Charity

Watertown Hair Salon Raising Money to Help the Homeless

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Hair Cuttery will host Share-A-Haircut for the homeless Feb. 1-2. Every time anyone receives a haircut at any of the Hair Cuttery salons in New England, including the salon in Watertown, a free haircut certificate will be donated to a homeless person in the community. By partnering with local shelters and community organizations, Hair Cuttery will work to distribute certificates. Since 1999, the Share-A-Haircut program has donated more than 1.26 million free haircut certificates valued at nearly $25.2 million.

Charity

LETTER: Wayside Thanks Sacred Heart Parish for Its Generosity

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Dear Editor,

On behalf of Wayside Multi-Service Center’s Social Services Resource Specialist program for the Town of Watertown, I am writing to express how moved we were by the generosity of the Parish of the Sacred Heart this Christmas season. As the Social Services Resource Specialist for the Town of Watertown, I work with many families in the community that need extra support and resources, and for these families, as for many of us, this time of year can be very difficult. The generosity of gift donations the Parishioners contributed helped over 30 families have a very special holiday! I often think of the quote from Mahatma Gandhi that says, “The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.” Rev. Curran and the Parish of the Sacred Heart have shown compassion, friendship and the best form of community through their generous donations. On behalf of all the families, and the staff of Wayside Multi-Service Center, we thank the Parish of The Sacred Heart so much again and we wish you all a wonderful 2016!  

Sincerely,
Danielle DeMoss, LICSW
Watertown Social Services Resource Specialist
Wayside Youth & Family Support Network /Multi-Service Center
127 North Beacon Street, Watertown, MA.

Around Town

Grant Creates Programs for Residents 55+ on Mental Health First Aid, Financial Literacy

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The Marshall Home Fund (MHF) is pleased to announce financial support for two new training programs to benefit Watertown residents ages 55 and over. The trainings to be provided by Wayside Youth & Family Support Multi Service Center this spring will offer older adult residents important skills and information related to 1) “Mental Health First Aid” and 2) financial literacy for retirees and those interested in retirement planning. “We are glad to see a grant like this especially as we look to issues that are arising in our community. The two most prevalent are elder money management and how to assess mental health concerns in a loved one,” stated Seda Aghamianz, Chair of MHF’s Allocations Committee, which awarded this off-cycle grant to Wayside at the end of 2015. National training program teaches about crisis management, resilience, and recovery Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is a national training certification program where members of the general public learn the signs and symptoms of mental illness, how to de-escalate crisis situations and provide comfort, and when and where to refer someone for services. It also teaches about recovery and resiliency — “the belief that individuals experiencing these challenges can and do get better, and use their strengths to stay well.”

Wayside already has MHFA certified many individuals from a variety of groups in town, and is eager to extend this opportunity to older adults who have adult children with mental health and substance use disorders, as well as those who are raising grandchildren and need information and resources to help them better manage challenges their family members may experience.

Charity

Watertown Group Sends Food, Clothing and Diapers to Syrian Refugees

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Over the past month, a Watertown group collected a wide range of items to send to refugees in Syria, and last week they took what they collected filled up an SUV to ship it off. Watertown Citizens for Peace, Justice and the Environment collected non-perishable food, diapers, sanitary products of all kinds, clothing and winter coats at First Parish Church. The items barely fit into the SUV. The items were delivered to NuDaySyria in New Hampshire, where they will be packed, shipped and delivered directly to refugees. For more information about NuDaySyria’s support operation and activities, visit www.nudaysyria.net.

Charity

Tufts Health Plan Foundation Awards More than $1.5 Million in Grants

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The Tufts Health Plan Foundation announced investments of more than $1.5 million to move communities toward achieving age-friendly policies and practices that are relevant, focus on the most vulnerable, and include older adults in the process.  The investments represent collaborative work among more than 200 organizations. “Advocating for public policy or systems change is critical to achieving social change at scale,” said Nora Moreno Cargie, president of the Tufts Health Plan Foundation and vice president, corporate citizenship for Tufts Health Plan.  “We are investing in initiatives that promote coalitions and advance strategies that bring government, community organizations, and older adults together to create a vision for the future of their communities.  And we are supporting the development of policy recommendations that will make communities more vibrant and livable for everyone.”

Fourteen organizations, including Watertown-based Home Care Aide Foundation, were funded this cycle.

Business

Watertown Savings Bank Donates $10,000 to Help Vets, Food Pantries

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Watertown Savings Bank (WSB) has donated $5,000 to five local food pantries in Arlington, Belmont, Lexington, Waltham, and Watertown; and $5,000 to the New England Center and Home for Veterans (NECHV). The bank presented the donations at their recent Club 50 Holiday Parties in Waltham, on behalf of Club 50 members, according to the announcement from the bank. “The Bank and its more than 3,500 Club 50 members, are pleased to support these important organizations that give aid to those in need, and to those who have served our country,” said Club 50 Coordinator, Connie Braceland. WSB Club 50 members were thrilled to have a surprise, celebrity guest at their holiday parties this year as well. Boston’s own Livingston Taylor made a surprise appearance at the Dec.

Business

Kids in Need Get to Shop with a Cop for Christmas Presents at Target

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Dozens of children from Watertown and Brighton got a special Christmas treat this week when they got to pick out toys and other gifts for themselves at Target with a police officer. Shop With a Cop has become a tradition at Watertown Target. This year about 40 children who may not have a gift got to have some pizza before heading out into the aisles to look for gifts. Each received a $50 gift card to spend. “We’ve been doing this for the last three or four years,” said Jonathan Kingsley, Target’s district loss prevention manager.

Charity

Watertown Insurance Agency Gets Record Haul for Toys for Tots

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Every year the H & K Insurance Agency has participated in the local Watertown, MA Toys for Tots drive, and this year was no exception, according to an announcement sent by H & K. Annually Toys for Tots distributes toys to over 469 million toys to children throughout the United States thanks to individual and community donations such as those provided by H & K Insurance. And while this year’s drive didn’t surpass last years as had been hoped, every donation helps make the holidays real for children everywhere. Like last year, CISR, CPIA, AAI Treasurer/General Manager Paul Perry and his wife, Daralyn Perry, CISR Commercial Lines Manager, have contributed heavily out of their own wallets, buying toys to stoke the fires of charity in both the office and the local community. The toys are then picked up by ServiceMaster by Gilmore, the associate company organizing the donations, who then offers the toys to the local Marines running the drive. “This year’s donations wasn’t as high as last year’s, which had help of a major contributor,” said Paul Perry of H & K. “But we’re already looking to next year and have plans in place with the office manager of the neighboring apartment complex to extend the drive to her tenants next year.