Wellesley volunteer & charity news: Service League links up with MassBay; holiday gift drives

December 1, 2022 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

The latest Wellesley volunteer and charity news:

Service League helps at MassBay

The Wellesley Service League is in the midst of a very busy fall, with members back to work in person and providing support to many partners. Here are a couple of photos from MassBay Community College, where Service league members helped students develop a LinkedIn profile to help get them started on the path to a productive career.

Wellesley Service League at MasBay — Wellesley Service League volunteers at MassBay

Wellesley Service League at MassBay — Service League members working with students

Holiday charity drives from Heroes Fitness, Housing Authority

Heroes Fitness in Wellesley Square is hosting a free workout class on Sunday, Dec. 11 at 9am in honor of its annual toy drive for kids in need through Sojourner House. Everyone is welcome to come by, drop off a gift, enter a raffle and enjoy some treats. You can secure a complimentary workout class as well by registering and dropping off a gift.

The Wellesley Housing Authority is holding its first holiday gift drive for seniors and adults with disabilities. The Virtual Mitten Giving Tree involves sponsoring a resident who has identified an item they would enjoy as a holiday gift. Email contact@wellesleyhousing.org or call 781 235-0223 to take part. All gifts must be delivered by Dec. 16

Wellesley schools round-up: MassBay land acknowledgement; we get schooled by school construction managers; Dana’s new project is shovel-ready

September 22, 2022 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

MassBay land acknowledgement plaque installed

MassBay Community College last week unveiled a permanent land acknowledgement plaque in a ceremony attended by chiefs of three native tribes. MassBay is believed to be the first community college in Massachusetts to make this public acknowledgement with a permanent marker and a ceremony of reconciliation and healing. During the ceremony the college announced an Indigenous People Scholarship had been formed for current and future MassBay students, for which fundraising has begun.

“Today Indigenous people became visible,” said Chief Ladybug (Croatan) Native Heritage New England and Program Chair for Health Studies at MassBay. “As a Massachusetts indigenous person, today’s land acknowledgement that MassBay Community College campuses sits on land that belongs to the Nipmuc, Pawtucket, and Massachusetts tribes was historic for me, my family, and my tribe. Acknowledgment is the first steps to our tribal healing.”

Nine tribes were present at the gathering including Croatan, Ponkapoag, Mi’kmaq, Mohawk, Cherokee, Blackfoot, Wampanoag, Natick Praying Indians, and the Nipmuc. Chief Black Wolf of the Nipmuc, Chief Eagle Rising (Mi’kmaq) from the Great Lowell Indian Cultural Association, and 8-year-old Sophia Wise Owl (Ponkapoag) all spoke at the ceremony of gratitude for this acknowledgement.

“We are proud to hold this important ceremony and to give proper recognition of the land on which our college sits,” said MassBay President David Podell. “As our plaque reads, we cannot change the past. But what we can do and will do is to is honor the land, the ancestors, and the indigenous traditions as we at MassBay use this sacred land as a communal place to nurture learners to move forward and make a more inclusive world.”

Chief Caring Hands of the Natick Praying Indians summed up the Ceremony by saying, “I leave you with a truth: a people honor themselves when they honor its original people.”

Donations to the MassBay Indigenous People Scholarship Fund can be made by visiting www.massbay.edu/give, using the dropdown menu.

Swellesley editors are residents, but we need to clean up our act

While walking in the Hunnewell School area, we came across a different sort of sign affixed to the chain link safety fencing that encircles the construction site.

Dang, by mid-morning today we’d already used foul language, loitered, and did one other thing on this list, which we’ll leave to your imagination.

Dana Hall groundbreaking

Dana Hall is another step closer to a major renovation of its Upper School Classroom Building, the school’s largest academic space, which dates from 1956.

Dana Hall, Wellesley, construction — Board of Trustees Chair Courtney Caruso ’05; Head of School Katherine Bradley; and Campaign Steering Committee Chair and Manton Foundation Trustee Sandy Niles, break ground on the Upper School Classroom Building project.

“Our students have been at the heart of all our decisions, discussions and desires,” Head of School Katherine Bradley said at the groundbreaking event. “We knew we needed a learning environment that would meet their needs and provide the space where they could explore their interests, engage with new challenges and realize their fullest potential.”

The project, designed by Dario Designs, is being funded by private philanthropy. Last fall, the Dana Hall announced a historic $15 million gift from the Manton Foundation, with $10 million designated to support the Classroom Building. The project’s general contractor, CM & B construction management, estimates a 15-18 month timeline for completion.

Wellesley’s ARPA Bill earmarks include aid for merchants, housing authority, sustainability efforts

January 4, 2022 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

While much of the funding appropriated under the nearly $4B ARPA Bill (formally, Chapter 102 of the Acts of 2021) signed this month by Gov. Charlie Baker goes to underserved communities, Wellesley has not been left out, and that includes those in town most negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The funding comes from the state revenue surplus and federal programs.

Wellesley’s $1M-plus chunk includes the following:

not less than $50,000 shall be expended to the Wellesley Town Merchants to support and enhance local programming designed to help local businesses impacted by the 2019 novel coronavirus;
$100,000 shall be expended to the Wellesley Municipal Light Plant to install electric vehicle charging infrastructure and provide grants to Wellesley town departments for the first cost premium of purchasing electric vehicles

wellesley mlp municipal light plant

$50,000 shall be expended to the town of Wellesley for the preparation of a master safe routes to school plan
not less than $150,000 shall be expended to design and install a generator for the local health department in the town of Wellesley
not less than $300,000 shall be provided to Massachusetts Bay Community College in the town of Wellesley to establish the Charles River Workforce Development Initiative to address workforce gaps in professions requiring computer application, information technology and cybersecurity by providing training, certification, career services and other supports to individuals affected by the 2019 novel coronavirus pandemic, career changers, unemployed individuals and young adults seeking a career path
not less than $500,000 shall be expended to assist the Wellesley housing authority to provide electrical upgrades and other necessary maintenance to properties that serve low-income residents
not less than $60,000 shall be expended to the Wellesley Housing Authority for stair replacement at 50 Waldo court in the town of Wellesley

Wellesley community news: Friends of Library books donation day; Myth Busting Thanksgiving; Juniors’ Pop-up Marketplace; MassBay leads dignity initiative

November 16, 2021 by Bob Brown Leave a Comment

Our round-up of the latest Wellesley MA community and charitable news:

Conversation and book signing event at Italo American Club

The Foundation Against Intolerance & Racism (FAIR), in partnership with the Wellesley Italo American Educational Club, will present a live conversation with FAIR advisor Steven Pinker on Fri., Nov. 19, 7pm-9pm at the Italo American Club located at 75 Pleasant St., Wellesley.

Steven Pinker is the Johnstone Family Professor in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University. He will be talking about his new book, Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters and exploring progress, reason and scientific understanding in the 21st century.

A free, signed copy of Rationality will be given to the first 50 registrants. Please register here.

Books donation day

Wellesley Free Library, fall 2020 — Wellesley Library, Wakelin Room entrance side

The Friends of the Wellesley Free Library will hold a books donation day on Sat., Nov. 20, 10am-1pm at the recently reopened Wellesley Main Library. Please use the Wakelin Room side entrance to donate any quantity of items. (The Friends typically limits donations to one bag per day at the Friends Bookshop during Library hours.)

Accepted items

gently-used adult and children’s books books in good condition
cookbooks
textbooks 2016 or newer
antique and collectible books
CDs (music and audiobooks)
DVDs

Unaccepted items

damaged books that are mildewed, stained, yellowed or torn
textbooks published before 2016
travel books published before 2018
encyclopedias
outdated tech, business, current events, or medical books
cassettes
VHS tapes
records

EVENT: Friends Books Donation Day
DATE: Sat., Nov. 20
TIME: 10am – 1pm
LOCATION: Wellesley Main Library, 530 Washington St.
Please use Wakelin Room side entrance.

The Committee for Indigenous Peoples Day Wellesley, World of Wellesley, and other community partners will hold a virtual event: Myth Busting Thanksgiving, on Mon., Nov. 22, at 7pm. Kisha James of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head, Aquinnah, and Oglala Lakota will discuss popular Thanksgiving day narratives. The presentation will be followed by a live Q&A.

Registration is required.

EVENT: Myth Busting Thanksgiving
DATE: Monday, November 22
TIME: 7pm
LOCATION: Registration link

Junior Womens Club Marketplace to pop up

The Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club (WHJWC) will host a mini pop-up version of its traditional Marketplace event, December 10-12, in Linden Square (at the former Petco location). The holiday shopping showcase will include 55 vendors of crafts, gifts, specialty items, baked goods, and more.

Due to COVID, the club had to make the difficult decision to cancel their beloved large-scale Marketplace for the second year in a row. WHJWC president Lindsey Crowley said, “The decision was not made lightly, but it was the right one at the time. However, we heard from so many people how Marketplace was their favorite holiday shopping event, so we put our heads together to figure out how we could bridge the gap this year. POP will showcase some of our tried and true vendors while also mixing it up with some new artisans to give the Marketplace experience a vibrant and fresh twist.”

EVENT: Wellesley Hills Junior Womens Club Pop-Up Marketplace
ADMISSION: Free
DATES/TIMES: Fri, Dec. 10, noon-5pm; Sat., Dec. 11, 9am-4pm; Sun., Dec. 12, 9am-4pm.
LOCATION: 165 Linden St., Wellesley, MA

Holiday hack-a-thon at Code Ninjas

Code Ninjas in Linden Square will hold its annual holiday hack-a-thon for kids ages 5-14 on Sunday, Dec. 12, 1pm-4:30pm. While the kids are doing their game building, parents can go shopping or have a bite at a restaurant within the square.

The gaming competition runs in conjunction with a Toys For Tots collection. Bring new, unwrapped toys to Code Ninjas through Dec. 15, and help make the holidays happy kids in need.

MassBay leads dignity initiative

MassBay Community College is partnering with Framingham’s Dignity Matters to provide free period products to students in need. The inability to afford or access menstrual care products is a growing issue among homeless and disadvantaged women and girls, according to the organizations.

Dignity Matters is a non-profit organization that collects, purchases, and supplies menstrual care products, bras, and underwear to women and girls who are homeless or in need.

Free menstrual care products provided by Dignity Matters have been made available in the women’s restrooms on MassBay campuses in Wellesley Hills, Framingham, and Ashland.

This initiative is led by MassBay’s Student Nourishment And Care Committee, which is a group of staff, faculty, students, and community volunteers dedicated to eliminating basic need barriers that are obstacles to student success.

Campus roundup: Wellesley College not an island; Babson taps first Black trustees chair; MassBay all in on vaccines

September 21, 2021 by Bob Brown 5 Comments

Our roundup of the latest news from Wellesley’s colleges:

Wellesley College not an island

President Dr. Paula Johnson said during a recent panel discussion with peers that colleges and universities need to support one another and the wider community.

“This experience has made it very clear that we’re not islands,” said Johnson, as reported by The Wellesley News student news site. “It’s not just about keeping our campus safe. It’s about how we can improve the health of our entire community. And we’re not going to get beyond this pandemic until that is the feeling that we have across the country, and quite frankly across the world.”

According to the article, Johnson said Wellesley College offered dorm space to first responders in COVID-19 isolation.

Students are doing their part to support the wider community by again offering to create customized signs for Boston Marathon runners. It will be interesting to see what the Scream Tunnel— where some students typically aren’t shy about smooching sweaty runners—looks like this Oct. 11 in light of the college’s efforts to protect its community from the virus.

The Boston Athletic Association issued health and safety policies that included a special message for Wellesley College students, though not by name (bold added by us): “From guests traveling with athletes to spectators cheering on participants, everyone is encouraged to take efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. These efforts may include being fully vaccinated, getting tested for COVID-19 prior to any travel, wearing a mask when you cannot socially distance over race week, refraining from kissing a stranger around the halfway mark of the Boston Marathon, and only using B.A.A. provided course nutrition in lieu of accepting hydration or food from spectators.”

We have confirmed that Wellesley Repertory Theatre remains on pause for live indoor performances for the public while the campus is closed to the public. Though the theatre company will be ready when public performances are allowed—it has joined with other Boston-area theatre companies in requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test for all those performing in, working at, or attending such performances.

Artistic Director Marta Rainer assures us that “we are devoted to creating compelling student work this semester… We’ll be interpreting a selection of plays from Pulitzer Prize-winner Suzan-Lori Parks’ ‘365 Plays in 365 Days’ collection—which will have live audiences who have sanctioned campus access —both in the Ruth Nagel Jones black box, and outdoors throughout the semester.”

The college is exploring ways to stream performances to a wider audience.

Babson taps first Black trustees chair

jeffery-perry-1200x630-1 — Jeffrey Perry (photo via Babson College)

Babson College has named 1987 alum Jeffrey Perry, who as a Cleveland teen learned about Babson through an early access management expo, as its Board of Trustees chair.

He becomes the first Black chair, as well as the first chair to have a child attending the school at the same time.

Perry founded the firm Lead Mandates after a long career as partner with professional services firms EY and A.T. Kearney.

MassBay all in on vaccines

The presidents of Wellesley’s MassBay Community College and other community colleges across the state have declared that they will require students, faculty and staff to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by January, 2022. An exception will be made for students taking fully remote classes and that have no plans to visit campus.

According to a statement issued by the schools: “During the last eighteen months, the Massachusetts Community Colleges have prioritized the health and safety of our communities while also recognizing that many of our students have been disproportionally impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. While a significant number of students, faculty, and staff are already vaccinated or are in the process of becoming vaccinated, the fifteen colleges are seeking to increase the health and safety of the learning and working environment in light of the ongoing public health concerns and current guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”

MassBay and the other schools will continue to make vaccine clinics available on site.

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Wellesley Symphony Orchestra announces 2021-22 concert line-up

July 30, 2021 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

The Wellesley Symphony Orchestra, in residence at MassBay Community College, has announced its concert line-up for the 2021-22 season.

Douglas McRay Daniels, Wellesley Symphony Orchestra — Douglas McRay Daniels

Guest conductor Douglas McRay Daniels will start off the six-event series with the Holiday Concert on Sunday, December 12, at 3pm. Expect a musical treat with the following pieces on the program:

Tchaikovsky: Sleeping Beauty Waltz
Jeremiah Klarmen: Spinning through the Ages
Renese King: Gospel Holiday Festival
Soloist: Renese King, Vocal
Leroy Anderson: Sleigh Ride

Daniels is the music director for the Fall River Symphony Orchestra, Bentley University Chamber Orchestra, and an adjunct lecturer at Tufts University. He currently serves as instructor of music at Gann Academy, where he was the chair of the Arts Department from 2012-2016. He has a performance major in trombone, and degrees in music and conducting.

Raised on a farm with eleven siblings in southern Alabama, Ray echoes his humble beginnings by sharing his passion for music-making in an approachable and yet distinguished manner.

Max Hobart will come back for the season ender, which will surely be a time to fete the maestro, who stepped down at the end of last season after leading the orchestra for 25 years. The WSO Board currently is searching for a permanent replacement for Hobart, who was a Boston Symphony Orchestra assistant concertmaster before joining the WSO.

Leslie Holmes, president of the WSO, and a vocalist who has performed with the BSO and Boston Pops, stepped down at the same time.

Both Hobart and Holmes were awarded Mass Bay’s Distinguished Service Award last spring in recognition of their unflagging devotion to excellence in the service of music and the WSO.

MassBay virtual 5K race/walk set for late July

July 10, 2021 by admin Leave a Comment

MassBay Community College and the MassBay Alumni Council will hold a virtual MassBay 5K Race/Walk that can be completed anytime between July 24 and July 31, to benefit the MassBay Student Hunger Assistance Fund.

Participants who preregister for $20 will receive a package in the mail, including a bib, sunglasses, and a t-shirt. Participants are encouraged to post their photos to social media, tagging the College’s social media channels to be entered to win prizes. Runners are invited to compete for medals in top categories by tracking and recording their time, taking screenshots of their time and distance, and forwarding the information to foundation@massbay.edu to be ranked in the race.

The usual in-person MassBay 5K involves a steep downhill and uphill near the Wellesley campus. Let’s hope that challenging route returns next year.