BuzzAround Raynham

December 15, 2024



~ Building Community One Positive Story at a Time.

Raynham Fire and Police Dept held the annual Santa's Ride through Raynham

The Santa Ride is a volunteer-led effort supported by the Raynham Fire Department and the Raynham Police Department since it started in 2019.

Gifts collected during the Santa Ride support the town’s longtime Secret Santa holiday charity campaign, which last year provided presents to 108 local children and their families.

Community members can continue to support this year’s Secret Santa effort by bringing new, unwrapped gifts intended for children of all ages, including toys, clothing and gift cards, to the Raynham Fire Department at 37 Orchard St. by Dec. 18.

Secret Santa gift deliveries are set for Dec. 21, when a team of volunteers fan out into the community, providing packages to families with children in need that have been identified beforehand through the help of the Bridgewater-Raynham Regional School District and other sources.

The Secret Santa team has identified about 130 children in need of presents this holiday season, and that number is expected to grow. “This is probably the highest need I’ve seen in the last few years,” Chief LaCivita said. “It’s no secret that things are more expensive in this economy, and people need extra help this time of year.”

The Secret Santa donation drive also received a major boost this year thanks to Candace Dalton, who raised more than $10,000 for the cause by hosting a psychic medium fundraiser event on Dec. 6 at Barrett’s Olde Scotland Links.

“Candace has been a huge supporter of ours for six years,” Chief LaCivita said. “She does a show every year and sells tickets to it and does raffles. This is the most she’s raised in all the times she’s done it, and 100% of that goes to the Secret Santa.”

The cash donations to the Secret Santa campaign will be used to buy clothing and other presents intended for older teenagers, which are not commonly received during the gift donation drive.

“The older kids sometimes get lost in the shuffle,” Chief LaCivita said. “We know they need some special attention, and the money Candace helped raise will fund that.”

The Secret Santa campaign dates back to 1988, founded by Butch Slavick, a Raynham school custodian who wanted to do something for the children he saw each day coming to class wearing worn-out shoes and inadequate winter clothing. When Slavick died in 2009, his family continued the tradition in partnership with Raynham firefighters and police officers, who have taken the lead in recent years.

Fire Lt. Jason Karns and his family have spearheaded the Secret Santa initiative in the past two years. Firefighter Michael McRae and his family are also major contributors to the effort. And Deputy Fire Chief Barrett Johnson and retired Police Detective Louis Pacheco, who served as Raynham’s school resource officer, have strongly supported the program.

“In many neighborhoods, people get together and make a party out of giving when Santa comes by,” Chief LaCivita said. “The amount of gifts they gave was fantastic. Thank you to everyone in the Raynham community for their continued support this holiday season.”

To read the entire post, go to: Raynham FD

Photos courtesy of: Raynham Fire Department, Anne Littlefield Foster, Karen Maclean

Historical Tidbit:

The invention of the Frisbee

In 1938, Walter Frederick Morrison and his future wife Lucile discovered a market for a light-duty flying disc when they were offered 25 cents for a cake pan that they were tossing back and forth on a beach near Los Angeles, California. "That got the wheels turning because you could buy a cake pan for five cents, and if people on the beach were willing to pay a quarter for it, well—there was a business," Morrison told The Virginian-Pilot newspaper in 2007.

The Morrisons sold cake pans until Walter served in the Air Force. After World War II, Morrison sketched a design for an aerodynamically improved flying disc. He and business partner Warren Franscioni began producing the first plastic discs in 1948 and named it the Flying-Saucer in the wake of reported unidentified flying objects. (Roswell was 1947).

Morrison formed his own company in 1954 called American Trends to sell his Flyin-Saucers, which were being manufactured in flexible polypropylene plastic by Southern California Plastics. He discovered it was more cost-effective to manufacture his own disc and designed the Pluto Platter in 1955. He sold the rights to Wham-O on January 23, 1957, of this archetype of all modern flying discs. 

In June 1957, Wham-O co-founders Richard Knerr and Arthur "Spud" Melin named the disc "Frisbee" after learning about the New England college craze of tossing Frisbie Pie tins. Frisbie Pie Company (1871-1958) of Bridgeport, CT, made pies that were sold to many New England colleges. Students all over NE who had tossed and caught empty pie tins were now using the Pluto Platter and calling it a "Frisbie."

Ed Headrick, Wham-O inventor, patented designs for the modern frisbee (U.S. patent 3,359,678), developing the band of raised ridges called the Rings of Headrick to stabilize the frisbee's flight. The patent was issued on December 26, 1967. Today, the Frisbee is owned by Mattel Toy Manufacturers.

Compiled: J. Rose

Sources: www.thoughtco.com

wikipedia.org/Frisbee

TOWN HALL

Town Clerk

508-824-2700

Treasurer/Collector 

508-824-2702

Assessors    508-824-2704

Selectmen        508-824-2707

Building Dept.       508-824-2708

Board of Health      508-824-2766

Planning         508-824-2745

Veterans Service Officer 508-828-4527

Town of Raynham

Public Library

508-823-1344

RaynhamPublicLibrary.org

Council on Aging

508-824-2740

COA

Food Pantry

Raynham Food Basket

2nd and 4th Thursday of the month

9 - 11a

494 Church St, Raynham 774-406-5612

Congratulations!

Mary Witkowsky

won

a $25 gift certificate to Johnny Macaroni's Restaurant, East Bridgewater & Halifax

johnnymacaronis.com 

Bee sure to play our Historical Tidbit Trivia Game at the bottom of this newsletter.

Enter for this week's prize of

a 45 page FarmYard Christmas

Coloring Book

with Daily Affirmations and Family Traditions

by Nwanneka Udeka

of Unique Strides Therapy

Join the Raynham Lions Club:

New Members Wanted!

Raynham Lions Club is looking for new members. Interested persons contact Membership Chairperson Mark Dube at dtdube2@gmail.com,

If you are looking for more information on the history of the club and where to find the new membership application, visit Raynham Lions Club.

New Grant Opportunity founded by Taunton River Stewardship Council

"We are excited to offer the River Stewardship Grant program to assist watershed communities in addressing woody obstructions in our rivers. Large fallen trees and branches prevent recreational access, hinder fish passage, and can lead to additional flooding concerns. The grant funding supports towns who are looking to improve river access."

The Taunton River Stewardship Council (TRSC) is pleased to offer the River Stewardship Grants Program with the purpose of supporting local efforts to address streamflow obstruction and reduced river access in the Taunton River and its tributaries. In recent years, the TRSC has been notified of numerous areas along the Taunton River and its tributaries that are inundated with instream wood obstruction, preventing safe recreational passage and potentially impaired fish passage. We acknowledge that instream wood is ultimately a benefit for the river ecosystem, providing habitat, bank stability, and river-channel stability. We also recognize that recreation and fish passage are important values of the Taunton River system. The need for this fragile balance is why the TRSC River Stewardship Grants Program was developed.

Funding requests can range from $500 to $10,000. All funding requests should be presented to the TRSC and are voted upon at regularly scheduled meetings.

If you are interested in applying for a River Stewardship Grant through the Taunton River Stewardship Council, please read the guidelines and email all materials to Gloria Bancroft at director@savethetaunton.org.

Reposted From: Taunton River Stewardship Council Website

RAVE's 17th Annual Holiday Craft Fair

On Saturday, December 7, RAVE held its 17th annual holiday craft fair. There were more than 45 booths with all kinds of hand-crafted holiday items. The fair, also, had raffles, live music, a kid's craft table, face painting, and a bake sale. Raynham Fire and Police, also, stopped by with Santa and the Grinch for pictures. Overall, it was a jam-packed event, that celebrated holiday cheer. Great job RAVE volunteers!

Written by Dona, BuzzAround Intern

Source: RAVE Raynham FB

Pictures By: Becky Washburn-George

American Legion Wishes Everyone a Happy Holiday



The American Legion Post 405 officers are wishing everyone happy holidays this winter season!

Reposted from: American Legion, Post 405 FB

Holiday Photos

with Santa

Sat, Dec 21 & Sun, Dec 22

12p to 4p

500 S St W

Come see Santa and have your greyhound photo taken. Pictures are available in 4x6, 5x7, and wallet sizes. There are packages of these as well as individuals. They are printed while you wait, no waiting for them to be mailed! Want a will take pictures with moms, dads, kids, cats, snakes, guinea pigs, birds, cats, grandmas, grandpas, dogs, and of course Houndies! We accept cash, checks, and cards. Prices run from $10 to $30.

For more information on the event or to register, visit Greyhound Pets of America, Massachusetts, FB

Raynham Public Library's Noon-Years Party

Tue, Dec 31

11:30a to 12:15p

Raynham Public Library

A New Year's Party for kids who can't quite make it to midnight. Join us for fun, games, and a balloon drop at the stroke of noon!  

For more information on the event or to register, visit the Raynham Public Library Calendar

Climate Can Do:

Eco-Friendly Gifting

This holiday season, let’s give our communities the gift of zero waste! Here are a few things to look out for and a few tips for giving (and wrapping) earth-conscious presents:

Shop recyclable: most shiny wrapping paper and glittery cards are not recyclable. Try brown or recycled paper or reusable fabric totes or sacks.

Save energy: holiday lights make wonderful decor, but we should be mindful of their impact on the environment. Keeping your lights on a timer or setting aside time to turn them off can save you money on your electric bill and energy. Also, consider what types of lights you’re using. LED lights consume up to 80% less energy than traditional incandescent lights and last 10 times longer. Switching to LEDs will reduce your carbon footprint and present a lesser risk of fire.

Eliminate excess: a family game of Secret Santa is not only fun and personal but can save you from buying a gift or two for everyone at the party. Additionally, if you are careful with your decor and the wrappings you receive with presents, they can save you time, money, and waste for next Christmas! Reuse and upcycle decor, wrapping, ribbons, string, and even Christmas cards, which can be cut up to make tags.

Buy Local: save time, get personalized attention, and make someone's dreams come true, spend your holiday dollars at a small, local business.

Source: www.thecommons.earth, www.wildlifetrusts.org

This Climate Can Do was written by Sara MacKinnon, BuzzAround Intern, Providence College.

The Taunton River Stewardship Council

The Taunton River is a hidden treasure, rich in history and environmental resources. As one of the most diverse and intact coastal riverine ecosystems in all of southern New England, it provides outstanding wildlife habitat, great scenic beauty, and a multitude of recreational opportunities, from camping and canoeing to snowshoeing and bird-watching.

The Taunton River travels through 10 communities for approximately 40 miles from the confluence of the Town and Matfield Rivers to the confluence of Mt. Hope Bay.

For over two decades, local citizens, planners, conservation groups, and other partners worked to protect the natural and cultural resources of the Taunton River. It is their efforts, through local planning, stewardship, and advocacy, that helped the Taunton achieve federal Wild and Scenic recognition.

In 2009, President Obama signed federal legislation designating the entire mainstem of the Taunton River as a component of the National Wild and Scenic River System to be administered by the National Park Service through a locally-based partnership, the Taunton River Stewardship Council. 

Current Representatives

As a partnership river that runs through ten communities and both public and private land, we rely heavily on the input and cooperation of members of each of these communities. The Council also includes members from state agencies and other non-profit conservation-based organizations, including Council Delegate Jim Rothwell from Raynham.

Information compiled directly from www.tauntonriver.org

Mill River image courtesy of TRWA

A Big Raynham Recognition for

Peter King



At the December 3rd meeting, the Board of Selectmen awarded Raynham's retired Chief of Police Peter King the Raynham Recognition Award.

Chief King was nominated by R.A.V.E because of the children's safety initiatives they worked on together while he was chief and the volunteer time he continues to put in for the Town of Raynham.

A Marine veteran, King was a part of the Raynham Police Department for 34 years; for 30 of those years, he served as chief. King is dedicated to safety within our community.

Members of the Board of Selectmen along with those in attendance expressed their admiration for everything King has done for the Town of Raynham. King remains active as a volunteer town photographer.

Congratulations Chief King; and thank you for your service and continued dedication.  The presentation can be found on The Raynham Channel  

Written by Bethani Jerke, BuzzAround Intern, SNHU

Source and Photo Credit:The Raynham Channel

Your BuzzAround supports the dignity of all human beings, is actively anti-racist, and supportive of good law enforcement policies. 

Copyright 2024 Buzz Around Raynham. 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 Raynham 12/15/24")

At the Buzz Around, we promote community and family. Your BuzzAround supports the dignity of all human beings, is actively anti-racist, and supportive of good law enforcement policies. 

Individual groups are responsible for how they represent themselves on their websites and in their promotional materials. BuzzAround is not responsible for the media content of other organizations.