Around Town

Gore Place Appoints New Executive Director, Succeeds Longtime Head

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Photo by Gore PlaceThe mansion at Gore Place, can be seen during the annual Sheepshearing Festival. The following announcement was provided by Gore Place:

Gore Place, the historic house museum and farm in Waltham and Watertown announced on Nov. 20 the selection of Gavin Kleespies as its next Executive Director, effective January 2, 2024. Most recently, Mr. Kleespies served as the Director of Programs at the Massachusetts Historical Society (MHS) in Boston, Massachusetts. In this role, he specialized in public history programs and won two Leadership in History awards from the American Association of State and Local History.

Around Town

See How Small Saves Deals with Injuries in This Week’s Comic

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James DeMarco grew up in Watertown and became a goaltender at age 5. It’s his life’s passion to stand between the pipes and keep the puck out of the net. Combining this with the love of cartooning Small Saves emerged in 1991 and took on a life of his own. “To play goal – then come home and draw Small Saves — is my ideal definition of a good day.”

Around Town

More Than 1,100 Take Part in 2023 Donohue’s Turkey Trot – See Photos!

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A runner wearing a turkey balloon runs down Nichols Avenue in the Donohue’s Turkey Trot 2023. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

People donning turkey hats, turkey balloons, even turkey costumes took to the streets of Watertown early on Thanksgiving day for the 2023 Donohue’s Turkey Trot. The runners sprint off the line at the start of the 2023 Donohue’s Turkey Trot. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

More than 1,100 people took part in the 18th annual 5K run and walk. Money raised by the event is donated to the Watertown Boy & Girls Club.

Around Town

Watertown Church Co-Sponsoring Virtual Interfaith Reparation Gathering

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Church of the Good Shepherd. The following announcement was provided by the Church of the Good Shepherd:

On Sunday, Dec. 3, 2-4 PM, The Reparations Interfaith Coalition will host Call to Repair: Justice, Healing and Reparations in Massachusetts. This virtual Interfaith Reparations Gathering will bring together organizations, communities and congregations across Massachusetts to discuss how the reparations movement is progressing locally and how we can move it forward. At this event national and local Black leaders in the reparations movement will explain why reparations are not a transaction but rather a spiritual and ethical practice.

Around Town

Recreation Director Made Honorary Captain for Thanksgiving Game

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Watertown Recreation Director Peter Centola was the honorary captain for the 2023 Thanksgiving Game at Victory Field. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Before the game, Watertown Recreation Director Peter Centola went out with the captains for the coin flip as honorary captain. He was honored for the work he has done to provide sports and recreation opportunities for the children of Watertown. https://www.watertownmanews.com/2023/11/23/belmont-rolls-over-raiders-in-101st-annual-thanksgiving-game/

Around Town

Housing Tops Charles River Chamber’s List of 5 Key Issues Facing Business in the Region

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During the Charles River Regional Chamber’s annual Fall Business Breakfast, the Chamber laid out the areas of focus for the next five years, and housing came to the forefront. During the event, held at the Boston Marriott Newton, John Rufo, Chair of the Chamber’s Board of Directors, said that much has changed since the organization last put together a strategic plan in 2019. The latest plan has five areas of focus: transportation; childcare for the workforce; climate change; diversity, equity and inclusion; and housing. Creating more housing in the area is key, Rufo said. “I think about people who don’t have security in housing, and don’t have safety in housing,” Rufo said.

Around Town

Watertown Group Gets Grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Mass. Foundation

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The following information was provided by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation:

The Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation, a nonprofit grantmaking and research organization, today announced the launch of a new grant program, Supporting Health Coverage Enrollment Efforts, that will support organizations statewide that help eligible people secure and maintain MassHealth (Medicaid) or other insurance coverage. The Foundation awarded a total of $600,000 to 10 community-based organizations located across the state, including a Watertown-based organization. The two-year grant program arrives at a time when the health coverage enrollment environment has been strained by the unwinding of the pandemic-era continuous coverage requirement and subsequent MassHealth redetermination process.  The funding will primarily help expand Certified Application Counselor, or CAC, capacity in the Commonwealth.  CACs are trained individuals who help consumers as they look for health coverage options, including completing their eligibility and enrollment forms.

“We created this program to provide substantial and timely resources to the enrollment assistance system, enabling organizations with strong ties to their communities to strengthen their capacity to serve as a source of reliable support for health insurance enrollment,” said Audrey Shelto, President and CEO of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Foundation. The grant program prioritizes community-based organizations that primarily serve people who have been socially, economically, culturally or racially marginalized and areas of the state that are in need of stronger enrollment support.  The following organizations each received $60,000 in an initial year of funding:

Agencia ALPHA, an immigrant-led, grassroots organization in Boston, which plans to add CACs to its team and expand its member outreach around MassHealth redeterminations and enrollment in health coverage. Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association of Greater Lowell, a nonprofit serving the Cambodian and other minority communities in the Lowell region, which will expand its existing CAC capacity and provide enrollment assistance services in additional languages.