The Swellesley Report

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

Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club grant applications due Feb. 1, 2021

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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:

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Linden Square, Wellesley
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Wellesley Service League grateful to be part of holiday cheer

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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.

 

Wellesley Service League, Holiday Giving Tree
Wellesley Service League, Holiday Giving Tree

 

Wellesley Service League, Holiday Giving Tree
Wellesley Service League Holiday Giving Tree volunteers are ready to roll.

 

Wellesley Service League, Holiday Giving Tree
Wellesley Service League, Holiday Giving Tree — it’s a wrap.

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Page Waterman, Wellesley
London Harness, Wellesley

Wellesley Gardeners’ Guild decorates literally the whole town

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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.

Wellesley Gardeners' Guild
Members of Wellesley Gardeners’ Guild, Wellesley Free Library, Cameron Street entrance.
Wellesley Gardeners' Guild
Members of Wellesley Gardeners’ Guild, Wellesley Free Library, Washington Street entrance.

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:

Wellesley Gardeners' Guild, post office boxes
Wellesley Gardeners’ Guild, post office boxes. Photo credit: Wellesley Gardeners’ Guild.

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.

Wellesley Gardeners' Guild, Linden Square
Wellesley Gardeners’ Guild, Linden Square tree. Stop by to see the tree on the CPK side of Linden Square, right in front of Neena’s. Photo credit: Wellesley Gardeners’ Guild.

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.

Wellesley Gardeners' Guild, Mass Hort
WGG has regularly donated a decorated tree to the Mass Hort Festival of Trees.
You can see their Winter Wonderland tree, and dozens of others, at the festival through December 20th. Photo credit: Wellesley Gardeners’s Guild.
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Stretch Lab, Wellesley

Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club—’Home for the Holidays’ fundraiser

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SPONSORED POST: Never underestimate the Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club.

Nothing—including pandemic—can stop the powerhouse members of this fundraising organization when it comes to maintaining their commitment to charitable giving. That determination is what leads the club to award tens of thousands of dollars per year in the form of grants to local charitable organizations and scholarships to college-bound students, even during these unprecedented times.

Here’s how the WHJWC is doing it with their “Wellesley Home for the Holidays” campaign.

Luminary Night

The WHJWC on Fri., Dec. 11th (rain date Sun., Dec. 13th) will rekindle a beloved, non-religious, winter tradition to brighten up the town. On Luminary Night, residents and local businesses are encouraged to line their front walks and driveways with the soft glow of candle-lit lanterns, a unifying site that can be safely enjoyed from a distance. The pre-packaged kits of 10 luminaries will be available for purchase via the WHJWC website at www.whjwc.org.  New this year, a reusable tote bag will complement each kit. Kits with totes are $30, with the option of purchasing additional kits of 10 luminaries for $20.

Wellesley Hills Junior Women's Club

Wellesley At Home cookbook

The WHJWC has put together a limited edition Wellesley at Home cookbook, unlocking access to cherished recipes from notables in the local food scene such as beloved and award-winning chef Ming Tsai; Boston influencer Jackie Hempel; and current and former WHJWC members. The perfect gift for teachers, friends, and family, the Wellesley at Home cookbook is available now for purchase for $35 on the WHJWC website, along with your Luminary kits.

Wellesley Hills Junior Women's Club
Photograph by: Lindsay Eminger; styled by: Kerryn Connolly; recipe: WHJWC Orange Monkey Bread by Peggy Chung Collier, Former Editor, Cook’s Illustrated magazine

Federal Realty has made space available in Linden Square (next to Sweetgreen) to help the WHJWC facilitate socially distanced, in-person order pick ups. Local delivery is also available.

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Wellesley Red Kettle drive goes virtual for the 2020 holiday season

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The Wellesley Kiwanis-sponsored Red Kettle Drive will not take place in person this year. Sadly, there will be no standing and greeting friends at Roche Bros.—rain, shine, or snow—while ringing the familiar bell. Instead, the Red Kettle Drive will be a virtual effort, and community support is critical.

The Kiwanis Club is asking for help in a couple of ways:

John and Dwin Schuler, Wellesley
Wellesley’s most famous Red Kettle volunteers, John and Dwin Schuler, who have co-chaired the Red Kettle Drive for past decade, accept the Salvation Army’s 2019 SA’s Joseph P. Barnes Memorial Award. The Schulers are asking for the community’s help in making this year’s virtual drive a success: “Donations are needed this year more than ever. Please be as generous as you can, and don’t forget to spread the word.”

Give to the Red Kettle Drive online

Give online at the Wellesley/Salvation Army Red Kettle donation page.

Send a check to the Red Kettle Drive

Send a check via mail, payable to Wellesley Kiwanis Club, and mail to Wellesley Kiwanis Club, PO Box 812201, Wellesley, MA 02482, noting “Salvation Army” on the memo line.

Bell ringers must stay distant, but need is close at hand

Wellesley residents take Salvation Army Red Kettle time seriously. Each year over 200 volunteers sign up for a shift and ring the bell  in front of Roche Bros. in Linden Square. Their efforts help raise over $30,000 at that one kettle, funds that are used to help community members. Money raised is distributed to those in need by the Council on Aging, Board of Health, Veteran’s Services, Friendly Aid and Wellesley Housing Authority. Holiday-time services include providing toys for needy children, food and clothing for families, and small practical gifts for shut-ins.

Even without bell ringers, the Wellesley Kiwanis are confident they can meet their goal of $20,000 for online donating this holiday season. It’s a time when donations are needed now more than ever, “So please be generous, and don’t forget to spread the word,” the Schulers say.

MORE:

Wellesley town treasures Dwin and John Schuler honored at Red Kettle luncheon

Wellesley generosity overflows the Salvation Army Red Kettle

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Wellesley Rotary Club to host farmer and food industry expert

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Wellesley Rotary Club, Lori Stevermer
Rotary Club speaker Lori Stevermer

Food availability, nutrition, and safety issues continue to be major concerns for consumers. These issues have become even more relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic. On November 3, 2020, 6:30pm, the Rotary Club of Wellesley in partnership with The
National Pork Board Speakers Bureau will host , marketing manager of Hubbard Feed and an active farmer.

Mrs. Stevermer will explain how food moves from farm to local grocery stores, how the pandemic has affected the food industry, and will share information about the current food safety practices that are employed to produce nutritious food.

Mrs. Stevermer serves on the National Pork Producers Council’s Executive Board. She is an enthusiastic advocate for the swine industry and will use the pork production to illustrate how the overall food industry operates.

The Rotary Club of Wellesley is one of Wellesley’s oldest community service groups and conducts local programs to benefit the Town of Wellesley. The public is always invited to any Rotary program. Due to COVID-19, all meetings take place on Zoom. Please check www.wellesleyrotary.org for times. If you are interested in attending, please send an email to [email protected] to receive a Zoom Meeting invitation.

ZOOM EVENT: How the food Industry operates
DATE: November 3, 2020
TIME: 6:30pm – 8pm

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Enter Wellesley Gardeners’ Guild raffle for chance to make your holidays sparkle

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Wellesley Gardeners’ Guild members will offer raffle tickets for its annual  “Deck the Halls” fundraiser to raise money to replace the well-worn flower boxes at the Post Offices, in addition to the club’s other civic projects in town.

Wellesley Gardeners' Guild
Wellesley Gardeners’ Guild 2019 Grand Prizewinner was Collette AuFranc of Wellesley. Colette had the exterior of her home decorated for the holidays by Nature Works Landscaping. Photo by Beth Shedd Photography.

There will be three raffle winners. The grand prize winner will have the exterior of their home decorated for the holidays (a $2,500 value); the next winner will receive two outdoor holiday planters for the home entrance (a $600 value); the next prize is a custom-made table centerpiece (a $150 value).

The details

WGG members will sell raffle tickets for $20 through November 8th.

A maximum of 300 raffle tickets will be available for sale.

The raffle drawing will be held on November 10, 2020.

For more information about WGG or to make a tax-deductible donation, write to Wellesley Gardeners’ Guild at P.O. Box 812032, Wellesley, MA 02482.

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