Charity

Watertown Groups Collecting Bikes for Program to Promote Social Change

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A bicycle collection for Bikes Not Bombs will take place on Saturday, April 23, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the First Parish of Watertown, 35 Church Street, Watertown, rain or shine, organizers announced. All types and sizes of bikes will be accepted, as well as bike parts, accessories, tools, and cycling clothing. A voluntary donation of $5 per bike will help defray the cost of finding a new home for your bike. Bikes Not Bombs is a Jamaica Plain based non-profit organization that uses the bicycle as a vehicle for social change. It reclaims thousands of used bicycles each year, and creates local and global programs that provide skill development, jobs, and sustainable transportation for youth and adults, both locally and internationally.

Business

Watertown Savings Hands Out $85K in Customer Choice Awards

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On Tuesday, April 5, Watertown Savings Bank (WSB) distributed $85,000 to the 26 local community organizations chosen by their banking customers, in the bank’s 20th annual Customer Choice Awards. The ceremony was held at the Arsenal Center for the Arts in Watertown. More than 200 bank employees and board members; representatives of the winning organizations; and town officials from Watertown, Waltham, and Belmont were in attendance. This year’s total brings the grand total of funds distributed via this program to one million dollars. The list of winners is below.

Charity

Watertown Runner Joins Celtics Foundation Marathon Team

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Watertown’s Yasi Abdolmohammadi will be running the 2016 Boston Marathon on behalf of the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation, and will raise more than $5,000. 

This is the third year in a row the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation (BCSF) has put together a team to run in the Boston Marathon. Abdolmohammadi, Kim Horton of Stoneham, Alexandra Zedros of Melrose, Caitlin Leary of Tewksbury, and Julie Mauro of Medford, have pledged to raise at least $5,000 each on behalf of the BCSF, which aims to extend the reach of the Celtics championship legacy into the community through programs that directly benefit children in need. As a team, BCSF has raised $126,000 this year to date. For more information on this group of runners or the 2016 BCSF Marathon Team, please visit celtics.com/marathon.

Around Town

Michael Schade Stepping Down from Community Foundation, New Directer Sought

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In the six years that the Watertown Community Foundation has been lead by Michael Schade, the non-profit has more than doubled the amount of grant money awarded and expanded the areas in which the money impacts. This week Schade announced he will be stepping down as executive director in June. “It has been an honor and privilege to partner with WCF’s dedicated volunteer Board of Directors on many endeavors to enhance the quality of life in Watertown,” Schade said. “Now, I am looking for the right opportunity to bring my management skills and creative experience to another organization or business in order to improve their results.”

Before becoming Executive Director, Schade spent 25 years designing and managing computer-based training programs and related projects for companies such as Xerox, General Motors, IBM, State Farm Insurance and Otis Elevator-Europe. He was also a public school teacher in Hawaii and Massachusetts.

Charity

Watertown Woman Joins Mount Auburn Hospital’s First Ever Marathon Team

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This April, Mount Auburn Hospital’s first-ever Boston Marathon team will be completing the world-famous race in support of the Hoffman Breast Center, including a woman from Watertown, the hospital announced. Thanks to a generous donation of three invitational entries from Chris Connolly, General Manager of Herb Connolly Acura of Framingham, the following Mount Auburn employees have been given the chance to fulfill personal dreams and raise money for the hospital:

Kathleen Forde, Director of Health Information Management who lives in Watertown, will be trading in her long-time spectator status in order to complete her first Boston Marathon. Kathleen will be running to support her coworkers “who live the mission of Mount Auburn.”
Melissa Brangwynne is a nurse at Mount Auburn who made it a personal goal to complete the marathon before her upcoming 30th birthday. In addition to supporting the hospital, Melissa will be running to honor a late friend and soccer teammate who survived the 2013 marathon bombing but unexpectedly passed away earlier this year. Phoebe Matthews is a nurse in Mount Auburn’s operating rooms who, despite the cold, has been training by running to and from work every day.

Around Town

Watertown Boys & Girls Club Seeks Donations, Sponsors for Annual Auction

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The Watertown Boys & Girls Club will host its annual auction to raise money for its programs that serve Watertown’s youth. Organizers are selling tickets, and also are seeking donations and sponsors. The Boys and Girls Club sent out the following information:

For more than 40 years, the Watertown Boys & Girls Club has provided the youth of our community with safe and fun afterschool and summer programming. As we strive to widen and deepen our impact in the community, your support is critical to our success. The Annual Spring Auction, to be held on Thursday, May 5, 2016 at the Oakley Country Club, helps raise crucial funds to support our mission, “to inspire and enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to realize their full potential as productive, responsible and caring citizens.”

There are a number of ways to support our work through this event.

Charity

Mount Auburn Hospital Hosts Best Selling Authors to Benefit Breast Center

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Mount Auburn Hospital presents Pink Pages, an evening featuring renowned author Alice Hoffman to benefit the hospital’s Hoffman Breast Center on Monday, May 16, 2016 beginning at 6 p.m. at the American Repertory Theater in Cambridge. The event will feature readings and anecdotes from popular best-selling authors Jodi Picoult, Anita Diamant, Lisa Genova, Lily King, Ann Leary, and Elizabeth Strout.Emmy Award-winning arts and entertainment critic, advocate, motivational speaker, and cancer crusader Joyce Kulhawik will serve as the evening’s emcee. A bit about the evening’s participants:

Alice Hoffman has been called “America’s literary heir to the Brothers Grimm” and her luminous and remarkable “fables of the everyday” have enchanted readers since the publication of her first novel, Property Of, in 1977. Her novel, Dovekeepers, spent weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and was named one of the top books of 2011 by countless news and literary publications. It has been called “…a major contribution to twenty-first century literature” and in 2015 was adapted as a television miniseries. She has written 39 books including Practical Magic and Aquamarine, both of which were made into major motion pictures, as well as, Oprah Book Club selection Here on Earth.

Charity

High Ranking State Official to Speak at Forum to End Homelessness

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The Tri Community Coalition to End Homelessness will feature Chrystal Kornegay, Undersecretary, Department of Housing & Community Development, at their event, “Housing the Homeless: From Crisis to Shelter to Home.” The Tri Community Coalition sent out the following information:

With over 20 years’ experience in community development, Chrystal became the Baker Polito Administration’s Undersecretary for Housing and Community Development in January 2015. In her role as Undersecretary, Chrystal leads State government in promoting safe, decent affordable housing opportunities, economic vitality of communities and sound municipal management. Chrystal is a keystone in Massachusetts’ efforts to prevent homelessness, shelter those for whom homelessness is unavoidable, and rapidly re-house the homeless in stable, permanent housing. The Forum also includes:

Panelists from agencies and coalitions in Belmont, Watertown and Waltham that focus on homelessness and affordable housing
Testimonials from the formerly homeless
State legislators from all three communities
Exhibits and representatives from homelessness prevention and service programs and housing organizations

The event will be held on Sunday, April 24, from 1:30-3:30 p.m. at St.