Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/category/more/aroundtown/page/518/)
The 11th annual Donohue’s Bar & Grill Turkey Trot takes place on Thanksgiving morning. Sign up now for the 5K run and walk that begins at 8:30 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 24 at Donohue’s, 87 Bigelow Ave. in Watertown. Come dressed up and enter the costume contest.
The W.A.T.E.R.town (Watertown Access to Treatment, Educations and Resources) Task Force on Substance Use Disorder announced a November educational and informational forum entitled “Together We Can…Erase the Stigma.”
The Task Force released the following announcement:
This forum features U.S. Representative Katherine Clark as the keynote speaker and sponsor of two bills aimed at reducing the amount of unused and unwanted pain medications fueling the opioid epidemic and ensuring safe care plans for families with infants suffering from opioid exposure, which were passed unanimously by the House. Joining Congresswoman Clark will be noted experts on opioid use, the effects of prescription and other opioids on the brain, and the effects that addiction, treatment and recovery have on family and friends. Attendees will learn about the local and national response to this public health epidemic, what can be done to prevent substance use disorder, and the resources that are available in Watertown. We are pleased to also feature Dr. Laura Kehoe from Massachusetts General Hospital with her very informative presentation of how opioids affect the brain, Rhonda Lotti, a dedicated and loving parent who has experienced substance use disorder in her family, and Jeff Hatch, a former NFL player who has also experienced substance use disorder and has dedicated his life to helping others fight this disease. The Watertown Middle School located at 68 Waverley Avenue offers ample space for this forum and we hope to attract parents of all age groups, as well as all other members of the community.
Watertown Citizens for Peace Justice & the Environment announced it will hold a meeting called “Continued Conversation: Black Lives Matter” on Wednesday, November 16 at 7 p.m.
The meeting will be held in the Watertown Savings Bank Room of the Watertown Free Public Library. The group sent out the following information:
On Sept. 21, 2016, the monthly meeting of Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice & the Environment created a space for thoughtful conversation about the impact and meaning of the Black Lives Matter movement. A substantial number of the 25 attendees requested that this community conversation continue. This second gathering has been scheduled for the upcoming Watertown Citizens’ monthly meeting, this time in the Watertown Savings Bank room, which will allow room for more people to join in.
On Friday, Watertown celebrated its servicemen and women, past and present, with breakfast and a Veterans Day ceremony packed with patriotism and a few surprises at the Marine Corps League’s Charles Shutt Detachment. A number of people spoke about the importance of veterans, but the person who stole the show never served in the military and is too young to enlist. Watertown High School junior Jeremy Ornstein delivered a rousing and impassioned reading of an essay he wrote about the importance of Veterans Day. He recalled how as a young child his parents would not allow him to have toy guns, and protected him from some of the harsher parts of life, such as his grandparents experience surviving the Holocaust. Ornstein thanked the veterans for picking up weapons to fight enemies overseas so that he never has to worry about a foreign power invading his country or his hometown of Watertown.
The votes have been tallied, and the results are in. See how your friends and neighbors voted for president, on legalizing marijuana and other state ballot questions. While Donald Trump claimed victory in the race for President, Hillary Clinton took top rung in Watertown with 71 percent of the vote. Her best precinct was Precinct 10, on the Westside, where she got 1,366 votes. The 10th precinct was also Trump’s best, with 496.
Watertown residents are invited to take part in a support group for family and caregivers of people with mental illness. NAMI Family Support Group is a free, structured, confidential peer-led support group for family members, caregivers and loved ones of individuals living with mental illness. The next one will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 7:30-9 p.m. in the Board Room of the Wellesley Hills Congregational Church at 207 Washington Street in Wellesley, organized by the National Alliance for MentalIllness (NAMI).
The Alzheimer’s Association announced it will be presenting a workshop on communication strategies for dementia caregivers Tuesday, Nov. 15 from 4-6 p.m. at the Alzheimer Association, 480 Pleasant St., Watertown. The workshop is free and open to the public. Effective Communication Strategies explores how communication takes place when someone has dementia, teaches strategies to decode verbal and behavioral messages and will help caregivers connect and communicate through all stages of the disease. To register or for more information call 800-272-3900 or visit alz.org/MANH.
The Alzheimer’s Association, with headquarters in Watertown, has regional offices in Springfield, Raynham, and Worcester, Mass., and Bedford, N.H. The Alzheimer Association provides services and programs for those with Alzheimer’s, family and professional caregivers in the form of support groups, a 24/7 Helpline, care consultation, advocacy efforts, research funding and education programs. For more information about Alzheimer programs, visit alz.org/MANH or call 800-272-3900.
If you stop by the offices of H & K Insurance, you’ll see a brightly wrapped and bow covered collection box for Toys for Tots. The box was dropped off Nov. 1, and before it’s picked up again in December, H & K announced it hopes to fill it to overflowing. Another record-breaking toy drive for the insurance agency, all for a good cause. Every year the Toys for Tots program makes Christmas possible for millions of children throughout New England and the greater United States.