Around Town

West Suburban YMCA Joins Effort to Prevent Child Sexual Abuse

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The West Suburban YMCA is participating in the Five Days of Action, October 26-30, 2020. The Five Days of Action is a week designed to raise awareness and inspire adults to take action to protect children from sexual abuse.   

The West Suburban YMCA encourages adults and organizations in the community to play a vital role in making Newton and the surrounding towns a safer place for children, especially during this ever-changing environment. As our communities continue to press pause and participate in social distancing, we know that protecting kids looks different this year. Not only is our community dealing with a pandemic that is separating kids in need from the safe adults in their lives, but there are spikes in domestic violence, cries for social justice for Black lives, and more concerns about the mental health of youth and adults.  

Five Days of Action will help communities and parents/caregivers take it One Day at a Time and will offer tips, tools, activities, and resources that are relevant to the current environment.  

When adults know how abuse happens, see the warning signs, and respond quickly to prevent abuse, they foster a culture of child abuse prevention. Together, we can bring awareness to the issue of child sexual abuse in our communities and have important conversations around how we can all work together to prevent it from happening.  

“Protecting children from sexual abuse must be the number one goal of every person who cares about the health and well-being of kids,” said Jack Fucci, West Suburban YMCA President and CEO. “Together, we can stand up to demand that children are protected and encourage adults to make it happen in our community.

Around Town

Sen. Brownsberger’s Office Helping People Find Assistance to Pay Rent, Mortgage

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State Sen. Will Brownsberger

The following message was sent out by State Sen. Will Brownsberger:

If you are experiencing difficulty making rent or mortgage payments — or if you know people who are — my office may be able to help.  

You can contact Alicia Brisson, my District Director, directly by email at Alicia.Brisson@MASenate.gov or by phone at 617-651-1516. RAFT and ERMA are programs that provide financial assistance to renters and homeowners who are unable to make housing payments due to COVID-19.   More information about RAFT, ERMA, and additional emergency housing resources and eviction diversions can be found here. Landlords can benefit from some of these resources. More information about the Massachusetts Housing Assistance Landscape can be found here. As a legislator, it is a top priority of mine to prevent a surge in homelessness in the time of COVID. I want to  make sure the programs are in place to help people stay housed and also to help people access those programs. We really want to help, so please do not hesitate to reach out. Will BrownsbergerState Senator, Back Bay, Fenway, Allston, Brighton, Watertown, Belmont

Around Town

Nominations Wanted for Watertown’s Annual Unity Award

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A mural created by Watertown High School students for the 20th annual Unity Breakfast. The Unity Award Committee seeks nominations for the honor handed out at Watertown’s Unity Breakfast, held each year on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. The committee sent out the following letter:

Dear Members of the Watertown Community,

We are pleased to announce that we are actively seeking nominees for this year’s World in Watertown Unity Award. The Unity Award is given each year at Watertown’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Unity Breakfast to honor individuals or groups who are making significant contributions to civic life in Watertown. In the spirit of this year’s Unity Breakfast theme, “Beyond Diversity to Equity,” we seek to honor community members who are furthering Dr. King’s vision of racial, social and economic justice in concrete ways.

Entertainment

Families Invited to Spooktacular Drive Through Event in Watertown

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The following announcement was provided by the Commander’s Mansion:

I smell children … packed into cars and ready for the Saturday night lil’ Monstah Joyride! Deck out your car, and drive-through the spooky streets of the Commander’s Mansion! And at the end of your ride, pop your truck for a treat from The Halloween Team at the Watertown Recreation Department! 

This is a FREE, safe and family friendly event from 6pm to 8pm – for more details head over to the our Facebook page FB: lil’ Monstah Joyride    

Spooktacular thanks to Watertown Police, Watertown Fire, Watertown DPW, The Home Depot, Watertown Savings Bank, Cool City Entertainment, Taylor Rental of Haverhill and all of our volunteers!

Around Town

Watertown Student Group’s Night March Looks to Raise Awareness of Environmental Issues

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Members of Sunrise Watertown work on banners for the Late Night March on Oct. 23 to raise awareness about environmental issues. The following announcement was provided by Sunrise Watertown:

On Friday, October 23rd, Sunrise Watertown will lead a late-night march using tactics that are over a century old to enact change in the present day.Their goal is to educate the town on the truth of the climate crisis while also drawing support for a Green New Deal. WHO: Sunrise Watertown, a local student-owned and run organization. WHAT: Late night march led by Sunrise Watertown to wake up the community to the climate crisis.

Entertainment

Local Studio Hosting Halloween Hoedown with Trick or Treating, Dance & Fitness

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The following information was provided by Ballroom in Boston and Get Lively:

We’re bringing a safe, socially distant trick-or-treating experience, complete with a fun halloween inspired dance class for kids and a beginner friendly workout for parents, to Watertown! Create fun new memories with your kids this Halloween! The kids class includes a beginner friendly halloween dance, followed by in-studio trick-or-treat stations and a costume parade! The parent class will keep you active and entertained while your kiddos have a spook-tacular time! This is event is totally free, but, due to social distancing restrictions, pre-registration is required (only 12 kids per session).

National Merit Scholars

Eight Watertown High Seniors Honored by Named National Merit Scholarship Program

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Eight Watertown High School seniors have been named National Merit Scholarship Commended Students, which is the most in one year that anyone at the high school can recall, Principal Joel Giacobozzi told the School Committee this week. Watertown High School sent out the following announcement:

The principal, Joel Giacobozzi, of Watertown High School announced that eight seniors have been named Commended Students in the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program. A Letter of Commendation from the school and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), which conducts the program, has been mailed toeach scholastically talented senior. About 34,000 Commended Students throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Although they will not continue in the 2021 competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 scorers of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2021 competition by taking the 2019

Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).The following seniors have received this Letter of Commendation and a follow-up phone call from Principal Giacobozzi:

Henry YusemThomas PowderlyMaud NeeleyHarriet NeeleyRita HackettCarolyn GulleyAllison FitzpatrickDyanne Bonyuet

Entertainment

Exhibit on Watertown Arsenal by Local Artist to Show in Boston

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“Building (detail of one of the eight prints from the grid), 2020, by Chantal Zakari, is one of the works to be shown at Kingston Gallery from Nov. 4 to Dec. 6. The late fall season at Kingston Gallery features inventive and provocative new work by Chantal Zakari (a Watertown resident) and Margaret Hart. The exhibitions provide a visual metaphor, either of the overlap of the past history of a particular place or of an imagined merging of nature and technology in a posthuman future.