Save the date: Wellesley Historical Society craft beer tasting event is Sept. 26th
Julie Fund’s outdoor Yoga Strong fundraiser coming to Wellesley in September
The Julie Fund for Women’s Cancers, a charitable organization that raises money to support women’s cancer education, research, and patients, is holding a major fundraiser in Wellesley dubbed Yoga Strong.
The event, aimed at building strong minds and bodies, will take place on Sept. 19 from 10am-noon at the Warren multipurpose field adjacent to the tennis courts on Rt. 16. The Julie Fund has held such events at stores and studios, but hasn’t held a community-wide event, which in this case could accommodate as many as 500 participants. Look for local yogis such as Georgia Janos, Rebekah LaCava, and Braxton Rose, along with members of the Wellesley Police Department, to be among those taking part on Sept. 19.
A $50 donation is suggested for participating families, and $25 for individuals.
The Julie Fund was started in 2004 by Julie McAvinn, a Wellesley woman who died from ovarian cancer, and the organization has continued on through the work of her husband Peter and others. The Julie Fund says it is the largest contributor to ovarian cancer research at Mass General Hospital.
Seen in Wellesley: Paulie’s Push honoring flight crews lost in 9/11 attacks
Retired flight attendant Paul Veneto, who is pushing airline service carts from Logan Airport to Ground Zero to honor the memory of flight crews lost in the 9/11 attack, made his way through Wellesley on Sunday. Those who died included Veneto’s colleagues as well as peers from other airlines, all of whom he describes as “the first, first responders.”
Veneto launched Paulie’s Push to raise funds for the flight crew members’ families as well as to support Power Forward, which address the stigma of addiction. He departed Logan on his trek Saturday and at a 10-to-20 mile walking pace per day, plans to arrive at Ground Zero on Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the attacks.
As detailed in this Washington Post article about Veneto, he suffered from opioid addiction following the attacks. Veneto was usually on United Airlines Flight 175, which crashed into the World Trade Center, but not on Sept. 11, 2001.
Wellesley’s Eric Fichtel, who shared this photo, wrote to us: “This fine man was featured in the national news and I had the pleasure of meeting him while heading to the dump after literally just reading about him.”
The Wellesley Police Dept. also caught up with Paulie:
Please send tips, photos, ideas to [email protected]
100-plus Wellesley riders taking part in Pan-Mass Challenge
Nearly 120 Wellesley residents will be among the 6,000-plus cyclists taking part in this weekend’s Pan-Mass Challenge (PMC), which will raise tens of millions for cancer research and patient care at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Many participants have lived with cancer themselves, or ride to honor those who have died or are too sick to ride.
This year’s PMC returns Aug. 7 & 8 as a group event, though participants also have had the option of charting their own course in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The PMC includes include 16 routes – from 25 to 211 miles. Numerous routes, including a 100-mile one, start at Babson College in Wellesley.
There are various ways to give to PMC riders’ fundraisers, including searching riders by name. Here’s the list of Wellesley riders provided by PMC.
- Laurel Archibald
- Conrad Balejko
- Ian Blasco
- Moe Blaustein
- Jesse Boehm
- Brian Bowser
- Angela Braman
- Stephan Braun
- Emily Breedis
- Karin Breedis
- John Breedis
- Grant Brown
- Jeff Carney
- John Carney
- James Carr
- Karl Cheng
- Kevin Clark
- Jarrett Collins
- Jerry Coughlan
- Stephanie Coughlan
- Dan Cullaty
- Katharine Cunningham
- James DeCaprio
- Bonni DiMatteo
- Robert Dolan
- Marty Doscher
- Scott Duddy
- Paul Enderle
- Timothy Ernst
- Jonathan Ettinger
- Wendy Fischman
- William Gerlin
- Cynthia Gerlin
- Simon Gerlin
- Richard Green
- Eunice Groark
- Ali Grogan
- Barbara Gross
- Karen Haddock
- Gregory Hanson
- Christopher Harding
- Craig Hartigan
- Susan Hartigan
- Michael Hartnett
- Michael Higgins
- Fred Hoff
- Wendy Horn
- Lisa Hughes
- David Hutchins
- Alastair Ironside
- Patricia Isley
- Robert Ix
- Emily Ix
- Robbie Ix
- Sara Johnson
- Hugh Johnston
- Lori Johnston
- Ken Jones
- Kevin King
- Brian Kinney
- Ethan Kinney
- Andrew Kovacs
- James Landry
- Enrique Laso
- Paul Laviolette
- Alexander Lee
- Stephen Leonard
- Mark Lepper
- Susan Levine
- Jennifer Ligibel
- Tod Loofbourrow
- Mark Lorion
- Katherine Macdonald
- Kevin Macdonald
- Edward Mahoney
- Patricia Mallett
- Kate Martin
- Bill Maynard
- Sean Milano
- Julie Moore
- Mike Mordas
- Gerard Mulrooney
- Ava Newman
- Adam Newman
- Chris O’Connell
- John O’Connell
- Matthew Olton
- Laura Olton
- Ian ONeal
- James Palacino
- John Phillips
- John Power
- Sue Prakken
- Patti Quigley
- Jenny Rand
- Roger Randall
- Debra Rinaldi
- Kate Roosevelt
- Stephen Rosen
- Rob Rosen
- Grant Rosen
- Eric Scharmer
- Andrew Schiller
- Randall Schneider
- Howard Singer
- Jennifer Snyder
- Billy Starr
- George Stathis
- Garrick Stewart
- Katie Stewart
- Daniel Sullivan
- Justin Unger
- Andrew Wagner
- Richard Walsh
- Andrew Wigren
- Nancy Williamson
- Geoffrey Witheford
- Michael Young
Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club plans in-person comeback
After over a year of getting creative with its fundraising efforts due to the pandemic, The Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club (WHJWC) is bringing back its in-person, community-based events to keep moving forward with its mission of raising money for as many area charitable organizations and scholarships for Wellesley students as possible.
First up: The Wonder Run will be held on October 2, 2021 as part of Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend.
Also planned: The Wellesley Kitchen and Home Tour is scheduled for May 7, 2022.
Wait till next year: As we reported earlier this month, Wellesley Marketplace, traditionally held in November, will not take place in 2021. “Many, many factors played a role in our decision to postpone Marketplace for another year, the biggest one being time,” WHJWC incoming president Lindsey Crowley said. “Marketplace planning typically begins in February, reviewing and soliciting vendor applications. This past February, we decided against starting to plan for 2021 based on COVID-19 conditions and predictions which was the right decision at the time.
“However, since we are now nearly five months behind in planning we just don’t think this large-scale event is feasible to execute this year. We also polled our recent vendors, and the results painted a picture that was uncertain and hesitant to commit, therefore we couldn’t guarantee we would have enough vendors to even fill the venue. But mark my words, Marketplace will be back and better than ever for 2022.”
It’s all about flexibility
Although WHWJC last year canceled all three of its major fundraisers, with ingenuity and creativity the membership pivoted. Club members produced a community cookbook entitled Wellesley at Home and brought back Luminary Night. Both events helped fulfill the Juniors’ annual fundraising mission and fostered community connection.
Despite the many challenges COVID presented, the club still distributed $64,000 in scholarships and awarded $63,970 in grants in the 2020-2021 season. “In this unprecedented year, it is truly amazing that we were able to uphold our regular charitable giving levels,” said outgoing WHJWC president, Steph Flynn.
WHJWC also stayed virtually connected to its direct service partners. The Club gave over one hundred $100 Roche Brothers gift cards to Wellesley Friendly Aid for Thanksgiving, and upheld the annual Holiday Toy drive. The Kids on the Block team produced a high-quality video to ensure key messages of self-esteem, friendship and inclusion could be delivered to Wellesley kindergartners. And WHJWC provided snacks and messages of support to Elizabeth Seton Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation residents, planted pots to beautify the new ABC House, and completed several drives to benefit the Wellesley Food Pantry.
About the Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club
Wellesley community news: Longtime trails volunteer honored; School Supplies Drive has begun; housing grant deadline approaches
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.
School Supplies Drive has begun
Kids 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 [email protected] by Friday, July 16.
MassBay virtual 5K race/walk set for late July
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 [email protected] 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.
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