Charity

Watertown Chef Competing to Make Best Steak in Culinary Fight Club

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Watertown’s Chef Mike Fucci will battle fellow chefs to see who can grill up the best steak at the Culinary Fight Club in Newton, and the proceeds will go to fight hunger. The Culinary Fight Club will be held Monday, July 31 from 6-9 p.m. at Hotel Indigo Boston-Newton Riverside and will raise money for Fight2Feed and Three Squares. Fucci, who runs Chef Mike’s Catering in Watertown and is a winner on Food Network’s Cutthroat Kitchen, will compete against Jes Childers of Port Bistro, Arty Bruno of Grill 139, Douglas Rodrigues of North Square Oyster, Drew Blanckenberg of Cricket Cafe and Catering and Justin Rexroad of Clipper Tavern. The chefs will each attempt to make the perfect steak. Attendees can sample each chef’s creation and vote for their favorite.

Charity

Paddle to Work and Raise Money for Charles River Watershed Association

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On Friday, July 28, people will paddle the Charles River on their way to work to celebrate a healthy river and raise funds for Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA). People participating in Paddle to Work Day hosted by Charles River Canoe and Kayak will kayak from Soldier’s Field Road in Allston/Brighton 5 miles downstream to Kendall Square in Cambridge. Individuals who work in Kendall Square will have paddled to work, while others can take public transportation to their desired destinations. People can purchase tickets for the event at paddleboston.com/paddle2work and may reserve a single or double kayak or sign up to bring their own boat. Charles River Canoe and Kayak will donate all ticket proceeds to Charles River Watershed Association to support its work protecting and restoring the Charles River.

Charity

Boys & Girls Club Macy’s Fundraiser, Get Your Tickets for the Club’s Golf Tourney

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Watertown Boys & Girls Club announced it is participating in the Macy’s Shop for a Cause Charity Challenge. This friendly competition has non-profit organizations go head to head to see who can raise the most money for their cause. The organization with the most dollars raised at the end of the competition (August 9) wins the grand prize of $100,000 from Macy’s, with runner-ups receiving large prizes as well. There are also added incentives throughout the competition encouraging organizations to meet weekly goals to earn cash prizes. Watertown Boys & Girls Club’s goal is to raise $2,500 during the challenge.

Charity

Watertown-Belmont Chamber Awards Four Scholarships to High School Seniors

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The Watertown-Belmont Chamber of Commerce awards scholarships annually to Belmont and Watertown high school seniors planning to attend college. The WBCC announced the winners. This year the Chamber received multiple applications from Watertown and Belmont seniors. A volunteer scholarship committee comprising members of the Chamber’s board of directors, Katherine Rafferty, Mount Auburn Hospital; Pamela Giannatsis, Tufts Health Plan; and Sandy Penchansky, of Watertown Savings Bank read each application and selected the award recipients. Here are this year’s award recipients:

WBCC Scholarship

o   $1,000 to a Watertown High School (WHS) senior and Watertown Resident: Bailey Herrera Samayoa

o   $1,000 to a Belmont High School (BHS) senior and Belmont Resident: Colleen Murphy

The Barclay Good Citizen Scholarship

o   $500 to a High School senior boy and Watertown Resident: Sam Carton

o   $500 to a High School senior girl and Watertown Resident: Stella Varnum

Congratulations to our recipients!

Charity

Tufts Health Plan Employees Volunteer to Help Out the Watertown Boys & Girls Club

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Tufts Health Plan employees participated in their 9th annual Volunteer Day on Tuesday, the company announced, fanning out across Eastern Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire, helping community organizations with projects ranging from preparing meals for local homeless shelters to providing safer access to the water for athletes with disabilities. Some employees spent the day volunteering at the Watertown Boys & Girls Club at Hale Reservation in Westwood where the Club holds its summer camp. Tasks included cleaning up the area, sectioning off parts of the site for different activities, putting up tents, loading supplies. The Watertown Boys & Girls Club is the largest nonprofit youth service organization in Watertown, serving 1,000 registered members between 7 and 18 years old. “The employees in our organization are extraordinary — they believe very strongly in our mission and demonstrate their commitment to improving the lives of our members and our community each and every day,” said Tom Croswell, Tufts Health Plan president and CEO.

Charity

UPDATED: Watertown Boys & Girls Club Golf Tourney Coming Up, Players and Sponsors Sought

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{NOTE: The date of the Watertown Boys & Girls Club Golf Tournament has changed!}

Watertown Boys & Girls Club will host their annual golf tournament on Monday, August 14, 2017 at the Oakley Country Club. The tournament honors one of the Club’s original founding members, Stephen Mugar. His children and grandchildren generously perpetuate his legacy by sponsoring this annual event. The Mugar Family will match the tournament’s net profits up to $80,000, thus making this the largest annual fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Club, accounting for nearly 30% of the Club’s yearly revenue. Foursomes and single golfer tickets can be purchased at bit.ly/WBGCGolf2017, along with sponsorships of varying levels.

Charity

Watertown Woman to Swim in Boston Harbor to Raise Money for Children’s Cancer Programs

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Wendy Gulley of Watertown will swim in the Boston Harbor alongside Olympic swimmers Heather Petri, Kristy Kowal, Carlton Bruner, Janel Jorgensen McArdle, Alex Meyer and Eric Wunderlich for the 21st annual Swim Across America Boston Harbor Swim on July 7, 2017 to support pediatric cancer programs at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at MassGeneral Hospital for Children, the hospital announced. “Every year, swimmers of all ages come together for the Swim Across America Boston Harbor Swim to make a splash in the fight against cancer,” said Kitty Tetreault, event director, Swim Across America Boston. “Participants get to spend the day doing something they love while raising critical funds for pediatric programs at Dana-Farber and MassGeneral Hospital for Children. The SAA Boston Harbor swim is a 22-mile relay style open-water swim beginning at 7 a.m. on July 7 from Rowes Wharf behind the Boston Harbor Hotel. A minimum fundraising pledge of $2,000 is required for individuals to participate.

Around Town

Watertown Woman Biking 62 Miles in the RIDE to End Alzheimer

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Ellen O’Connell, of Watertown, will bike 62 miles in the Alzheimer’s Association, Massachusetts/New Hampshire Chapter’s RIDE to End Alzheimer’s on Saturday, June 24, the Alzheimer’s Association, MA/NH Chapter announced. Starting and finishing at Odiorne State Park in Rye, NH, the RIDE provides a 2-, 30-, 62- and 100-mile route through the towns of coastal New Hampshire and the north shore of Massachusetts. O’Connell joins the RIDE to honor her father who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s over 10 years ago. The youngest of 6 children, Ellen is the captain of the team Pedaling for Parents, “I founded it with one of my dear friends whose mother also suffers from Alzheimer’s. My friend Leigh has been my support system throughout this whole ordeal.