A Note From The Garden by Adelene Ellenberg

The Coronavirus has confined my family to our home and garden. My husband and I have worked in the garden in tandem, slowly becoming aware of Nature and its spiritual dimensions that reveal themselves in the humblest of greenery.

All to our personal benefit and sense of peace.

During the coronavirus quarantine, we have spent time together, listening to birdsong. It is delightful. We have watched a chickadee (our hardy little Massachusetts state bird) set up a nest in a tree on the edge of our property. The male flung out the inner pulp of the tree with his sharp beak, creating a hollow nest for his plain-feathered, swollen-bellied female partner. After tackling a nasty patch of thorny brambles, my husband sat on an upturned bucket, watching the bird create his nest in an afternoon. Read More

You Are Invited to Watch Bridgewater Raynham Regional High School's

Virtual Graduation Ceremony!

In case you missed watching BR's virtual graduation ceremony live, there's still ways to watch or rewatch it! The ceremony was on Friday, May 29th at 6p. You can also access it on demand at BTVAccess or at bridge-rayn.org and click on the Virtual Graduation Ceremony link.

Bridgewater Memorial Day Video

This video is a compilation of Bridgewater's Memorial Day services over the last few years. It's great that we can look back on these, due to the current circumstances.

Huge thanks to BTV for putting this together.

Please join Bridgewater residents Karen Kelleher and Diane Roza

as your co-instructors for a new

class on Zoom: 

Crafting Alone Together

Every Thursday from 7p – 8:15p

Knitters love to knit. Crocheters love to crochet. And crafters love to craft. We can be creative anytime, anywhere…even in quarantine!

Our community connections are important through these hard times. Crafters who simply want to chat are encouraged to join in.

Stay safe & keep on creating!

Contact Diane Roza, Program Co-Instructor with questions [email protected]

Join Zoom Meeting a few minutes before if you’re new:

Zoom Link

Meeting ID: 684 740 7875

Password: 7x49aB

Be well. Emily Williams, BW COA [email protected]

508-697-0929

Bridgewater's Annual 4th of July T-shirt Contest

Every year Bridgewater's 4th of July committee puts on a t-shirt contest. Submissions for this year are officially open! They ask for submissions from the community and their sales are a fundraiser for the parade and fireworks. While these events are not taking place due to COVID-19, they'd like to keep the t-shirt contest tradition going! The rules are that the shirt must have "Bridgewater" and "2020." Due to limited supplies and a short time frame, they will close submissions June 1st, so enter soon!

You can submit your entries via email to [email protected] or you can mail it to 91 Atkinson Dr. facebook.com/Bridgewater-MA-4th-of-July

Make sure you read your whole BuzzAround: View as Webpage

BRIDGING LIVES Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition

As part of the Brockton Area Prevention Collaborative coalition, Bridging LIVES was established in Bridgewater and Raynham in order to provide education and prevention strategies to these communities around addiction.

Since its establishment, the coalition has grown significantly and has support from a variety of stakeholders including: the school district, local municipalities, law enforcement, faith based organizations, health care providers, local businesses and non-profits, community members, and youth. If you are interested in becoming involved with this coalition please contact the Brockton Area Opioid Abuse Prevention Collaborative at 508-742-4405.

Bridging Lives announces two digital billboards went live on the morning of Monday, May 11th on Route 24 at Exit 17 in Brockton. The billboards, created by the Brockton Area Prevention Collaborative, promote connection and resiliency with hopes to encourage anyone who is struggling to reach out and ask for help during this challenging time. The art will be displayed on each side of the billboard and will be visible to both north and southbound traffic on Rt. 24 through the first week in July.

To learn more about the work being done in your community around substance use prevention, please find Bridging LIVES on Facebook @BRBridgingLIVES or on Twitter @bridginglives .

B-R Class of 2020 Parade

Watch Bridgewater Raynham's class of 2020 celebrate the end of their high school journey by having a senior parade! The students drove around Bridgewater and Raynham, honking along the way. People all around town came outside to cheer and support them.

Video Courtesy of BTV

Dress -A -Girl Sews with Vigor!

BY EVELYN D. OF BRIDGEWATER

There is a group of women in the Bridgewater area who, for the past 2 years have sewn dresses for girls around the world who have never had one.

Six weeks ago when COVID19 raised its ugly head, we transitioned over to making cloth masks and other sewists joined us. At that time, we had no idea how much they would be needed by so many. Fortunately we have had all of the fabric we needed donated as well as the elastic for around the ears. We have been able to give the masks away.

And so, this new project took off. In order for everyone to remain safe, it was decided to set up a collection and distribution center in the parking lot of the Bridgewater Senior Center where people could drive through and drop their completed masks in laundry baskets. If they needed fabric and elastic, a table was set up under the canopy and one at a time could take what they needed to sew more masks. At our first collection we received 500+, at the second, 375, at the third 500+, and at the fourth 786. During all of this time, masks were being delivered by 3 volunteers to nursing home workers, visiting nurses, at risk families, the Bridgewater prison, group homes, hospice workers, the Bridgewater Police Dept., the homeless in Brockton, Peter the Soupman and many, many friends and families. To this date: April 30, 2020, over 3,000 masks have been distributed.

facebook.com/dress a girl

Masks for Homeless in Brockton

Reposted from Evelyn DeLutis.

Hi everyone. I received this email from Joanne Brindley who brought our masks to the homeless. I had asked if she needed more. This is her reply. Please read all the way through so you can understand what it is really like to be homeless in Brockton, MA, USA.

Joanne wrote:

"My initial answer is: PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE OH, PLEASE!

However, to be fair, let me explain.

1)For several reasons, we are seeing a significant amount of new people each week.

2)Some of our regulars have lost, misplaced, given away, etc, etc. their masks.

3)Their masks are damaged, ie elastics have broken; the fabric has torn; they are so dirty/ contaminated they need to be replaced.

4) I have been doing my best to sew masks. I have a WHOLE NEW APPRECIATION for you and your WONDERFUL GROUP!!! I am adequate, barely, but slower than a Home Ec student. Even with 3 wonderful ladies helping to cut out the fabric, I'm not able to keep up with the need even though I am sewing daily.

We are trying to address the logistics regarding the possibilities of washing the masks. There are several issues involved if we collected them because we serve/carry home-cooked, not pre-packaged food. Also, people have become attached to their masks, so trying to track them down the next week to return their mask is problematic. So we are trying to come up with a solution where we can launder them right there on the spot and hand them back within a few minutes. The #1 problem is that it's not just COVID-19 that we have to worry about. There are NO restrooms open for the homeless in the City, absolutely none if you aren't in the shelter! Therefore, Deb has been passing out 5 gal buckets with a supply of bags. She takes a foam pool noodle, slices it so she can place it on the top of the bucket forming a "seat'. Along with baby wipes and toilet paper, it serves as the only toilet they have. Some have tried to sneak into the shower tent at the shelter, however, for most, the baby wipes are their way to wash up.

Therefore, the masks aren't just "dirty". They undoubtedly, more resemble a petri dish. I have just found a Lysol product just for laundry which says it removes 99% of bacteria. We will be including that!!

So, that's a long way to say, please, if you do have some extras that others don't need, wow, could we use them, please!

Dress-A Girl-Around the World Facebook Group

The 4th of JULY Committee

"Patriotic House" Contest !!

We want you to decorate for the 4th !!! Show us your patriotic pride!!

We will be compiling a list of the addresses and encourage the Bridgewater Community to visit them!!

YES there will be prizes!!

First prize will be $250.00 in gift cards.

Second prize will be $100.00 in gift cards.

Third prize will be $50.00 in gift cards.

And who knows if we get a big enough response - we might expand the categories!!!!

**ALL gift cards will be to local Bridgewater businesses!!

So start your planning !

facebook.com/Bridgewater-MA-4th-of-July

$1,000 Scholarships Announced

The MassHire Greater Brockton Workforce Board is pleased to announce a new scholarship program for graduating seniors within our Connecting Activities Partnership. From now until June 15, 2020, applications will be accepted from graduating seniors of the Class of 2020. $1,000 Scholarships will be awarded on or by June 30. Advancing college and career readiness, the Connecting Activities Partnership promotes the connection between education and employment through internships and career awareness. CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CLASS OF 2020!!

Who is Eligible? Graduating seniors from: Brockton Public Schools, Avon High School, Southeastern Regional Vocational Technical HS, Oliver Ames High School, Abington High School, Stoughton High School, Whitman-Hanson High School, South Shore Regional Vocational Technical HS, and Bridgewater Raynham High School.

Application Deadline is June 15, 2020.

Click here to view and share application.

Reuse of Old Town Hall Survey

By the Town of Bridgewater

We need to hear from you! As a thank you, we’ll randomly draw two winners per week. The second drawing will be Wednesday, June 3, when we will give away two $25 gift certificates to Roche Brothers! Thank you to those who have already participated!

www.surveymonkey.com/Old Town Hall

Adopt a Highway

Have you ever wonder who helps to keep highways clean? There is a company called Adopt a Highway that has companies sponsor. You might have seen their signs on large highways too.

Cleaning up the highways is even more important now during this pandemic due to all the litter that disposable masks and gloves create.

  Copyright 2020 Buzz Around Bridgewater.  You have our permission to share and copy this issue in its entirety as much as you like. If you take it in part, please give credit. ("Buzz Around Bridgewater 5/31/20")

 

Disclaimer: At the Buzz Around, we promote community and family. Occasionally, there will be links to town committees and other non-profit groups, as a way of sharing local information. Individual groups are responsible for how they represent themselves on their websites and in their promotional materials. The Buzz Around does not claim to support any particular view.