Volume 5 | January 2019
Notes on Connection From Around Westborough
Happy New Year! Welcome to the January 2019 Westborough Connects newsletter. The goal of this periodic communication is to shine a spotlight on the positive things going on in our community, including upcoming/recent events from Westborough Connects and other Westborough community organizations, interesting interviews with local people, examples of "connection" across our community, and noteworthy resources in Westborough and beyond. We welcome your input and would love to highlight the things that matter to you , so please send ideas/comments to WestboroughConnects@gmail.com.
Join in the first annual Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration in Westborough.
This event is open to all ages & will include family-friendly, hands-on activities.

  • Come hear "Free Hugs Guy" Ken E. Nwadike Jr. deliver the keynote address.
  • Listen to middle and high school students read excerpts from their winning essays.
  • Enjoy music and song led by Westborough Resident Luanne Crosby.
  • Take part in a community art project. Once completed, the project will travel around Westborough throughout 2019.
  • Participate in facilitated community conversation circles and reading activities.

Attendees are asked to bring a toiletry item for donation. Toiletry drive will benefit the Westborough Food Pantry. For more information on this event, click HERE to view the press release or visit westboroughconnects.org/programs.
Westborough Cultural Council and Mass Cultural Council award grant for Gabriel Bol Deng presentation
Westborough Connects is thrilled to announce that the Gabriel Bol Deng community presentation on October 25, 2018 was supported in part by a grant from the Westborough Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.

The event was held at Mill Pond School, with over 130 people in attendance. We greatly appreciate the support of both of these organizations.

Westborough Interfaith Thanksgiving Service directs offering to Westborough Connects


This year's Westborough Interfaith Thanksgiving Service was a beautiful gathering of clergy and worshipers who came together for a service focused on the theme of "Loving Kindness."

Westborough Connects was honored to be the recipient of the evening's offering. The funds will be used towards costs associated with a Westborough Connects Kindness Week in the spring.
Updates from Westborough Connects
Westborough Connects will hold two upcoming committee meetings:
  • Steering Committee: The Steering Committee will meet on January 28th from 6:30-8:30pm (location TBD). The focus of the meeting will be to discuss the requirements and considerations for registering as a charity with the state of MA as well as applying for 501(c)(3) status for Westborough Connects. If you are interested in attending this meeting, please email Steering Committee chair Maureen Ambrosino (maureenconnects@gmail.com).
  • Community Engagement: The Community Engagement Committee is looking to schedule a meeting this month to discuss plans for moving forward in developing relationships with community partners, increasing community awareness of the WC mission, and increasing our visibility throughout Westborough. There are many ways to get involved! We are eager for your ideas and participation! If you have questions about the committee or are interested in attending the meeting, please feel free to reach out to co-chairs Kristin French (knellfrench@yahoo.com) or Kathy Ferrecchia (kferrecchia@gmail.com).  

In addition to planning for the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration, the Programming Committee met in late November to brainstorm and plan around two other exciting events:
  • Westborough Connects Kindness Week - a celebration of kindness in our community (April 7-12, 2019).
  • "Westborough Unplugs" - In partnership with Westborough Recreation, this week will focus on re-connecting by disconnecting during National Screen-free Week (April 29-May 5, 2019).

We are forming planning sub-committees for each of these and we need help to make these awesome programs happen! If interested, please sign-up for one or more of them  here .  We will also be looking to partner with additional organizations who want to be involved in each of these events!

Both the Diversity & Inclusion and Programming Committees will also schedule meetings for February. Stay tuned for more information on meeting date options.

Volunteers Wanted: Secretary and Treasurer
Westborough Connects is seeking volunteers for the positions of Secretary and Treasurer. If interested, please email Maureen Ambrosino at maureenconnects@gmail.com.

Language translation help wanted
In our continuing effort to be as inclusive as possible, Westborough Connects is looking for volunteers to help translate written materials, including newsletters and other communication, on an ongoing, occasional basis. If you are multi-lingual and interested in helping, please email westboroughconnects@gmail.com.
We are still forming and welcome new members!! Interested in Westborough Connects, but you haven't signed up or aren't sure how you want to be involved? Here are some options:
  • Subscribe to our mailing list to receive our newsletters, invitations and information.
  • Attend one of the upcoming committee meetings.
  • Join one of our committees. Click here for a description of our current committees and here to sign up for one of them.
  • Contact our Steering Committee Chair, Maureen Amborsino (maureenconnects@gmail.com) or Programming Committee Co-Chair, Kelley Petralia (kelley_click@hotmail.com) with questions.
Community Events Highlights
SAVE THE DATE: March 21st- Westborough Lions Club offering free speaker presentation: Living Well with Diabetes .

 Kendra Magyar, MSN PNP CDE, Health Services Director for the Barton Center for Diabetes Education, Inc. will lead a one hour talk plus Q&A focusing on living well with the disease. This event will take place on Tuesday, March 21st at 7pm at the Mill Pond School. It is free and open to the public. Anyone with pre-diabetes, Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes (children and adults) and family members/friends are encouraged to attend.
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CONNECTion Spotlight
Check out these recent examples of connection from some great organizations in town.

  • Westborough TV recently produced a 2018 scrapbook featuring video highlights from the over 350 shows produced by Westborough TV during the past year. Take a look HERE. Westborough TV is an ever-present and important resource, connecting us all to the many cultural, political and educational events happening around town. To stay up-to-date on their programs, subscribe to their newsletter.

  • The Westborough Community Land Trust sends out a period "Try-a-trail" newsletter highlighting walking and exploring trails right here in Westborough. Click HERE to see their most recent one - the trail from Mill Pond School to Osprey Point in winter. WCLT will also host a "Who Made Those Tracks" walk on January 27th, led by Tracking expert Paul Wanta. Visit the website for more details.

  • Every holiday season, Westborough Youth & Family Services opens its free Holiday Shoppe. The Shoppe helps families in need by providing holiday gifts for kids and it's made possible by the hard work of Youth & Family Services and by the generosity of the Westborough community who donate hundreds of toys and clothing items. Whether giving or receiving this year, this wonderful community offering and connection made an impact on so many of us. Thank you to Westborough Youth & Family Services, especially Julia O'Neil Welch, and to all who were a part of it.
Noteworthy Articles & Resources
  • Many people around town are still talking about the amazing evening of November 9, 2018 when our community came together to show support for each other at the Circle of Friendship held at Congregation B'nai Shalom. Click HERE to read Rabbi Rachel Gurevitz's reflections on the evening.
  • Westborough was one of two local communities to recently earn designation as a "green community." Sustainable Westborough has been working hard on this and their efforts have paid off! For more information on this exciting news and what it means for Westborough, read this Patch article.
  • Want to stay up on news from the Westborough Senior Center? They publish a monthly newsletter that is full of so many events and offerings for our older adult community members. HERE is a link to this month's newsletter. Want to be added to the distribution list for this, call the Senior Center at 508-366-3000.
  • Click HERE to read an inspiring article on transformational power of being kind to others.
Small acts, when multiplied by millions of people, can transform the world.
- Howard Zinn
About Westborough Connects