Volume 17 | February 2020
Welcome to the February 2020 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 .
Recent Events Co-Hosted by
Westborough Connects
The 2nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Celebration was a special day. Our anchoring theme for the day was Our Diversity is Our Strength: Reflect, Connect and Heal . From start to finish, the over 200 attendees were engaged and made the day full of support, positivity and connection. The day kicked off with a ceremony which included some absolutely fantastic Westborough students sharing their award winning creative projects - a song, a poem and an essay - each drawing a standing ovation! The Westborough High School ImprompTUNES did a beautiful job leading our music and several community members lent their voices to share important words from MLK. Our speaker, Maria Milagros, delivered a powerful keynote which centered around being our authentic selves. Before moving on to the activities for the second part of the program, our drummer, Otha Day, united us all with the beautiful rhythms of our heartbeats.

Our younger attendees and their families moved on to the library, to be led by Nuray Wallace through an interactive story time featuring Jaqueline Woodson's The Day You Begin . Adolescents and adults took part in Conversation Circles facilitated by Central MA Connections in Faith , digging in more deeply to questions and conversation around the day's theme. A beautifully connecting drumming circle led by Otha Day capped off the day, with people of all ages sitting, drumming and singing together.

If you missed the event, our very own Westborough TV filmed it. HERE is a link to the morning presentations as well as a short video montage with highlights from the day. Thank you, Westborough TV!
We are grateful to all who volunteered and attended the program. A special thank you to Panera Bread, Roche Bros. and BJ’s for providing refreshments for the event. Thank you also to Senator Jamie Eldridge and Representative Danielle Gregoire for coming and offering words of support. We are also grateful to the Westborough Police and the Westborough High School Custodial Staff for their support, always.
The Community Celebration was co-hosted by Westborough Interfaith Association, Central MA Connections in Faith, Westborough Public Schools, and Westborough Connects. It was grant funded by the New England Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and by Islamic Relief.
If you wish to read the text from the winning students' creative projects or King's words shared during the program, you can view them HERE .
This event built on last year's program and the planning team has already met since this event to begin thinking about the future. We welcome other volunteers to join us in the planning and would love your ideas and your willingness to help. Please email westboroughconnects@gmail.com, if you are interested.
Event Re-cap
Square One Speaker Presentation: The Secret Lives of Teens and Tweens

Jon Mattleman kept an audience of over 150 parents and caring adults glued to their seats, as he shared his professional expertise and personal experiences as a father. Through his fast-paced, high energy presentation and humor-filled style, Jon shared useful insights, techniques and skills for adults to better understand the teens and  tweens  in their lives.

While we were not permitted to record the presentation, we took notes and also have several follow-up resources and recommended articles from Jon to share. Click HERE to view the follow-up note sent to attendees of the program.

The program was the fourth in a series of Square One community programs on topics related to substance use awareness and prevention. It was made possible through a collaborative partnership between the Rotary Club of Westborough, Westborough Youth & Family Services, Westborough Public Schools and Westborough Connects. It was grant-funded through Rotary Club of Westborough. 
Upcoming Events from Westborough Connects
Did you know this is a Leap Year? If you didn't know that we have an extra day this month, then you probably don't have anything planned! So why not spend February 29th with us! 

Westborough Connects will host its very first Connect Over Coffee on Saturday, February 29th from 8:30 AM-9:45 AM at Red Barn Coffee. Stop by our "open-house" event for a few minutes or stay the entire time! You never know who you'll see ... connect with an old friend or make a new one! If you're planning to attend the Westborough Master Plan Advisory Council meeting, come by and see us first. You can grab a cup-to-go before the 10 AM meeting start.  We can't wait to see you! Thank you to Red Barn Coffee for providing their delicious coffee!
Katie Greer will be here March 19th - speaking with Westborough students in grades 5-10 during the day with a community presentation during the evening. Katie focuses on digital safety and citizenship. This FREE program is open to all, not just parents of school-aged children. Stay tuned for more details and registration information.

This program is co-hosted by Westborough Public Schools and Westborough Connects.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THE 2ND ANNUAL...
March 29th - April 4th
Kick-off: March 29th, 2-5pm, Mill Pond School
Watch your inbox for details coming VERY soon!
Are you a Westborough business, organization or town committee interested in learning about becoming a Partner in Kindness ? Click HERE for some more information. What is Kindness Week? Read last year's press release HERE for more information.
Looking further ahead...
May 2nd-9th

The next Westborough Unplugs program planning meeting will take place on Wednesday, March 25th at 4 pm. Plans are shaping up. It's not too late to join in the planning fun. Please email Amy Wallace (benandamywallace@yahoo.com) if you, your organization or business would like to get involved.

We are grateful for sponsorship support from Westborough Civic Club . Thank you!

What is Westborough Unplugs? It is a local event in conjunction with National Screen Free Week. Click HERE to learn more.
Exciting News from Westborough Connects
Report from the Westborough Connects Board of Directors Hiring Sub-committee:

We have staff!

The Westborough Connects Board of Directors proudly welcomes Heena Suratwala as the organization’s first Chief Inclusion Officer and Kelley Petralia as the Executive Director of Westborough Connects.  

After a grounded visioning process that indicated the need to expand our human resources beyond an exclusively volunteer led organization, the Board of Directors convened an Ad Hoc Hiring Committee to make a case for two co-equal paid staff positions: Executive Director and Chief Inclusion Officer. The ad hoc committee worked with intention and rigor to draft job descriptions, solicit applications, thoroughly review resumes, and conduct interviews. READ MORE....
Opportunities for Involvement
in Westborough Connects
We ALWAYS welcome new community members to Westborough Connects and recognize that you may be unsure of how to get involved. Here are some easy ways:

Volunteer at Upcoming Events
There are several ways to volunteer for community events - from hanging flyers, to greeting people as they arrive for a program, to compiling feedback. No experience necessary! It's an easy, low-commitment way of learning a little more about Westborough Connects and helping out in the process. We're currently looking for help for the March 19th Katie Greer speaker presentation. Email westboroughconnects@gmail.com, if you're interested.

Join a Program Planning Team
  • We are in need of planning support for each of our upcoming programs (noted above).
  • For Digital Safety with Katie Greer, email Kelley Petralia, kelleyconnects1@gmail.com
  • For Kindness Week, email Laura Cerniglia, lauraconnects3@gmail.com
  • For Westborough Unplugs, email Amy Wallace, benandamywallace@yahoo.com

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 Kelley Petralia (kelleyconnects1@gmail.com) or Heena Suratwala (heena.ankurs@gmail.com). We welcome opportunities to meet new people in the community.
Westborough Connects Committee Updates
Diversity and Inclusion Committee: It was wonderful seeing some of you at our recent second Annual MLK Jr. Day 2020 community celebration. It was a very special day that got us all together. We are grateful to all our attendees, volunteers- youth and adults, community partners Central MA Connections in Faith, Westborough Interfaith Clergy, Westborough Public Schools and our sponsors for making this event a success! As an effort to make our programs accessible to all, we provided language interpretation services at our event. We were amazed by the diverse volunteer participation this year and truly appreciate all your time and dedication to this work. READ MORE...
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.
The Appalachian Mountain Club, America’s oldest conservation and recreation organization, Worcester Chapter will lead a FREE hike along the Westborough Charm Bracelet trail on Saturday, February 15th (ages 18 and older). Click HERE for registration information.
Westborough Senior Center
Traditional Fat Tuesday breakfast of pancakes and sausages
Tuesday, February 25th, 9am

Join this celebration in true Mardi Gras style with beads, music and fun! There is no charge, but registration is required. Call 508-366-3000.

For more about events going on at the Senior Center, click HERE for the February edition of Westborough Senior Scene, published by Westborough Senior Center
Hosted by The Kids' Department at Westborough Public Library
Westborough Residents: Community Input Needed!
Do you want input into the vision , direction and future for Westborough?
Your voice is important. It takes the collective community to move us forward.

Please join in one (or both!) of the upcoming Master Plan Advisory Committee opportunities for community engagement:
  • What Do You Hope for In Westborough?, an informal information session next Wednesday, February 12th from 10:15-11:15am at Westborough Public Library (just after storytime in the Kids' Room!).
  • Facilitated Public Meeting, Saturday, February 29th, from 10am to Noon at the Westborough High School Cafetaria; a facilitated dialogue with residents to capture their input. This will be an interactive session, not a lecture or presentation.
What IS the Westborough Master Plan ?
Click HERE for the answer to that and other FAQs. You can also learn more by visiting the Westborough Master Plan website HERE .
" By imagining the vitality, sustainability, health, prosperity, and inclusiveness of the community 20 years from now, we lay the roadmap for the future. A clear vision results in long-term policy decisions that reflect our shared values. This Master Planning process is open to every Westborough resident. The more voices heard the better. We welcome and encourage the participation of all at whatever level they can engage.”

- Lester Hensley, Westborough resident and Advisory Committee Chairperson
Lester Hensley recently appeared on Westborough Public TV's "Frank and Mary in Westborough" show to give an overview. Watch that HERE .
CONNECTion Spotlight
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Noteworthy Articles & Resources

  • We found this Next Avenue article worth a read, "How to be a Friend to Someone Who is Lonely."
  • Happy Reading to our community! World language titles for February, as shared by and available at Westborough Public Library: Adult Department - Bradbury Stories: 100 of His Most Celebrated Tales, Bin zang ren de mi mi lei bu la de bo li duan pian zi xuang ji (di 3 juan) (Simplified Chinese) 殡葬人的秘密 雷·布拉德伯里短篇自选集（第3卷）（简体）; Children’s Department - Pax by Sara Pennypacker, Available as: 팍스 (Korean), 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”
" We may have all come on different ships, but we're in the same boat now. "
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
About Westborough Connects