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Hello Neighbors and Friends -
Regardless of whether or not you have ushered kids off to school in recent weeks, I think we're all feeling the rhythmic shifts from summer to fall. I'm embracing it and looking forward to cozy socks and sweatshirts, pumpkins and foliage. Transitions can also be tough, so I am working on giving myself a break when things don't go exactly as planned.
Speaking of fall, Westborough Connects is excited to introduce what we hope will be a new fall tradition to support that shift for the adults in town - Westborough for Life! Stay. Connect. Thrive. The event centers on how to live well, thrive and have some fun as adults here throughout your entire lifespan. See further down in the newsletter for more information. We hope to see you there!
This year, our event falls on September 11th. As we look ahead to how we will mark that day at the event with a special moment of silence and an original song by singer/songwriter and Westborough resident Luanne Crosby, we are happy to know we will be spending that afternoon harnessing the vibrancy and strength of our community TOGETHER.
September includes a few additional special occasions celebrated by many in our community. September 15th begins the month-long Hispanic Heritage Month and Jews will celebrate Rosh Hashanah on September 25th.
Yours in community,
Kelley Petralia
Executive Director, Westborough Connects
kelleyconnects1@gmail.com
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For the full month of September, a portion of every sale will be donated to Westborough Connects. |
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Veg Out @ Nourse Farm is located in Westborough (intersection of Nourse Street & Jasper Street) |
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Join in the fun this Sunday! |
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SPECIAL NOTE: You may have noticed that we are marketing it as ages 45+. That is an arbitrary number we chose because we wanted to make it clear that this event is for adults who are wondering what there is for them here in Westborough - beyond raising young children and/or building their careers - through all the ages and stages of their lives. Don't worry, we won't be checking ids at the door!
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Thank you to our sponsors! |
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Westborough Connects relies on local business support and we are grateful to the following businesses: |
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Thank you Cumulus Global for becoming a
Bridge Builder
sponsor.
Cumulus Global helps small and mid-size enterprises get more value from their existing IT and new cloud services and technologies.
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Welcome to our two new
Friend of Westborough Connects
sponsors:
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Westborough Connects Unveils a New StoryWalk® Exhibit
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WESTBOROUGH CONNECTS PRESENTS:
StoryWalk® featuring the book
If the World Were 100 People
by Jackie McCann.
The latest installment of our StoryWalk® will be ready beginning the afternoon of September 9th and remain in place through the first week of December.
We are excited and grateful to announce that Nourse Farm (located at the corner of Jasper Street and Nourse Street) is our host for this self-guided StoryWalk®.
Please Note: Soon, we will share a recorded reading featuring local youth. Stay tuned for news on that.
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About the book: If the World Were 100 People: A Visual Guide to Our Global Village by Jackie McCann is described as an "accessible introduction to the people who live on our planet, with big ideas broken into bite-size chunks through clever graphic design...With almost 7.8 billion people sharing the earth, it can be a little hard to picture what the human race looks like all together. But if we could shrink the world down to just 100 people, what could we learn about the human race? What would we look like? Where and how would we all be living? This book answers all these questions and more!"
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Community Programs and Events |
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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.
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A pair of programs in Westborough coming up Friday from OUT MetroWest
Welcoming parents and caregivers and LGBTQ+ middle and high schoolers.
Event location:
Westborough Senior Center
4 Rogers Road
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Mushrooms of Westborough
September 11th, 1-3:30pm
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Come learn about mushrooms with WCLT!
Mushrooms, the fruiting bodies of fungi, are incredibly diverse in color, shape, and texture. They attract our senses with the variety they bring to the forest floor. Over one thousand species are known in Massachusetts! In addition to their beauty, they play a key role in forest ecology.
We will look at how to recognize and identify mushrooms, use several field guides, and discuss fungus ecology on a leisurely walk in a woodland trail setting. We will not discuss edibility.
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Free, no registration required.
Meet at the trailhead for the Libby/Wile Forest, at the end of Carroll Drive, Westborough, MA.
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VIRTUAL PROGRAM
The History of the Westborough Schools
September 12th, 7pm
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All are welcome to this Zoom presentation on “The History of Westborough Schools” by Marcia Hoffman.
From eight district one-room school houses to the super contemporary 2021 Fales Elementary School, Westborough has been renowned for its excellent schools. Well-known Westborough teacher Marcia Hoffman will trace the impressive evolution of Westborough’s public education, school buildings, and celebrated teachers over three centuries. This virtual presentation will compare the days of chalkboards, Rinehart penmanship, and inkwells with today’s laptops and online assignments.
This program is free and open to the public. To register, click HERE.
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In addition to this program, Westborough Public Library has a great lineup of activities in honor of Welcoming Week (September 9-18th).
Check out the WPL's brochure HERE.
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UPCOMING VIRTUAL PROGRAM:
Preventing Suicides: Supporting the Teens in Your Life
September 15, 2022, 7-8:30pm
Dr. Kiara Alvarez will share how parents and caring adults can identify warning signs of mental health crisis and suicide, communicate with teens about suicide prevention, and encourage teens to seek help. After the webinar, complete the online evaluation and you'll receive a free copy of their "Preventing Suicides: Stories of Loss and Hope" brochure.
If you are new to the topic of teen depression or in need of a refresher, Families for Depression Awareness recommends you watch their Understanding Teen Depression as a foundation to this upcoming webinar.
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Additional Events from Westborough Historical Society: |
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11am-5pm
Bay State Green (Downtown Westborough: 1100 Union Street)
Arts in Common, sponsored by the Westborough Cultural Council, brings together people from all over Massachusetts to experience and celebrate creativity in all forms of artistic medium and expression such as visual arts, culinary arts, music and more. Using the universal language of art to ignite creative expression in children and adults.
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Opportunities for Connection, Civic Engagement, and Helping Others & the Environment |
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Westborough Senior Center is in need of drivers to help bring people to local medical appointments. If you have a few hours to spare (even on an occasional basis), this is a great opportunity to help out a neighbor.
If you're interested, contact MaryEllen Cibelli at (508)366-3000 x 5176.
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Westborough Connects was a recipient of a 2021 Community Grant from Reliant Foundation. Participating in this 5k is another way of supporting the mission of Westborough Connects as Reliant provides critical funds to local nonprofits who serve the community needs around mental and behavioral health.
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One of many wonderful traditions celebrated as part of the WHS senior class each year is the annual running of the tie-dye through the neighborhoods around the high school, marking the last "first day" for the soon-to-be graduating seniors. Thanks to Westborough TV, you can get a sense of it HERE.
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Westborough TV's "Go Local, Westborough" is a wonderful short program. Recently, they featured a new business in town - Vivacity Wellness and Nutrition. Watch it HERE (3 min 29 sec).
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Noteworthy Reads and Resources |
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This 20-second video might just "make your day". Just like the turtles, we need each other!
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The Boston-based television program Chronicle (WCVB-Boston) recently featured Nourse Farm and Veg Out @ Nourse Farm. It is a wonderful piece on the farm, its history and the Nourse family. You can watch it HERE (less than 5 minutes).
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As an organization focused on community connection, we are big fans of having local newspapers and local cable television stations. We are fortunate to have both in this town, as we see some other surrounding towns losing their local paper. "More Newspapers Just Died" from Community Advocate's publisher, Dave Bagdon, is worth a read.
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During this Suicide Prevention Month this September, we wanted to again share the Square One Mental Health Resources list (translated versions available HERE) and remind readers that the National Suicide Hotline is now available by phone, chat or text at 988. It is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with support for over 150 languages.
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As part of the Community First Partnership, Westborough is partnering with the Sponsors of Mass Save to bring energy savings to all residents and small businesses. Find out more about their free Home Energy Assessment HERE.
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Our network partners SPARK Kindness have published this helpful special edition newsletter for families with school-aged children: "Resources to Help with Your Back to School Transition."
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2022 Westborough Connects Grant Sponsor |
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