Charity

Volunteers Sought for the Fifth Annual Watertown Helps Out Day

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Watertown Helps Out! The fifth annual Community Day of Service kicks off Saturday, May 5, 8:30 a.m. at the Hosmer School Cafeteria. Watertown Community Foundation provided the following announcement:

How do you give back to the community? Where are organizations that need your help? Are there opportunities for your family to serve? In 2014, the Watertown Community Foundation created a town wide day of service, Watertown Helps Out, to fill this need. This year, the fifth annual Watertown Helps Out day of community service runs Saturday, May 5. Starting at 8:30 a.m., join special guest volunteers State Sen. Will Brownsberger and State Rep. Jonathan Hecht as they help us kick off our Fifth Anniversary with light refreshments at the Hosmer School Cafeteria. It’s free, open to all, and there are family-friendly projects for volunteers of all ages.

Charity

Watertown Resident Honored For Helping Disadvantaged Youth Get College Degrees

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On March 29, leaders from all sectors of Boston’s philanthropic community gathered at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel for Summer Search Boston’s annual Leadership Dinner, the group announced in a press release. Among those honored for fostering Summer Search’s mission of helping economically disadvantaged youth complete high school and attain a college degree was Dawn Frazier-Bohnert of Watertown, senior vice president and chief diversity and inclusion officer at Liberty Mutual Insurance. Frazier-Bohnert has led Liberty Mutual’s diversity and inclusion strategy and programs since joining the company in 2013. Before coming to Liberty Mutual, she was chief administrative officer and partner at Global Novations; vice president, global diversity and inclusion with The Gillette Company; and held HR leadership positions at Lotus/IBM, Fidelity Investments, and Millennium Pharmaceuticals. A graduate of Boston University who also attended Mount Holyoke College, Frazier-Bohnert served on the board of the Black Achievers Branch of the YMCA of Greater Boston and was a Big Sister volunteer for over ten years.

Charity

Watertown Community Foundation Accepting Applications for Two Grant Programs

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The Watertown Community Foundation (WCF) announced two Spring 2018 grant programs to support local nonprofits, programs and projects. Approximately $55,000 will be distributed. One: WCF’s Program Grants will award grants designed to help organizations that serve Watertown develop new or continue existing programs with an educational focus (broadly defined). These are programs that operate outside of the Watertown’s public schools. Two: WCF’s Institutional Grants are designed to help institutions central to the Watertown community by providing funds to maintain critical programming and retain paid staff.

Charity

Watertown Company Hosts Fundraiser for Wounded Member of a Navy Explosives Disposal Unit

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A fundraiser for a member of a Navy explosives disposal unit who suffered injuries in Syria when a boobytrap exploded. The event featured two IRONMAN champions and was hosted by Watertown-based NormaTec. The March 24 event raised $6,500 for the Navy Special Operations Foundation (NSOF) and for Explosive Ordnance Disposal Chief Kenton Stacy and his family, according to Suzanna Fisher, Director of Program Development for NSOF. Ohio-native Stacy is a member of an elite Navy Explosive Ordinance Disposal unit assigned to assist Special Forces. He is fighting to recover from serious injuries sustained in Raqqa, Syria in November 2017.

Charity

Night of Comedy Raising Money for Right Turn Addiction Treatment Center

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An upcoming Night of Comedy will raise money for Right Turn, a Watertown-based addiction treatment center that uses the arts and creative expression in its therapy. 

The event features 10 comics and will be held on Saturday, March 24, 2018 at 8 p.m. at Right Turn, 440 Arsenal St., Watertown. The suggested donation is $10. The recipients of the proceeds from the Comics for Recovery, “A Night of Comedy,” will help Right Turn with its mission to be a “Creative Place for Recovery,” organizers said. Some of the performers are:

The show organizer, Jack Lynch, who has toured nationally and played the major venues, such as The Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut, The Borgata Casino in Atlantic City, The Improv in Miami Beach, The Punchline in Atlanta, Georgia, the Comedy Works in Montreal, Canada, as well as many colleges up and down the East Coast. In these shows, Jack draws from his own 34 years in recovery.

Charity

Upstage Lung Cancer Fundraiser Features the Music of George Gershwin, Cole Porter

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Upstage Lung Cancer (ULC), in its fifth year partnering with the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation, presents I Got Rhythm: In Love with Gershwin and Cole Porter, on Thursday, April 5, 7:30 pm at the Mosesian Center for the Arts, 321 Arsenal Street, Watertown. All concert proceeds will benefit the Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute’s (ALCMI) Genomics of Young Lung Cancer study and research for improved early detection of lung cancer. International jazz and cabaret recording artists The Follen Angels take center stage for a spectacular evening of entertainment in I Got Rhythm, featuring the beloved songs by two of the 20th century’s most treasured composers – George Gershwin and Cole Porter. Hosted by WBZ’s celebrity radio personality Jordan Rich, this inspirational night of live music strikes a chord to raise awareness of the changing face of lung cancer. The evening features special guest ensemble The Unisons, an all-male contemporary a cappella group from Northeastern University, known for performing up-tempo contemporary tunes in venues on campus all the way to Boston’s Symphony Hall.

Business

Watertown Insurance Agency Collecting Items for Watertown Food Pantry

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H&K Insurance in Watertown announced it is collecting donations for the Watertown Food Pantry. H&K recently set up their collection display and are asking for non-perishable items or monetary donations.  According to Kathleen Cunningham, Coordinator for the Watertown Food Pantry, the items most in need are peanut butter, cold cereal, cooking oil, tuna fish, tomato sauce, cannellini beans and strawberry preserves. “We’re really excited about raising awareness and support for the Watertown Food Pantry.  They’re a great organization and we’re honored to support them,” said Brian Kilcoyne, President of H&K Insurance. H&K Insurance, who has been serving Watertown and the surrounding area since 1961, also participates in Faire in the Square in September and a yearly Toys for Tots drive in partnership with ServiceMaster by Gilmore in December. Donations can be brought to H&K’s office at 182 Main Street from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday thru Friday, with the exception of 4 o’clock closure on Friday.

Around Town

More than 40 Join the Watertown Rotary Club for its First Service Saturday

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The Watertown Rotary held their first Service Saturday, this past Saturday, February 24. Over 40 were in attendance, according to a write up from Watertown Rotary. The day started out at The Watertown Boys and Girls Club where projects sites were described. The five service sites included Wayside Youth Center, The Residence at Watertown Square, Watertown Health Center, The Carroll
Center for the Blind and The Harvard Square Homeless Shelter. Volunteers then divided into teams and went off to their sites where they cleaned, organized, made health packets, painted and spent time with elderly patients.