Around Town

Watertown Savings Hosting Blood Drive at Watertown Library

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Watertown Savings Bank will host a blood drive at the Watertown Free Public Library. Give a gift from the heart, help save the life of a neighbor! The blood drive will be at the Watertown Library, 123 Main St., Watertown, on January 10, 2016, from 9:30 a.m.-1:45 p.m.

Important Reminders… • Bring a photo I.D. with you

• Drink plenty of fluids to hydrate your body

• Eat a nutritious meal before donating

All donors will receive an appreciation gift! Please make an appointment by contacting Kelly Cronin, kcronin@watertownsavings.com at or 617-928-2336

For information about the Blood Donor Program Contact Mount Auburn Hospital, 330 Mount Auburn Street, Cambridge, MA 02138, 617-499-5735

Schools

Take the Survey, Join a Discussion About Watertown’s Next Superintendent

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The Watertown School Committee is interested in getting feedback on the superintendent search process, the School Committee announced. There are several ways to participate, including three community focus groups and an online survey.  Your perspective matters, so please make sure your voice is heard. The link to the online survey is:   https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WPS2017

The focus groups are scheduled at the following dates and times:

Tuesday, January 10, 2017            8:30-9:30 a.m.

Wednesday, January 11, 2017        4-5 p.m.

Thursday, January 12, 2017          7-8 p.m.

The focus groups will take place in the Innovation Lab, 3rd Floor, Phillips Building, 30 Common Street, Watertown.

Around Town

Speaker Announced for 17th Annual Unity Breakfast on MLK Day

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On Monday, January 16, 2017 Watertown will celebrate its seventeenth Unity Breakfast on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, organizers announced. The event brings together hundreds of people, representing Watertown’s diverse population, to remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the man who devoted his life to ending prejudice and racism in our country. The Unity Breakfast has become a Watertown tradition, drawing over 400 guests. The program includes a timely keynote speaker, lively choral music, essays and art projects by Watertown middle and high school students, and the presentation of the Unity Award to Watertown individuals or community organizations that have demonstrated outstanding community service to the town. This year the honorary Master of Ceremonies will be Renee Landers, Esq., Professor of Law at Suffolk University and Watertown resident.

Charity

Watertown Mall and RMV Fill an MBTA Bus with Gifts for Needy Children

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The Watertown Mall and the Registry of Motor Vehicles at the mall partnered to Fill an MBTA Bus with gifts. This is the 14th year of the Fill-a-Bus toy drive that helps needy children and teens during the holiday time. The Watertown Mall and the RMV collected more than 100 unwrapped gifts in a little less than a week. All gifts are donated to the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Children and the Commonwealth Tenants Association. Watertown Mall is wheelchair accessible and accessible by MBTA bus routes 70 and 70A.

Around Town

Watertown Boys & Girls Club Members Meet Santa at Annual Holiday Party

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Watertown Boys & Girls Club hosted their annual Youth Member Holiday Party on Wednesday, December 21, the club announced. There was a great turnout with nearly 200 kids in attendance, as well as dozens of staff, volunteers, and community supporters. Members participated in various activities, including face painting, ornament decorating, and basketball games. They were then invited to visit with Santa, receive a gift, and eat some treats. The Club would like to thank food sponsors: Stop & Shop on Pleasant Street in Watertown, Dunkin’ Donuts on Concord Avenue in Cambridge, Cindi Galligan, and G.M. Walsh Plumbing & Heating, and gift sponsors: The Arsenal Project, Cambridge Savings Bank, Century 21 Commonwealth, Fit-Z’s Bar & Grill, John McElhenny, The Mews, Residence at Watertown Square, Residence Inn, and Tufts Health Plan.

Transportation

MTBA Offering Free Service New Year’s Eve Night, Extra Trains

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The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is advising travelers to take public transportation when possible, make informed decisions, and utilize MassDOT’s many travel resources ahead of and during the New Year holiday weekend, officials said. “We encourage everyone who will be celebrating the New Year to make responsible decisions to ensure they are able to reach their destinations safely,” said Transportation Secretary and CEO Stephanie Pollack. “All of the MBTA’s transit systems will be free after 8 p.m., New Year’s Eve and travelers should take advantage of these and other opportunities to utilize public transportation and plan ahead.”

“Drivers should use our technology tools including mass511 and our online real-time information when they plan their trips,” said Highway Administrator Thomas J. Tinlin. “Most importantly for a driver’s safety and the safety of the traveling public there should be no drinking and driving. Designated drivers are essential to consider when making holiday plans.

Around Town

Watertown Senior Community Hires New Executive Director

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LCB Senior Living, LLC, owner and operator of The Residence at Watertown Square located at 20 Summer Street in Watertown is pleased to announce the selection of Paul DiNapoli as the community’s Executive Director. The community includes Independent, Assisted and Reflections Memory Care options for local seniors. Mr. DiNapoli received his Bachelor’s Degree from Nichols College in Business Management.  He has had nearly fifteen years of managerial experience in the hospitality industry, where he has held positions at several hospitality businesses as a Director of Operations. Prior to joining LCB, he was General Manager of the Sheraton Providence Airport Hotel for two years. Mr. DiNapoli currently resides in Andover.

Around Town

See Which Book Will was Selected for 2017’s One Book, One Watertown Program

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The Watertown Free Public Library announced the selection of Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi for the 2017 One Book, One Watertown program. The novel Homegoing opens in 18th-century Ghana, as two half-sisters meet wildly divergent fates: one kidnapped and sold into slavery, the other wed to a British slave trader. In subsequent chapters, author Yaa Gyasi tells the stories of the women’s descendants on both sides of the Atlantic. The WFPL posted the following on their website:
“While these characters’ lives may seem far removed from 21st-century Watertown, their humanity speaks across centuries and continents to our own deeply human fears and hopes. Their history is our history, and confronting it—along with the painful legacies of slavery, colonialism, and racism that it inexorably exhumes—is our responsibility.