were used as the filler; and a variety of red, white and sparkly sticks were used as the thriller to give the planters pizazz with height and sparkles. Here are the beautiful results:

Festive trees around town
They also joined in with the Festival of Trees—a Community Celebration, in which storefronts throughout Central Street, Church Street, Grove and Washington Streets, and Linden Square have been decorated with scores of festive trees hand-cut from wooden pallets and similar materials. Each tree, adopted by a local business, community organization or charity, has been creatively decorated to represent their mission and holiday vision.

Decking the halls at Mass Hort
The Club has once again donated a fully decorated tree to the Massachusetts Horticultural Society’s Festival of Trees, which showcases dozens of decorated trees and a Snow Village that includes a model railroad display. This annual event takes place at the Society’s headquarters at The Gardens at Elm Bank. Mostly displayed in the Hunnewell Building, the Festival offers beautifully decorated holiday trees that are donated and decorated by local businesses, garden clubs and other organizations, and individuals.

You can see their Winter Wonderland tree, and dozens of others, at the festival through December 20th. Photo credit: Wellesley Gardeners’s Guild.