Around Town

Watertown Resident’s Blood Donation Earned a Trip to Opening Day

By |

Donating life-saving blood recently turned into an experience of a lifetime for Watertown resident Rachel Jacobs! She was named Blood Donor of the Game and was honored with tickets the Boston Red Sox Opening Day game against the Baltimore Orioles on Monday, April 11. Rachel entered to win the chance to become Blood Donor of the Game after recently donating blood with the American Red Cross. Together with the Boston Red Sox and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, the Red Cross is proud to honor lucky presenting donors through the Blood Donor of the Game program. Fans are invited to enter to win after stepping up to the plate and volunteering to help patients in need.

Around Town

Watertown Community Foundation Looking for New Executive Director, See the Job Description

By |

After a dozen years of operation, with steadily increased grant making, fundraising and programmatic impact, the community foundation for the Commonwealth’s fastest growing town is seeking an Executive Director (ED), the WCF board announced. During a period of unprecedented population, residential and commercial growth in the community, combined with increased demographic changes, this part-
time position offers the opportunity for more than full time impact in WCF’s core areas of focus: education, health, arts and the environment. In partnership with an active and engaged 16 member board, the next ED will be the face of the foremost philanthropy in this dynamic and diverse community, and will shape its impact at a critical time. Position Description: The ED is responsible, under the Board’s direction, for the strategic growth and ongoing operations of the Foundation, in support of the WCF mission. This includes strategic planning concerning areas of WCF’s community awareness and involvement (visibility), ensuring impact through grant-making and other programs (impact), fundraising (development), and conducting core administrative functions (operations).

Charity

Fundraiser Planned for Man Facing Cancer Treatment, Rehabilitation

By |

A fundraiser will be held for Kevin Beaton, whose father-in-law works for the Watertown Department of Public Works. 

On April 26, 2015, Kevin Beaton was unexpectedly hospitalized with serious complications from cancer treatments. Having already endured numerous surgeries, additional Chemotherapy treatments, and the loss of his vision, Kevin is still hospitalized and continues to fight every day to get well. Thankfully Kevin is improving but he has a long way to go and still faces many months of additional treatments and rehabilitation. A fundraiser will be held for Kevin at the Canadian American Club, 202 Arlington St., Watertown, on April 16, 2016 from 4 p.m. to midnight. Enjoy raffles, a cash bar, refreshments and entertainment.

Charity

Watertown Groups Collecting Bikes for Program to Promote Social Change

By |

A bicycle collection for Bikes Not Bombs will take place on Saturday, April 23, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the First Parish of Watertown, 35 Church Street, Watertown, rain or shine, organizers announced. All types and sizes of bikes will be accepted, as well as bike parts, accessories, tools, and cycling clothing. A voluntary donation of $5 per bike will help defray the cost of finding a new home for your bike. Bikes Not Bombs is a Jamaica Plain based non-profit organization that uses the bicycle as a vehicle for social change. It reclaims thousands of used bicycles each year, and creates local and global programs that provide skill development, jobs, and sustainable transportation for youth and adults, both locally and internationally.

Business

Watertown Savings Hands Out $85K in Customer Choice Awards

By |

On Tuesday, April 5, Watertown Savings Bank (WSB) distributed $85,000 to the 26 local community organizations chosen by their banking customers, in the bank’s 20th annual Customer Choice Awards. The ceremony was held at the Arsenal Center for the Arts in Watertown. More than 200 bank employees and board members; representatives of the winning organizations; and town officials from Watertown, Waltham, and Belmont were in attendance. This year’s total brings the grand total of funds distributed via this program to one million dollars. The list of winners is below.

Charity

Watertown Runner Joins Celtics Foundation Marathon Team

By |

Watertown’s Yasi Abdolmohammadi will be running the 2016 Boston Marathon on behalf of the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation, and will raise more than $5,000. 

This is the third year in a row the Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation (BCSF) has put together a team to run in the Boston Marathon. Abdolmohammadi, Kim Horton of Stoneham, Alexandra Zedros of Melrose, Caitlin Leary of Tewksbury, and Julie Mauro of Medford, have pledged to raise at least $5,000 each on behalf of the BCSF, which aims to extend the reach of the Celtics championship legacy into the community through programs that directly benefit children in need. As a team, BCSF has raised $126,000 this year to date. For more information on this group of runners or the 2016 BCSF Marathon Team, please visit celtics.com/marathon.

Around Town

Michael Schade Stepping Down from Community Foundation, New Directer Sought

By |

In the six years that the Watertown Community Foundation has been lead by Michael Schade, the non-profit has more than doubled the amount of grant money awarded and expanded the areas in which the money impacts. This week Schade announced he will be stepping down as executive director in June. “It has been an honor and privilege to partner with WCF’s dedicated volunteer Board of Directors on many endeavors to enhance the quality of life in Watertown,” Schade said. “Now, I am looking for the right opportunity to bring my management skills and creative experience to another organization or business in order to improve their results.”

Before becoming Executive Director, Schade spent 25 years designing and managing computer-based training programs and related projects for companies such as Xerox, General Motors, IBM, State Farm Insurance and Otis Elevator-Europe. He was also a public school teacher in Hawaii and Massachusetts.

Charity

Watertown Woman Joins Mount Auburn Hospital’s First Ever Marathon Team

By |

This April, Mount Auburn Hospital’s first-ever Boston Marathon team will be completing the world-famous race in support of the Hoffman Breast Center, including a woman from Watertown, the hospital announced. Thanks to a generous donation of three invitational entries from Chris Connolly, General Manager of Herb Connolly Acura of Framingham, the following Mount Auburn employees have been given the chance to fulfill personal dreams and raise money for the hospital:

Kathleen Forde, Director of Health Information Management who lives in Watertown, will be trading in her long-time spectator status in order to complete her first Boston Marathon. Kathleen will be running to support her coworkers “who live the mission of Mount Auburn.”
Melissa Brangwynne is a nurse at Mount Auburn who made it a personal goal to complete the marathon before her upcoming 30th birthday. In addition to supporting the hospital, Melissa will be running to honor a late friend and soccer teammate who survived the 2013 marathon bombing but unexpectedly passed away earlier this year. Phoebe Matthews is a nurse in Mount Auburn’s operating rooms who, despite the cold, has been training by running to and from work every day.