Around Town

Watertown High School Students Learning on the Job at Local Non-Profits

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The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Community Foundation:

Since 2015 the Watertown Community Foundation has made it possible for high school students in Watertown to gain valuable professional experience by funding summer internships. Nearly 70 high-schoolers have received stipends from the Watertown Community Foundation High School Internship Program since it began. This year, four students from Watertown High School will receive internship stipends from the Watertown Community Foundation to learn more about working in one of Watertown’s non-profits. Selected from a competitive field of applicants, we congratulate Evelyn Rodriguez, Kostas Jerome, Arthur Venturim, and Sherri Wu on being chosen to participate in this year’s Watertown Community Foundation High School Internship Program. These students will have internships at the City of Watertown’s Commander’s Mansion, the Watertown Free Public Library and Watertown Cable Access TV.

Around Town

Watertown Community Foundation Awards $110K in Grants to 19 Non-Profits

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The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Community Foundation:

In the largest grant cycle of the year, the Watertown Community Foundation has provided financial support to non-profits and programs across the city, so all Watertown’s residents continue to thrive in a vibrant, welcoming community. The Foundation awarded a total of $110,000 to 19 non-profit organizations and the City of Watertown. Funds will support the ongoing work of many local non-profit organizations, as well as specific programs, that prioritize work to address the needs of vulnerable residents, support public arts and culture, invest in environmental sustainability, promote youth development, and foster a sense of welcome and belonging for all who live and work in Watertown. Forty percent of this year’s funding went to support organizations working to meet the needs of some of Watertown’s most vulnerable residents. “We know residents in Watertown are struggling and continue to need support for basic needs including housing, food, mental health, emergency assistance and learning English.

Around Town

Watertown Community Foundation Reduced Barriers to Playing Youth Sports

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The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Community Foundation:

For the fourth year, the Watertown Community Foundation has provided financial support to Watertown’s youth sports leagues so any child can participate, regardless of ability to pay. With support from The Bilezikian Family Foundation, NESN, and Arsenal Yards, the Foundation awarded a total of $9,000. Grantees include Watertown’s Challenger Baseball Program, Youth Baseball and Softball Program, Youth Basketball Program, Youth Football and Cheer Program, and Youth Hockey. Summer registration is currently open for many of these programs.

For families in need, youth sports league registration fees can be an insurmountable barrier. In the 2024 season WCF’s youth sport grants will cover fees for up to 60 families with children who would like to play, enabling participation regardless of a family’s ability to pay.

Around Town

WATERTOWN WEEKEND FUN: Celebrate Bike Month, Historic House Talk, Volunteer Projects, Tamales & a Dance Performance

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This is a weekend for spring cleaning, so let’s get our hands dirty! You can bring your dusty bike out of the basement and get it ready to enjoy all the new bike lanes around or help to clean up our green spaces through Watertown Helps Out. If you’re a New England history buff, you will enjoy the Watertown Historical Society talk about restoring a 300 year-old home. Then head home and work on your own, glad that it’s only 100 years old or so. Hungry after all that work?

Around Town

A Variety of Volunteer Projects to Work on This May During Watertown Helps Out

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The following information came from the Watertown Community Foundation:

Would you like to give back to the community you love? The Watertown Community Foundation (WCF), along with local sponsors and dozens of neighbors, will be out in the community again during the Month of May 2024, volunteering to make Watertown a nicer place to live and work. 

If you would like to volunteer please take a peek at all of the opportunities available in the month of May. More volunteer opportunities are still to be added, so check back in from time to time. We’re looking forward to a fantastic community Month in Watertown! THURDAY, MAY 2

Senior Center: Garden Clean Up: 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

SATURDAY, MAY 4

Whitney Hill Clean Up: 9 a.m.-12 p.m.

Cannalonga Park Clean Up: 10 a.m.-12 p.m.

Watertown Cable Access Digital Archive Project: 12-3 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 8

Perkins School for the Blind Concert/Music Program Support: 8:45-11:40 a.m.

Saltonstall Community Path Clean-Up: 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Perkins School for the Blind Concert/Music Program Support: 5-9 p.m.

FRIDAY, MAY 10

Metrowest Collaborative Garden Clean-Up: 12-4 p.m.

SATURDAY, MAY 11

Brigham House Gardening: 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

Community Gardens Invasive Plant and/or Trash Removal: 1-3 p.m.

See the complete list of volunteer opportunities and sign up online here.

Around Town

Watertown Community Foundation to Award $130,000 for 2024 Spring Grant Cycle

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The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Community Foundation:

The Watertown Community Foundation (WCF) will open the 2024 application process for Institutional and Program grants starting April 1. These grants support local non-profits, community-based organizations, programs, and projects that serve Watertown. Approximately $130,000 in grants will be awarded. WCF’s Program Grants will support new or existing programs with an educational focus (broadly defined) that are run by local organizations that serve Watertown and are not offered through Watertown’s public or private schools. Eligible organizations may apply for grants of $500 up to $5,000. WCF’s Institutional Support Grants will support non-profit institutions central to the Watertown community by providing funds to support the organizational mission, staffing and operating costs.

Schools

Watertown Schools Received $20K in Grants from Community Foundation & Local Biotechs

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The following announcement was provided by the Watertown Community Foundation:

The Watertown Community Foundation (WCF) in collaboration with three Watertown-based life science companies, C4 Therapeutics, Enanta Pharmaceuticals, and Kymera Therapeutics has awarded $20,000 in STEM grants for students in Watertown Public Schools (WPS). This additional funding for STEM initiatives will bring WCF Education grant funding to WPS to an annual high of $55,000 for 2023-2024. Three corporate contributors, C4 Therapeutics, Enanta Pharmaceuticals, and Kymera Therapeutics have contributed $15,000 to the WCF STEM FUND to help bring elementary and high-school students the opportunity to participate in hands-on, science-based learning that expands beyond the classroom experience and the general curriculum. This collective giving program also allows companies, leaders and employees in Watertown’s life-science ecosystem to learn about WPS and forge deeper relationships with the school STEM community. The WCF has committed an additional $5,000 to support this program.

Around Town

Series on Food Insecurity in Watertown Debuts on WCA-TV

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Jan Singer, left, the former Executive Director of the Watertown Community Foundation, discussed how the Foundation responded to food insecurity during the Pandemic with journalists Maya Shwayder and Charlie Breitrose. (Photo by Dan Hogan / WCA-TV)

The following announcement was provided by Watertown Cable Access Television:

In cooperation with the Watertown News and thanks to a generous grant from the Watertown Community Foundation, Watertown Cable News is producing a series of videos chronicling issues of hunger and food insecurity in the community. In part 1 of the series, we talk to a number of different stakeholders in the community from the Food Pantry, Famers’ Market, Wayside, and Community Foundation to find out how many people are struggling and where the gaps in service lie. Accompanying this series are articles written by WCN news anchor and local journalist Maya Shwayder as well as Watertown News Editor Charlie Breitrose. Read the Articles

Part 1: Watertown’s Hidden Problem: Food Insecurity Among Us

Part 2: Hunger Hits Home: A Watertown Teenager’s Struggle to Feed Herself

Part 3: Hunger in Watertown: Task Force Tackles Social Needs, Tries to Fills Gaps Left by State, Local Programs

Part 4: Through Pandemics & Collapsed Ceilings, the Watertown Food Pantry Stays Open

Part 5: Filling the Watertown’s Free Fridge is a Community Effort

Part 6: Food Insecurity in Watertown: Hunger is a Multi-Faceted Problem — It Won’t Magically Go Away

Roundtable Discussion

On February 12th, WCN and the Watertown News produced a live roundtable discussion at the Mosesian Center for the Arts to hear from representatives from the city, Food Pantry, Watertown Housing Authority, and Wayside to dive further into these issues.