Volume 15 | January 2020
Welcome to the January 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 .
Happy New Year! As we turn towards a new decade , the pace of modern life doesn't always leave much room for reflection on the past. It also takes time and effort to consider the future - beyond what we need to accomplish at home or at work, right now.

What we've learned over the past couple of years at Westborough Connects is that reflection and consideration for the future are vitally important to our mission of fostering a connected and kind community where everybody feels like they belong . Ultimately, promoting a connected and supportive community enables us to tackle difficult things together, even when we may have different life experiences or views on certain topics. Simply put, this takes time, but the time it takes is worth it.

"It Takes a Village" to build our community's strength and resilience. We partner with amazing organizations and people in Westborough on communication, programs and creating opportunities for community members to engage. Thank you to all who have partnered, volunteered, donated, attended a program, or otherwise supported these efforts. We are also grateful to SPARK Kindness in Natick for guiding and nurturing us from the beginning, and for their continued support as a network partner in this work (SPARK is actually celebrating their 10th birthday this year - what a decade!).

Together, we have already accomplished a lot. We know there is still so much ahead of us (all)...many more people to meet and organizations to discover and connect with. We look forward to that!

Finally, January 25th marks the Chinese New Year (Year of the Rat). Happy New Year to all our community members who celebrate!
Upcoming Events Co-Hosted by Westborough Connects
Register Today: Square One Speaker Presentation
Over 100 People Registered
The program is the fourth in a series of Square One community programs on topics related substance use awareness and prevention. It is made possible through a collaborative partnership between the 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. 
Building on community spirit from last year’s celebration, which drew over 300 people to the event, this year’s theme is “Our Diversity Is Our Strength.” Speaker, Coach and Author Maria Milagros will deliver the keynote address. The Westborough High School's ImprompTUNES a Capella group will perform.

Following the keynote, activities designed for various age groups will pick up on the theme for the day. 
  • Children and their parents or caregivers will enjoy an engaging, hands-on group activity in the library. Following from there, the youngest attendees will join together in a fun-filled community drum circle led by Drum to the Beat. 
  • Adolescents and adults will be invited to participate in facilitated “Conversation Circles,” providing an opportunity for small group discussions with fellow community members around the day’s theme.

Please note: The Westborough Council on Aging will offer free transportation for Westborough seniors. Please contact the Westborough Senior Center at 508-366-3000 by January 13th for more information on bus transportation.

This event is FREE and open to all ages .
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.
  • Click HERE to view the sign-up for next week's Square One Speaker Presentation: Secret Lives of Teens and Tweens.
  • Click HERE to view the sign-up for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration.

Join a Program Planning Team
  • We have begun planning for Kindness Week 2020 (March 29-April 3). Please email Laura Cerniglia (lauraconnects3@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 will hold a planning meeting on Wednesday, February 5th at 4 pm in the Westborough Town Hall lower conference room. 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 one of our Board Co-Vice Presidents, Kelley Petralia (kelley_click@hotmail.com) or Heena Suratwala (heena.ankurs@gmail.com) with questions. We also love face-to-face connection and welcome opportunities to meet new people in the community.
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.
Neighbors for Peace invites the Westborough community to its second annual Peace Vigil. People will gather at St. Mark's field (corner of rte 85 and rte 30) in Southborough this Saturday, January 11th at 3 pm .

Last year, this event was organized due to anti-Muslim hate mail that some Southborough residents had received. Revered Phil LaBelle, Rabbi Rachel Gurevitz (Congregat I on B'nai Shalom), town officials and state representatives all spoke.  With the continued reports of hate, in particular, recent anti-Semitic incidents, Neighbors for Peace want this now to become an annual event.  HERE is a link to the Metrowest Daily News article from last year's event.
Hosted by The Kids' Department at Westborough Public Library
FREE Community Trail Walk

Walk Mill Pond in Winter , January 19th, 1:30-3:30 pm

Enjoy a wintery walk with views of lovely Mill Pond to shake off the post-holiday doldrums! Meet at the Mill Pond School parking lot, 6 Olde Hickory Path, Westborough, MA. No reservation needed; contact events@westboroughlandtrust.org with questions. Trail map HERE .

Hosted by Westborough Community Land Trust
Hosted by Release Well-Being Center
CONNECTion Spotlight
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  • Each December, a special tradition continues in the McTaggart Estates neighborhood. More than 25 years ago, the original homeowners decided to display luminaries to "light the way for Santa's sleigh." As ownership of the homes changed hands over the years, neighbors would share the tradition with the new owners and today 50 families help light the streets with over 1000 luminaries on Christmas Eve. It's a beautiful sight and people from around Westborough often drive through to see it. (Thank you, Colleen Dowd, for the photos below, including a drone photo from last year's display).
Noteworthy Articles & Resources

  • Read "We Know About Mental Health. What About Social Health?" from Next Avenue to learn more about recognizing and thinking about an individual's "social health."
  • The Town of Westborough website offers e-alerts to let community members know (via email alerts) about upcoming meetings, meeting agenda, town notices, etc. It's a great way to stay in touch. Click HERE to look at the options and sign up for town e-alert notifications.
  • Happy Reading to our members - the January 2020 World Language Title shared with us by Westborough Public Library Kids' Department is The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. Available as: 波西傑克森. 神火之賊 (Chinese), El ladrón del rayo (Spanish). From the Adult Department, The Underground Railroad, available as 地下铁道 （简体), Di xia tie dao (Simplified Chinese)
" Coming together is the beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. " 
- Henry Ford
About Westborough Connects