SBOL_Jeanne

By Ginger DeShaney More than 50 volunteers descended upon East 1st Street Saturday to pick up trash and beautify the area. “It’s people coming together with pride for the neighborhood,” said former Mayor Ray Flynn, who along with his wife, Cathy, stopped by Eversource Park at 500 East 1st St. for the event. In a collaboration of the Friends of NoB (North of Broadway), the Friends of the Boston Harborwalk, and Eversource, the area between Summer Street and West 1st was cleaned up during the Harborwalk Park Cleanup, done in conjunction with Earth Day.  Ray and Cathy are no strangers to working with neighborhood residents. “I’m so proud of these neighbors,” Ray said. “All these neighbors, they are so committed to this community. It’s a [...]

By Ginger DeShaney Erin Welch The South Boston Lawn Garden & Patio Facebook group is a peaceful place to spend a little time and take a gorgeous journey through the neighborhood.  “If you're an obsessed gardener or someone who just likes to look at pretty landscapes, you'll make a great addition to the group,” said Erin Welch, who founded the group because “I love working in my yard! Obsessed with it. I also love to learn all there is to know about growing plants. “There's so much I don't know, and I thought it would be good to have a group where members can learn and share ideas. It seemed like a great way for neighbors of all ages and backgrounds to bond [...]

By Ginger DeShaney The Edgerley Family South Boston Boys & Girls Club helped shape Brendan Frize into the amazing young man he is today.  “Ever since I started spending time there at age 8, it’s been a big part of my life,” the son of Christine and Liam Frize said. “The Club has definitely prepared me for life … by teaching me tons of skills like leadership, honesty, and to be confident and outgoing” as well as responsibility, accountability, and empathy. Taking all those lessons to heart and incorporating them into his life set up Brendan to become the Edgerley Club’s Youth of the Year. “I was really excited when I got the call,” he said. “I was happy that I was able to represent [...]

By Ginger DeShaney More than 300 local youth are learning lacrosse and life skills. “We make sure we give them the skills to play, but we make sure it’s more than the X’s and O’s,” said Erin Brogan, director of Boston Youth Lacrosse and coach of the seventh- and eighth-grade girls’ team. “All our coaches talk about sportsmanship and remind kids how to be a great teammate.” There are also plenty of team-building activities, as well as leadership opportunities for the older kids and players who have graduated out of the program, including becoming junior officials and volunteering for the Learn to Play program for younger kids. The program started as South Boston Youth Lacrosse in 1997. In 2016, it became Boston Youth Lacrosse to [...]

Donna Brown and Noah White donned their gloves, grabbed their brooms and trash bags, loaded up the wagon, and hit West Broadway earlier this month.  Donna, the executive director of the South Boston Neighborhood Development Corporation, and Noah, an intern there, were doing their part to help Southie shine by participating in the South Boston Spring Spruce-Up.  As Donna wrote in her SBNDC invitation to local businesses, nonprofits, and residents, “It's been a long winter, and South Boston's sidewalks could use a little TLC, especially along Broadway! If we all spend just 15-30 minutes picking up litter and giving the sidewalks a sweep, we'll head into [spring] looking and feeling fresher.” Donna said her organization tries to do something before Love Your Block (formerly Boston [...]