Watertown News (https://www.watertownmanews.com/category/more/page/2/)
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.”
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.
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.
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/
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.
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.
This week’s Watertown home sales include two townhouses, a pair of condos, a two-family, and and a single family. 549-551 Main St., 4 bedroom 2 bathroom 1,806 sq. ft. 2 Family, Sold: $1,000,000
35 Wilmot St., 2 bedroom 2 bathroom 1,290 sq. ft.
Sen. Steven Tolman at the Commander’s Mansion (Photo courtesy of Joyce Kelly)
The following piece is part of a series on local history provided by the Historical Society of Watertown. The speech was written by Paul Brennan, former President and former Vice President of the Historical Society. He wrote it for a reception held to honor Senator Steve Tolman. It was published in the April 2005 Historical Society newsletter, “The Town Crier.” When Paul was President, he lived in the Fowle House for 5 years starting in 1988 and in December 2000 was named the “Town Historian” by the Town Council. On February 15, 2005 the Historical Society of Watertown publicly acknowledged and thanked State Senator Steve Tolman for his successful efforts in obtaining funding for the restoration and preservation of the historic Edmund Fowle House.