November 2009 Archives

Full Moon Night Hike at New England Wild Flower Society/Garden in the Woods (180 Hemenway Rd. Framingham) on 12/02 at 6:30 pm-8:30 pm. $8-$10. The event is designed for children with an adult companion. Enjoy hot cocoa after the hike. For more info: www.newenglandwild.org. Preregister at 508-877-7630 ext. 3303.

Mass Families Organizing for Change is a group of families that have special needs children that advocate for other families that may need assistance. They are meeting on Friday Dec 4th at the Marlborough Library.

For more information, contact Laura Casey-Black   978-790-7224   caseyblack922@aol.com

November 27th is the National Day of Listening. By recording the stories of our lives with the people we care about, we experience our history, hopes, and humanity. Spend some time talking with your loved ones about their lives, their memories, and consider recording it. Several years ago, my brother interviewed my grandmother about her childhood, and sent a cd with their session to family members. She talked about growing up during a time when they walked everywhere and had to produce their own food. It was a moving gift.

You can record the stories on your own. Or, consider participating in the StoryCorp project.  StoryCorps is one of the largest oral history projects of its kind, creating a growing portrait of who we really are as Americans.The stories recorded (you get a free cd of your recording) are archived at the Library of Congress. To read or listen to some of the stories that have already been recorded, go to www.storycorps.org. For tips on recording your conversations with your loved ones: http://www.storycorps.org/record-your-story/

As we are gathering with friends and family this holiday season, volunteering and the work we are doing through the Juniors is bound to come up in conversation.

For those not lucky enough to live near Marlborough, a couple easy to remember websites to find volunteer opportunities in any neighborhood: www.allforgood.org and www.volunteermatch.org.

For those in and around Marlborough, they can stay updated on volunteer opportunities and local activities on our website and blog: http://www.marlboroughjuniors.org/  http://blog.marlboroughjuniors.org/

On Tuesday, Dec. 1st, the Hopkinton High School Programming Club presents a lecture by author and game programmer Dan Higgins on creating computer games. While he currently is employed by MathWorks, Dan's career has primarily been in programming for computer games, including local companies Stainless Steel Studios and Tilted Mill.  The event is free and open to the public. Tuesday Dec. 1st, 2:30-3:30 pm at the Hopkinton Public Library. For more info: www.hopkintonlibrary.org

If Black Friday shopping doesn't appeal, how about the Worcester Art Museum? The Worcester Art Museum is waiving the admission fee if you bring a donation for the food pantry on Friday 11/27. The museum is located at 55 Salisbury Street in Worcester. For more info: www. worcesterart.org

The Marlborough Historical Society's 2nd annual Festival of Trees will take place this weekend.  Decorating teams will compete in tree adornment contests; this year 30 to 40 entries are anticipated. Gingerbread and other baked goods, lace and jewelry and hot beverages will be for sale. The Peter Rice Homestead will also be decorated. The Festival (at the Peter Rice Homestead, 377 Elm Street) runs this Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Admission is free.

Santa's Sackbuts will perform an all trombone holiday program at the Bigelow Auditorium at the Marlborough Public Library (35 West Main Street) on Wednesday December 2nd at 7 pm. For more info: 413.648.9663 or rajohnson36@verizon.net.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are being diagnosed more frequently these days. Unfortunately, the state agencies that serve Massachusetts residents have not yet caught up to match the service needs.  Children with autism may be able to get some help through the Department of Developmental Services, but adults are sorely underserved.

Families I've worked with have found the Asperger's Association of New England helpful. They offer a variety of means of support, from social events, to online support groups, to help advocating through the school system, to skill building groups. From their website www.aane.org:

AANE (the Asperger’s Association of New England) serves families of children with Asperger Syndrome (AS), High-Functioning Autism (HFA), Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS), or Nonverbal Learning Disorder (NLD or NVLD). We also serve the teachers and other professionals who work with this population.

AANE Information Line: Jean Stern AANE’s Director of Children’s Services and Brenda Dater AANE”s Coordinator of Children’s Services are there to answer your calls and e-mails. Parents may call them at any time, and as often as necessary, for information, support, or referrals to help in raising a child with Asperger Syndrome. Main Telephone Number: (617) 393-3824

Also, if the club is interested in hearing from AANE, I'd be happy to see if we could get someone to our meeting. Their office is in Watertown, so I think it might be feasible.

The MA Department of Public Health's blog http://publichealth.blog.state.ma.us/ provides information on a variety of topics. Not surprisingly, the flu has been a hot topic lately! Recent postings include links to public service announcements, information about the vaccine, tips on when to go to the ER, and how to protect ourselves.

You probably remember the tragedy last year, when a woman walked into traffic with two small children. Their family started a foundation to promote mental health awareness- Keep Sound Minds (www.keepsoundminds.org).

One component of their efforts is establishing an annual scholarship competition which requires high school
students (and also college students) to create video public service announcements (PSA) promoting mental health
awareness with a focus on removing the stigma often associated with those who suffer from mental illness.  They
will award $10,000.00 in scholarships (high school students: 1st $2500.00, 2nd $1500.00, 3rd $1000.00 , college-
students- same prize breakdowns). Submissions will be accepted at KeepSoundMinds.org, through Feb. 28, 2010.

I just came across this website: www.greenmarlborough.org. Lots of great ideas about reducing our carbon footprints, buying local food, etc. This part is very exciting - a guided tour of Marlborough's trails! They are also talking about starting a biking in Marlborough group.

Green Marlborough is a group of residents and businesses promoting green choices in the community.  Help us make a healthy environment for people who live and work in Marlborough!  Info: Jen Boudrie at 508-481-0569, Jen@GreenMarlborough.org

Marlborough's Family Success Partnership's December Workshop is "Immigration Challenges and Resources to Assist Families and Providers."

This workshop will take place on Thursday, December 3rd at the Assabet
Valley Collaborative--57 Orchard Street in Marlborough, from 6-8PM

Workshop is free for FSP Workshop Members and $5 for non-members.
Please RSVP to Nicki Logan at 508-481-3611 ext 7010 or
Nlogan@assabet.org.

About infusing our environment with our values: http://www.ted.com/talks/barry_schwartz_on_our_loss_of_wisdom.html

The Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts are asking for your help feeding the hungry. This Saturday, Nov. 7th, the Scouts will begin distributing tan collection bags to residents in Marlborough. All food donations will directly benefit the Marlborough Food Pantry. Suggested items needed are canned vegetables, dry goods (cereal’s, rice, pasta), canned sauces, juice, coffee, tea, cocoa.  Infant items and toiletries are also greatly needed.

On the following Saturday, Nov. 14, the Scouts will fan out to collect all donations. Please leave your donations in the plastic tan bags (or any bag, or call 508-662-1617 to request a bag) by your mailbox (not on it!) or on your porch by 9 a.m.

We had an interesting presentation last night at the Juniors meeting on reducing our electricity use. I also really liked her ideas about teaching kids about sustainability.  I went home and yanked all my energy vampires out of the sockets! Our presenter's website is quite groovy, and I wanted to highlight the Resources page http://www.sustainablelifesolutions.com/resources.html which has links to articles, books and movies on the topics of sustainability. The Greenwashing link has a fun little game to help folks improve their ability to sort out the legitimate from the false claims about products and their environmental impact.

Save money + help the environment = bliss.

We can all do our little part to preserve the environment for wildlife. For more than 35 years, National Wildlife Federation's Certified Wildlife Habitat™ program has shown people the benefits of gardening for wildlife. From backyards and apartment balconies to schools, businesses and farms, no garden is too big or small to turn into a wildlife-friendly habitat. This website guides you through how to make your space more wildlife friendly. Tips include how to attract a variety of birds and how to "green" your garden. If so moved, you can register your backyard habitat! http://www.nwf.org/gardenforwildlife