Wellesley Hills Junior Women’s Club plans in-person comeback

July 20, 2021 by Deborah Brown Leave a Comment

Wellesley Hills Junior Women's Club 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

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Wellesley Food Pantry: “Please donate before you head out for vacation”

July 13, 2021 by admin Leave a Comment

The Wellesley Food Pantry asks residents to consider shopping for a few extra items and dropping them into the donation bins at Roche Bros. or Whole Foods. Summer donations typically drop off dramatically in July and August as schools let out and residents drift away on their vacations.

Take a look at the Wellesley Food Pantry Wish List, which is updated weekly. The Pantry asks that donors refer to this list for purchases due to limited storage space.

In addition, the largesse from vegetable gardens is very welcome. Residents can drop fresh produce donations on Tuesdays, 8am-11:30am, in the Wellesley Hills Church kitchen (from the west entrance, down the stairs and to the right before entering the assembly room), located at 207 Washington Street.

Thanks in advance from the Food Pantry to Weston Road Community Gardens and Mass Hort’s garden, and to the National Charity League for coordinating drop-offs.

Babson the first of 3 colleges in Wellesley to welcome back the public

June 25, 2021 by Deborah Brown 1 Comment

Babson College will be the first of the three colleges that call Wellesley home to start welcoming the public back to its campus in the wake of the Commonwealth lifting the State of Emergency surrounding COVID-19 on June 15. A representative from the 4-year private business school, known for its entrepreneurship programs, said in an email, “Our local community and neighbors will once again be invited to utilize outdoor spaces on campus. The Babson community is being notified of this policy update today, and signage will begin to be removed shortly.”

So keep an eye on the Forest Street gates. When the signs go down, you can go in and enjoy walking once more on Babson’s beautiful campus.

MassBay & Wellesley College remain

MassBay and Wellesley College both continue to proceed with a cautious approach to the pandemic and are keeping their campuses closed to the general public.

“The protection of the health and safety of our community will remain our primary concern,” a MassBay representative said.

Wellesley College has been in communication with the town in recent weeks, as the school sorts out how to best handle access to the public (beyond golfers, who are already allowed on the Nehoiden course). One consideration for the college is how to address pets. Dogs must be leashed on campus, but even before the pandemic college officials were frustrated with pet owners’ lack of adherence to the rules.

If Wellesley College is to reopen at least the outdoor campus to the public, you’d think it might want to do so before students return, to sort of ease things back to normal.

A consolation prize for those missing Lake Waban: The Wabancam livestream.

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Wellesley family crowdfunding to ‘help bring Brian home’

June 13, 2021 by Bob Brown 6 Comments

Update (7/8/21): Sadly, Brian Sullivan passed away in early July, surrounded by family. We offer our condolences to his family and friends.

A longtime Wellesley family that includes a bunch of Wellesley High School graduates, plus a mix of police, fire, and other employees in town, is asking for the public’s help to pay for home health care for Brian Sullivan. A crowdfunding campaign for Brian, who grew up in town with his four siblings, has exceeded $30,000.

Brian’s been living with cancer for 24 years, and while he’s done so with an upbeat attitude that friends, family, and his banking colleagues and customers know well, his health has taken a turn for the worse this year. He’s been in the hospital for several weeks, and the family looks forward to bringing him home to be with his wife of 25 years, Gina Corticelli Sullivan (who grew up in Wellesley), and sons Brandon, Collin, and Robert.

“Brian is a true warrior and a fighter. He has fought this horrible disease for 24 years. I would like to thank all our family and friends for all their love and support at this difficult time,” Gina wrote to us.

Brian’s sister Rose tells us: “He is loved by many because he is quite simply, Brian.”

We wish the family the best at this difficult time, and hope spreading the word about the crowdfunding campaign will help them.

Watch recording of Wellesley Memorial Day observances

June 4, 2021 by admin 2 Comments

Wellesley Media recorded Memorial Day observances in Wellesley on Monday, May 31.

More: Wellesley’s military and war memorials

Natick Veterans Services director has his say on shameful Memorial Day incident

Happy 100th to Wellesley’s Willard Hunnewell

June 1, 2021 by Bob Brown 2 Comments

The Town of Wellesley on Tuesday, June 1 honored Willard P. Hunnewell, a World War II veteran and great-grandson of town benefactor Horatio Hollis Hunnewell, in celebration of his 100th birthday.

Willard P. Hunnewell, Wellesley — Happy 100th birthday to Willard P. Hunnewell

When you’ve turned 100, the party comes to you. A small, early-afternoon parade of balloon-festooned vehicles cruised from the Wellesley College Club parking lot to 855 Washington St., pulling up in front of the Hunnewell family home dubbed “Wellesley.” As in the same “Wellesley” that inspired the town’s name.

We were among those who had the privilege of taking part in the parade, which was greeted by a crowd of Hunnewell family members and friends.

Willard P. Hunnewell, birthday, Wellesley — The Liberty Jazz Band kept the mood lively.

A resolution (embedded below) was read by Select Board member Beth Sullivan Woods, and gifts were presented from the American Legion as well as the town’s police department, fire department, and Celebrations Committee. Mr. Hunnewell was also made an Honorary Wellesley Fire Chief and an Honorary Chief of Police. And there was chocolate cake, from Roche Bros., keeping it all about Wellesley. “It’s like Christmas,” marveled a guest.

The resolution begins: “On June 1, 2021, Town of Wellesley resident Willard P. Hunnewell will celebrate his 100^th birthday, having lived a century with integrity, care, and a deep sense of family and of the community founded by his ancestors…”

Mr. Hunnewell served in World War II as a U.S. Navy navigator in the Atlantic and Pacific theaters. The Liberty Jazz Band played a rousing version of “Anchors Aweigh” in his honor.

Happy 100th to Wellesley’s Willard Hunnewell https://t.co/1HZscmMq5P #anchorsaweigh @USNavy #wellesley pic.twitter.com/vhza4q9Qwe

— swellesley (@swellesley) June 1, 2021

On the home front, the Harvard graduate owned a business that created tools used in the jewelry industry. Known for his attention to environmental matters, he served as a president of the Massachusetts Horticultural Society and was caretaker for The Pinetum, a renowned collection of pine and conifer trees from around the world located on the Hunnewell estate. Mr. Hunnewell and his family have also made their mark outside of Wellesley, including in Stowe Vt., where they have helped to preserve open space.

Here’s the whole ceremony, courtesy of Wellesley Media: