Volume 15 | December 2019
Welcome to the December 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.

If you've received this newsletter as a forward and wish to subscribe on your own, click HERE to be added to the list. It's free! To view previous editions of this newsletter, visit our website - www.westboroughconnects.org/newsletter .
Exciting news from Westborough Connects

At its November meeting, Westborough Connects Board of Directors voted to accept the recommendations of its Ad Hoc Hiring Sub-Committee for the creation of 2 part-time staff positions: Executive Director and Chief Inclusion Officer . This is an important next step for the organization.

HERE is the job description for the Executive Director position and HERE is the job description for the Chief Inclusion Officer position.

The deadline to apply is December 19th. Resume and cover letters may be submitted to Maureen Amyot Ambrosino, Board Chair, Westborough Connects at Maureenconnects@gmail.com.

We did it! Forty Plungers jumped into the (literally) freezing cold water of Lake Chauncy on December 8th to raise money for In Your Shoes Westborough and Westborough Connects. Many more were there to support us and be part of a FABULOUS community event.

We are grateful to In Your Shoes Westborough for asking us to be part of their awesome fundraiser (donations are still coming in!). We had so much fun.

Westborough TV is ALWAYS out and about for community events and you can find their 3 minute clip of the day HERE .

There are A LOT of people and organizations who made this day possible:

  • First and foremost, thank you to Earl Storey - with his help clearing the frigid frozen waters and snowy beach, the actual plunge would not have been possible.
  • Thank you to Brian Kane for operating the backhoe that actually cleared the ice from the lake that morning.
  • The DPW cleared out the snow and got the beach area ready for us - thank you.
  • Thank you to Wegmans for providing delicious and warming refreshments, including S'mores!
  • Thank you to the following businesses for generously providing gift cards for the event: DCU, Dick's Sporting Goods, Westborough House, Bistro Bakery & Cafe, Arturo's Ristorante, Red Barn Coffee Roasters and Elsie Kaye Glassworks.
  • Thank you, Martha Convers, for getting our bodies moving before the Plunge with some Zumba.
  • Neha Prasad sang a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem - thank you.
  • Thank you to Jenn Kirkland from Westborough Recreation for all your support with the event.
  • Steve Masciarelli, always on the scene, was instrumental in setting up our sound system and provided a fun, warming soundtrack for the day.
  • Thank you to Dave Kaiser for being our funny and fabulous MC at the event.
  • Thank you to Westborough Police and Westborough Fire for their support, community spirit and keeping us all safe (that day and everyday!)
  • Thank you to Karen Henderson and Westborough TV for filming and capturing the great spirit of the day.
  • Thank you to Camden Petralia for being our Orson the Polar Bear and to Amelia Petralia for being the ice cube.
  • Thank you to the National Honor Society students for their help throughout the day.
  • Thank you to ALL of the community members who volunteered at the event and helped things run SO smoothly.

Thank you to all who plunged, virtually plunged, sponsored, donated, came to be part of the excitement , or all of the above. It was a fantastic day at Lake Chauncy!
In Your Shoes Westborough
A critically important and incredible local organization
Many view Westborough as an affluent community. While that may be true for some, it is not the case for all our community members.

In Your Shoes , a 501(c)3, is a giving circle that provides support to Westborough families in need. This ranges from purchasing clothing and other basic needs, paying utility bills, assisting with tuition bills for a parent working hard to go back to school, and beyond. They are amazing, yet often "below the radar," doing their good work without fanfare or attention.

If you have time and want to get involved , they are worthy of community support and always welcome new members. All information can be found on their web site: inyourshoeswestborough.com . 
Upcoming Events Co-Hosted by Westborough Connects
Square One Speaker Presentation
January 16, 2020, 6:30-8:30pm,
Westborough High School

Speaker event : Jon Mattleman, a renowned speaker on teen mental health, substance use and other topics. Jon works with Minding Your Mind  and will present "The Secret Lives of Teens & Tweens."  The event is designed for adults, parents, teachers, community members & caregivers.

This FREE program is the fourth in a series of Square One community programs on topics related substance use awareness and prevention, made possible by a partnership between Rotary Club of Westborough, Westborough Youth & Family Services, Westborough Public Schools and Westborough Connects. This speaker presentation is grant-funded through Rotary Club of Westborough. Stay tuned for more details coming very soon.

If you are interested in helping plan this program, please email Cara Presley at cpresley@town.westborough.ma.us or Kelley Petralia at westboroughconnects@gmail.com
Opportunities for Involvement
in Westborough Connects
We've heard from many people that they aren't sure how to get involved in Westborough Connects. Here are some easy ways:

Volunteer at Upcoming Events
There are several ways to volunteer for Westborough Connects events - from hanging flyers, to greeting people as they arrive for a program, to compiling feedback. It's an easy, low-commitment way of learning a little more about Westborough Connects and helping out in the process.
  • Along with Westborough Interfaith Clergy, Central MA Connections in Faith and Westborough Public Schools, we are hard at work planning for the 2nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Celebration. As with every event, we need volunteer support to make it successful. If you are able and willing to help, we welcome you! Please email Heena Suratwala (heena.ankurs@gmail.com) with the subject line "MLK Day 2020."

Join a Program Planning Team
  • We are now forming a Kindness Week 2020 program planning team. Please email Kelley Petralia (westboroughconnects@gmail.com) if you are interested. What is Kindness Week? Read last year's press release HERE for more information.
  • The Westborough Unplugs program planning team is also taking shape. Please email Amy Wallace (benandamywallace@yahoo.com) if you would like to get involved. What is Westborough Unplugs? It is a local event in conjunction with National Screen Free Week. Click HERE to learn more.

Join a Committee (or just attend a meeting!)
Committees are a great way to get involved with Westborough Connects. We currently have three committees: Programming , Community Engagement , and Diversity & Inclusion . Our committees meet periodically and ALWAYS welcome new people. Click HERE for a (recently updated) description of our current committees and click HERE to sign up for one of them.

Still unsure how to get involved?
Email our Board President, Maureen Amborsino (maureenconnects@gmail.com) or one of our Board Co-Vice Presidents, Kelley Petralia (kelley_click@hotmail.com) or Heena Suratwala (heena.ankurs@gmail.com) with questions. We love face-to-face connection and welcome opportunities to meet new people in the community.
Diversity and Inclusion Committee Update
We had our Diversity and Inclusion Committee meeting on October 29, 2019. We are grateful to all our wonderful community members who attended the meeting and shared their positive ideas, enthusiasm and dedication to this work. We are also very grateful to Christine Guthery from SPARK Kindness for facilitating the visioning exercise for this committee. We will be sharing the report and the goals therefrom with our D&I members and the Westborough Connects Board soon.

For Fall we have enjoyed meeting and connecting with our community members at various Town community events such as the Metro West Diversity Festival, Arts in Commons, July 4 th  Block party, Farmers Market, Screen on Greens… We have been supporting the programming committee for our recent Westborough Connects fall events whilst keeping in mind our values of kindness, diversity and inclusion and to make our programs accessible to all. We are grateful to Westborough Youth and Family services, Westborough Public Schools, Council on Aging, National Honor Society Students as well as the Best Buddies office for their continued support and help at our events in the year 2019 for providing transportation, language interpretation services, childcare at events and more. We are also very excited to share that our MLK Day 2019 art exhibit has been moved to the Good Shephard Lutheran Church, Westborough.
 
We welcome new members and embrace all forms of Diversity. If you wish to be added on to the mailing list of Diversity and Inclusion Committee, please e-mail us at  westboroughconnects@gmail.com .

Upcoming Community Events
PLEASE NOTE: A goal of this newsletter is to highlight free, community-focused events that are open to all and bring us together. We do our best to keep up with all the great things going on around town, but we need your help! Please reach out and let us know about any events that would be important to include! Email us at westboroughconnects@gmail.com. Thank you.
Westborough Senior Center FREE Event

CHARLIE’S COFFEE HOUSE

As a special holiday treat this month, the Westborough Senior Center will welcome back Paul Speidel for Charlie’s Coffee House on Friday, December 20, from 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm.

Paul will be playing favorites as well as some holiday classics.

There is no charge and refreshments are served.

Stop in and take a break from the rush!! Relax and enjoy the music!

Transportation is available. Call 508-366-3000 for more information.
Westborough Public Library, December 31st, 2019
CONNECTion Spotlight
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  • The Free Holiday Store, sponsored by Westborough Youth & Family Services and Rotary Club of Westborough is now open. All are invited to an Open House event in the bottom floor of Westborough Public Library on Wednesday, December 18th from 4:30-6:30pm. Last year, the store provided gifts to 113 families and 250 children. Items needed include toys, books, purses, wrapping paper, bows, tape, gift cards, gift tags, holiday cards, gift bags, hats, mittens, shoes, string back packs, clothing items and personal items. Donations may be dropped off at the Library or reach out to Julia O'Neil Welch at Westborough Youth & Family Services, 508-366-3090. If you or someone you know would like to access the store for your family over the holidays, Julia can also help you with that.
  • While the weather forced the cancellation of some of the highly anticipated December 1st activities, many, many people and businesses took part in the Holiday Stroll. It was FUN! Thank you to all the sponsors who organized this wonderful community event - Westborough Recreation, Westborough Public Library and Rotary Club of Westborough - as well as Gary Kelley Realty for sponsoring the stroll shuttle and to all of the businesses who opened their doors to Westborough. It was heartwarming to see many familiar and new faces strolling around the downtown (and beyond), enjoying the shops and being together. Can't wait for next year.
Noteworthy Articles & Resources
  • Read "How to Overcome Stress by Seeing Other People’s Joy" from Greater Good Magazine to learn how positive empathy can lead to more joy in your own life (includes some good tips to get you started!).
  • The Westborough Spirit Committee was formed by the Board of Selectman to continue the wonderful community spirit and enthusiasm that was demonstrated during the celebration of Westborough's 300th anniversary in 2017. The current focus of the group is to promote fun, community-centered events being organized by various groups in town. If you are on Facebook, you can join their public group page Westborough Spirit.
  • We are excited to share this month's Westborough Public Library World Language book title.Happy Reading to our community members. Pax by Sara Pennypacker, Available as: 팍스 (Korean) and Pax : una historia de paz y amistad (Spanish). From the publisher: "After being forced to give up his pet fox Pax, a young boy named Peter decides to leave home and get his best friend back.”
" Snowflakes are one of nature's most fragile things, but just look what they can do when they stick together. " 
- Vesta M. Kelly
About Westborough Connects