Charity

Ed Walsh Foundation Hosting Fundraiser to Put More Books in Schools

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The Ed Wash Foundation, in memory of the fallen Boston firefighter and Watertown native, will host a Spring Fundraiser on March 24 featuring music, food and raffles. 

The event will be held on March 24, 2017 from 7 p.m.-midnight at the American Legion Post 440, 295 California St., Newton. Tickets cost $20 in advance or $25 at door Purchase tickets at bit.ly/March32417

Entertainment for the evening will be provided by Boston rock band Fenian Sons. Proceeds from the event will be used for the Smile-On Grant program that provides grant money to teachers, coaches, parents and specialists who help children in school and sports, according to the organizers. “Please help us by bringing a book for our book drive. Imagine a school without a library, or a home with no books to read when you get home from school.

Charity

Watertown-Belmont Chamber Hosting $10,000 Raffle

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Now is your chance to get your tickets for the Watertown-Belmont Chamber of Commerce’s $10,000 Raffle. The raffle takes place Friday, March 24, 2017, from 7-10 p.m. at Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. (VHB), 101 Walnut Street, Watertown, MA

The Grand Prize is $10,000. The evening will include a 50/50 split the pot and additional raffles. The evening features catered light faire, music, beer and wine. Only 300 tickets at $100 each will be sold.

Charity

Watertown Community, Education Foundations Announce Joint Grant Awards

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The Watertown Community Foundation (WCF) and the Watertown Education Foundation (WEF) are pleased to announce their first joint grant awards for education. A record number of 42 applicants submitted proposals for this grant cycle, designed to benefit educational programs in Watertown’s public schools. “We received 42 interesting and wide-ranging grant applications, making the review committee’s job very difficult. We are pleased to be able to fund 23 outstanding projects, for a total of $35,012,” said Thea Sahr, Grant Committee Chair for the Watertown Community Foundation. “It was a pleasure to be able to share our grant making with the Watertown Education Foundation, and we look forward to continuing to work closely with them in the future.”

Elaina Griffith, Co-President of the Watertown Education Foundation, said the collaboration will make it easier for educators to get funds for their projects and programs.

“The idea behind this partnership came about after the realization our educators were having to go to a number of different non-profits to fulfill their grant needs.    Streamlining the grant request process theoretically making it a one-stop shop made sense,” Griffth said. “The $25,000 in grant monies given by the Ed Foundation are a direct result of our Dancing With the Stars fundraising event last year.

Business

Watertown Savings Announces Winners of Customer Choice Awards

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On Tuesday, March 28, Watertown Savings Bank (WSB) will distribute $75,000 to the 30 local community organizations chosen by its banking customers, in the bank’s 21st annual Customer Choice Awards, bank officials announced. “Our Customer Choice Awards program is one of which we are particularly proud,” said CEO Ronald Dean. “The list of winners reflects the important work being done by non-profits and volunteer organizations throughout the communities we serve.”

Dollars awarded are based on the number of votes each organization received. All organizations that received one percent of the total number of votes are being awarded funds. The bank divided $75,000 by the percentage of votes received, with $3,500 as the maximum amount and $5,000 awarded to the organization with the most votes. Congratulations to all the winners, and thank you for all that you do in our communities!

Charity

New Rotary Club Program Provides Meals for Watertown Kids on Weekends

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A new program sponsored by the Rotary Club, called Food for Thought, is providing some Watertown students who might go hungry over the weekend with two breakfasts, two lunches and two snacks each week.  

During the week, these students can get free or discounted meals at school. About 30 percent of the students in Watertown are in the Free and Reduced Lunch program, said Watertown resident Lilia Weisfeldt, who came up with the idea for the program. “Over the weekend the kids don’t have access to the program and a lot of kids go without any food,” Weisfeldt said. “We give them a bag of food over the weekend so they can go back to school Monday not hungry and ready to learn.”

Charity

Watertown Boys & Girls Club Wins $5K in Honda Village Holiday Contest

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Watertown Boys & Girls Club is excited to share that they are the proud winners of Honda Village’s Season of Giving Charity Contest! This social media-run contest featured ten local charities competing for the grand prize of $5,000. Voting took place throughout the month of December and the organization with the most votes by December 31 was named the winner. Watertown Boys & Girls Club posted diligently to Facebook, sent out mass email blasts, and posted signs around the Club encouraging their supporters to vote! The work paid off when on January 4, it was announced on Facebook that they were the first place winner and the recipient of $5,000.

Charity

Watertown Mall and RMV Fill an MBTA Bus with Gifts for Needy Children

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The Watertown Mall and the Registry of Motor Vehicles at the mall partnered to Fill an MBTA Bus with gifts. This is the 14th year of the Fill-a-Bus toy drive that helps needy children and teens during the holiday time. The Watertown Mall and the RMV collected more than 100 unwrapped gifts in a little less than a week. All gifts are donated to the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty of Children and the Commonwealth Tenants Association. Watertown Mall is wheelchair accessible and accessible by MBTA bus routes 70 and 70A.

Police/Fire

Police Collecting Winter Clothing for Children During MLK Day of Service Drive

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The Watertown Police Department will collect children’s clothing as part of the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. Donations of like-new children’s items will be accepted at the Watertown Police Station, 552 Main St., Watertown, from rom Jan. 9 to 16. The items will be given to Cradles to Crayons, which will give them to children ages 0-12 who are living in homeless or low-income situations to use at school. They seek winter coats (girls and boys size infant to 18/20 or adult medium), winter boots (boys and girls size infant, child 0-13 and adult 1-10) and other winter clothing (newborn, child size 18/20 or adult medium).