Thursday, November 9, 2023
District Updates
Needham
- Needham Youth & Family Services seeks nominations for the Patrick and Patricia Forde Good Person Memorial Award. The Forde Award recognizes a Needham adult who helps make the community a better place to live through their volunteer work. The recipient will be a person of high character who has contributed in some significant way to Needham children, youth, and/or families, and a person who has enhanced the lives of those with whom they’ve interacted. Nominations are accepted online through December 1st. To find the nomination form or to learn more about the award, click here.
- Donate your old electronics to the Domestic Violence Action Committee (DVAC). DVAC is collecting old electronics and recycling them to fund support for those impacted by domestic abuse in our community. Collection locations are at the Needham Police Station (88 Chestnut St) and the Rosemary Recreation Center (178 Rosemary St). Please be sure to successfully erase your personal data from the device before donating.
- Help the Needham Education Foundation become a finalist for Fidelity Bank’s nonprofit grant giveaway. Votes are limited to one per person and the last day to vote for NEF is Friday, November 17. To vote for the Needham Education Foundation, click here.
- Help the Congregational Church of Needham pack 10,000 meals on Sunday, November 19th. The volunteer event will take place at the Congregational Church (1154 Great Plain Ave) from 12 to 2 pm. All ages are welcome to volunteer. To sign up to volunteer, click here.
Dover
- Watch the Norfolk Hunt as they ride through Powisset Farm and Noanet Woodlands for the Amelia Peabody Memorial Foxhunt. The event will take place on Saturday, November 18 from 12:30 to 1:30 pm. The Norfolk Hunt Club is one of the oldest drag foxhunting clubs in the country. The foxhounds will follow a drag scent (no live foxes participate) through woods and fields, followed by horses with riders dressed in traditional foxhunting attire. The horses, riders, and hounds will stop at Powisset Farm to greet spectators. For more information, click here.
- The Dover Town Library is seeking public feedback for future planning. The survey takes around ten minutes to complete and includes questions on how the Dover Town Library plays a role in your life and the town. To fill out the survey, click here. If you need help completing the survey, please visit or contact the library director at (508)785-8113 ext. 5.
- Town Report Committee seeks photos for publication. Every year the Town Report is illustrated with photographs of Dover and its citizens, and the Town Report Committee is seeking photography submissions from residents and non-residents. To access the submission form, click here.
Medfield
- The Medfield School Committee has a newly open vacancy. The School Committee and Selectboard are seeking a volunteer to serve in the seat until the next election in 2024. If you are interested in being considered for the temporary appointment, email scchair@email.medfield.net no later than November 22 at 5 pm. For more information on School Committee policy, click here.
- The Blue Moon Bagel Cafe and Medfield Lions Annual Coat Drive returns for its 13th year! Bring your new or gently used coats to Blue Moon Cafe and drop them in the collection box located just inside the front door. Coat donations will continue to be accepted through February 2024. For more information, click here.
- The Holiday Bazaar returns at the Church of the Advents on Saturday, November 18th from 9 am to 1 pm. A variety of vendors will be present to offer pottery, candles, soaps, and other works of art. For more information, click here.
- The Medfield Police Association is holding its annual Toys for Tots Drive. Donations of new and unwrapped toys are being accepted through December 10th. Donations can be dropped off at the Public Safety Building at 112 North Street. To learn more, click here.
Legislative Updates
- Governor Healey introduced An Act honoring, empowering, and recognizing our servicemembers and veterans, also known as the HERO Act. This legislation will increase benefits, modernize service, and promote inclusivity for Massachusetts veterans. Key provisions include expanding access to behavioral health treatment, increasing benefits for disabled veterans, bolstering support for businesses that hire veterans, updating the definition of a veteran, expanding the scope of the Veterans Equality Review Board, initiating a pilot program for LGBTQ+ couples denied IVF reimbursement by the Veterans Health Administration, and codifying medical and dental benefits. This bill will also increase the annuity from $2,000 to $2,500. To view the bill, click here.
- Informational briefing with Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. On November 13th, my staff attended a briefing hosted by Senator Pacheco and Representative Driscoll, the Emergency Preparedness and Management Committee Chairs. Just a few months ago, heavy rain brought damaging flooding to our homes and businesses in Needham. This briefing provided insight into what to expect during and after a disaster, how MEMA assists cities and towns during events, an overview of damage assessment and the federal declaration request processes, and what happens if a federal declaration is received.
Statewide Updates
- The Massachusetts Department of Public Health urges residents to get vaccinated before the holiday season. Getting vaccinated (flu, COVID, and RSV) will maximize protection against respiratory illnesses. Protect yourself and the people you’ll gather with, especially older adults, people who are immunocompromised, and pregnant people, who are at a higher risk for severe complications. To learn more, click here.
- A new financial aid expansion will benefit nearly 25,000 students attending the state’s public community colleges, state universities, and the University of Massachusetts. The MASSGrant Plus expansion program was granted $62 million in new program funding which will help cover tuition, fees, books, and supply costs of Pell Grant-eligible students and reduce out-of-pocket expenses for middle-income students. To learn more, click here.
- Mass Cultural Council (MCC) has launched a new grant program, Grants for Creative Individuals, which will provide unrestricted awards of $5,000 to Massachusetts artists, culture bearers, and creative practitioners. MCC is welcoming applications from individuals in all creative fields: visual artists, literary artists, theater artists, performers, film/media artists, music artists, designers, culture bearers/traditional artists, drag artists, cross-disciplinary artists, and more. The application process is brief and inclusive. The review process includes geographic distribution, funding priorities, and scores from reviewers from the Massachusetts creative/cultural sector. An informational session will be held on December 5th at 5 pm, to register, click here. The application deadline is December 11th. To learn more about the grants, click here.
- The Biden administration has relaunched a website for Americans to order up to four free tests per household in anticipation of a potential increase in COVID cases during the fall and winter months. At-home testing is essential to slow the spread of the virus and reduce the number of new cases across the Commonwealth as the weather gets colder and more events move indoors, increasing the risk of transmission. To place an order, visit COVIDTests.gov.
