Volunteers in Wellesley dress veterans’ graves with new flags ahead of Memorial Day

May 10, 2025 by Bob Brown

Dozens of volunteers, including a strong turnout from the Wellesley High School football and lacrosse teams, headed to Woodlawn Cemetery on soggy Saturday morning to dress veterans’ graves.

Some of the student-athletes ran there from the high school field where they play. Elected town officials, sports coaches, and families, were also among the volunteers.

Wellesley’s Pete Jones, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, said 1,500 flags were being placed at graves at Woodlawn, and more would be placed elsewhere in town, including at memorial markers. Volunteers returned old flags, where at the back of a pickup truck Jones and others worked to dislodge round memorial markers from old sticks and replace the sticks and flags with new ones.

dressing of graves woodlawn cemetery — Pete Jones, left, had plenty of assistance in swapping out old flags for new

Volunteers, going quadrant by quadrant, were given instructions to replace all existing flags, Select Board member Beth Sullivan Woods said. Flags are disposed of through a controlled burn on Flag Day in June.

Young and old took part, with all being careful to treat the flags and graves with respect.

The town will celebrate the 250th Anniversary of U.S. Army, Navy and Marines on May 18 with the 57th Annual Wellesley Veterans Parade.

Wellesley recognizes Memorial Day on May 30, and will have a short ceremony at Woodlawn Cemetery at 7pm followed by a gathering in front of Town Hall that Friday night.

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Wellesley Village Church Rummage Sale, Nov. 2

November 1, 2024 by admin

On Saturday, November 2nd, the early birds will start lining up before outside Wellesley Village Church, 2 Central St., for the annual Rummage Sale. At 9am, the doors will open and the crowd will start shopping the sale in the church basement. This sale features thousands of gently used items for sale at bargain prices.

Items are organized into departments, with dedicated spaces for women’s clothing, accessories and shoes, children’s clothing and toys, men’s wear, kitchen and home goods, and more. The Chic Boutique is a perennial favorite, specializing in higher-end women’s designer clothing, purses and shoes.

More than 100 volunteers work together to make the sale the “best one day thrifting event in Boston.” Rummage Sale co-chair Cherie Hoffman says, “For over 80 years, this sale has brought community together, saved lots of volume from the landfill and generated about $400,000 that has been deployed to charities helping children and families nearby and farther away.”

Shop the sale November 2nd, 9am-1pm. $2 entry fee. Come find your treasure!

Wellesley Celebrations Committee announces 2024 theme for annual Veterans Parade—hint: hug a medic

February 1, 2024 by Deborah Brown

The Wellesley Celebrations Committee has announced that the theme for the 2024 annual Veterans Parade, slated for Sunday, May 19, will be the “200th Anniversary of Modern Battlefield Medicine Advancements.”

There’s much to celebrate on that front—over the past 200 years, combat soldiers have benefited from the emergence of anesthesia, X-rays, antibiotics, and blood transfusions. That time period also saw the development of the modern triage system, which puts the most severely wounded soldiers first for care, and the development of new strategies and equipment for the evacuation and transport of casualties to medical facilities. If you ever saw the 1970s TV show M*A*S*H (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) starring Alan Alda, and set during the Korean War, you saw these advancements portrayed.

Wellesley's Wonderful Weekend, encampment — Military encampment reenactment in front of Wellesley Town Hall, 2018

The 56th Veteran’s Parade will be one of many events held during Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend including a town picnic, concert, and fireworks. The weekend will kick off on Friday, May 17 with historical displays at the library and culminate on Sunday, May 19, with the fireworks display.

Here’s the schedule of events.

How to help the Celebrations Committee

Volunteer—from parade day management, to the antique car and convertible committee, to fundraising, there’s plenty to do to prepare for the big weekend.

Too busy to volunteer? Make a tax-deductible donation.

Nominate an honoree—Typically there are over a dozen honorees across the following categories:

Community Service Awards (For those whose have volunteered their skills, ideas and devotion, making the town a better place.) Can be an individual, or a business know for its willingness to help out.
Dedicated Service Awards (For those who have changed the community for the better through their commitment, compassion, and vision.) Often a Town employee.
Special Recognition Awards (Often long-time local businesses.)
Learn more about honorees from previous years.

Be in the parade—community groups, marching bands, circus acts, and more join in the madness every year. So should you.

Calling all Wellesley veterans—sign up to participate in the parade, reviewing stand, and reception.

Every day is Wellesley Day at The Swellesley Report—please support us.

Linden Square Holiday Stroll delivered family fun, seasonal good cheer & shopping

December 15, 2023 by Deborah Brown

The annual Linden Square Holiday Stroll drew a big crowd at the seasonal event that combined shopping, carolers, character visits, hot chocolate and donut bites, glitter tattoos, and more as everyone got into the holiday spirit. Celebrities like Bluey, and Elsa from Frozen, posed for pictures with excited kids, while shoppers checked a few more items off their list at nearby retail shops.

Linden Square Holiday Stroll 2023 — A crafts and coloring table was set up for the kids.

We’re big fans of The Courtyard area, which seems to become more visited and beloved by the year. During the holiday season, Federal Realty pulls out all the stops with a giant Christmas tree, a menorah (new this year), and lights galore. Seating is left out in all but the most inclement weather, drawing the lunch crowd or friends meeting for coffee. Running, walking, and cycling groups have discovered the spot as a good place to meet after their exertions. We’ve observed this central spot getting heavy use right through the winter months.

There’s still plenty of time for holiday shopping—don’t forget to shop local now in Wonderful Wellesley.

Reminder: Wellesley Reusables Area closes on Dec. 2

November 28, 2023 by Bob Brown

The Friends of Recycling volunteers who staff the Wellesley Recycling & Disposal Facility’s Reusables Area (aka, Give & Take) share a reminder that the season ends this Saturday, Dec. 2. The area will reopen next April.

Hours for the Give & Take this week are 7am-12pm on Wednesday, then 7am-3pm on Thursday-Saturday.

During this last week, volunteers will only accept small items—so no large furniture.

From volunteers Joany Sasso & Priscilla Messing: “Thank you to the Wellesley residents and to all the FOR volunteers for a great and prosperous season!”

If you’re looking for an RDF Reusables alternative during the off-season, a private Facebook group called Wellesley Give & Take is one option.

Please send tips, photos, ideas to theswellesleyreport@gmail.com

It’s Red Kettle time in Wellesley—you can help by ringing the bell, donating, or both!

November 25, 2023 by Deborah Brown

It’s that time of year—2023 Red Kettle Campaign! The Wellesley Kiwanis Club will host the Salvation Army Red Kettle in front of Roche Bros. through Dec. 24. Volunteer bell ringers are needed to support this community effort. Sign up here.

Salvation Army Red Kettle, Wellesley — Town of Wellesley Public Information Officer Stephanie Hawkinson (left), and Wellesley Executive Director Meghan Jop take a shift at the Salvation Army Red Kettle, 2021.

The Wellesley Red Kettle is a critical source of funding for those experiencing medical, housing, food and other needs. Red Kettle donations are used to ensure that Wellesley families and individuals in need have the help they require throughout the coming months. In the last ten years Kettle receipts have been nearly $25,000 each year, an amazing total. Bell ringers have come from many corners—citizens young and old, town employees, Wellesley High Key Clubbers, members of the Wellesley Municipal Light Plant. One and all are welcome!

Look for The Swellesley Report to be there on Friday, Dec. 15.

If you have a question, please contact Beth Sullivan Woods at bsullivan@eas-planning.com.

Wellesley volunteering powerhouses Dwin and John Schuler honored for decades of service

November 22, 2023 by Deborah Brown

The Kiwanis Club last week celebrated Wellesley residents Dwin and John Schuler for over 7 decades of service to the town, and almost 100 friends and admirers gathered at the Italo American Educational Club to fete the pair and enjoy their company. A buffet dinner was provided by Alta Strada, and the Wellesley High School Key Club helped out with whatever needed doing, from running food to clearing plates. A local chapter of Kiwanis International, Kiwanis Club of Wellesley is an all-volunteer service organization that provides the youth and families the support they need to thrive.

John & Dwin Schuler receive Salvation Army Award — John & Dwin Schuler receive the “Joseph Barnes Volunteer of the Year” award

Rev. Jonathan Page, senior pastor at the Wellesley Hills Congregational Church, offered a blessing at the outset. After mixing and mingling, guests dined as the Schulers were honored with presentations and two awards. Salvation Army representatives presented John with the “Joseph Barnes Volunteer of the Year” award. In addition, John and Dwin were honored with an award named for them—”The Schuler Award,” a civics-oriented recognition.

The evening’s MC and Select Board secretary Beth Sullivan Woods thanked John and Dwin in particular for their involvement with programs that support young people so that “the youth can experience joy, focus on their studies, and be successful.”

There’s scarcely a volunteer effort in town the dynamic duo, both Wellesley High School graduates, hasn’t been involved in over the years, but they are probably best known for their leadership role in the yearly Salvation Army Red Kettle Drive. Anyone who’s ever received a phone call from Dwin asking which shift they wanted to take to ring the bell in front of Roche Bros. understood that “sorry, I can’t” was not an option.

Dwin has retired from making the yearly bell-ringing phone calls. Volunteers now sign up online. Here’s a link to do so. We’ve already grabbed our spot, but there’s plenty of room for more bell ringers.

David Lussier told the crowd he couldn’t pass up the invitation to celebrate the Schulers, crediting John in part for his job as superintendent of the Wellesley Public Schools. “I met John Schuler 12 years ago in his capacity as a member of the search committee for superintendent of schools at that time,” Lussier said. “I didn’t actually meet John in person initially. Remember Skype? It was a Skype call…and I think all I saw was John’s elbow. But boy did I hear his voice,” referring to the stentorian tone and deliberate manner in which John speaks. That combined with his ability to expound on any given subject certainly helped him maintain classroom discipline and command attention during his 40-year tenure of teaching at Dana Hall School.

As longtime Town Meeting Member and Celebrations Committee Chair Royall Switzler read off John and Dwin’s many accomplishments, the lesser mortals in the crowd were left in awe and feeling perhaps even a little lazy. I mean, the Schulers even have a room named after them at the Tolles Parson Center. It’s called the John and Dwin Schuler Multi-Purpose Room. Of course it is.

John and Dwin Schuler, Wellesley — Wellesley’s most famous Red Kettle volunteers, John and Dwin Schuler, have co-chaired the Red Kettle Drive for over a decade. Here they are in full red-jacket regalia at the Wellesley College Club in 2020 accepting the Salvation Army’s Joseph P. Barnes Memorial Award.

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What does the Kiwanis Club of Wellesley do, anyway?

awards 3 need-based 4-year college scholarships annually to WHS students
awards scholarships annually to PAWS (Preschool at Wellesley Schools) for families who would not otherwise be able to send their children to preschool
manages the December Red Kettle campaign to provide resources for local families in need
supports Newton-Wellesley Hospital Pediatric needs through annual toy and supplies donations
works with WHS Key Club
sponsors Scout Troop 182B and 182G
hosts annual Pancake and Waffle Festival at WHS
helps support Wellesley’s Wonderful Weekend
co-sponsors Bike Safety Rodeo with the Wellesley Police Department
helps support the Rec Department’s outdoor summer movies
purchased outdoor heaters for Sisters of Charity to enable outdoor family visits during COVID
new focus area for 2024: educating parents and teens about attaining and maintaining positive mental health

Learn about becoming a facilitator as part of the Wellesley Civil Discourse Initiative

November 8, 2023 by admin

The Wellesley Civil Discourse Initiative (WCDI) is expanding its team of trained facilitators.

On Wednesday, November 15, WCDI will host an Introduction to Dialogue Facilitation and is seeking people from the community to attend and learn more about this process.

Wellesley Town Hall, summer — Wellesley Town Hall

This is the first of a two-part training that will take place in Wellesley. There is no cost to attend—funding for this introduction was made possible by money from the R.W. Babson Fund granted by the Select Board.

Sign up and indicate your interest in the WCDI training by completing this Google form. Space is limited; registration for this initial session will close on Friday, November 10, 5pm.

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