Happenings

by Rick Winterson   “Toys for Tots” for Greater Boston is located here in South Boston.  It’s on the Eighth Floor of the Design Center (formally called the “Innovation and Design Building”) at 21 Drydock Avenue.  You can visit there to drop off donated toys, which are then distributed by U.S. Marine Corps personnel working there, along with many, many volunteers.  The total effect of the “Toys for Tots” annual efforts at Christmastime are nothing short of colossal. Last Tuesday, November 20, Mayor of Boston Martin J. Walsh took some time from his own busy Holiday schedule to visit “Toys for Tots” in the Design Center.  He took a brief tour of the facility, along with Vinnie Dolan and Major DeVries, USMC, who came in [...]

  by Rick Winterson      As South Boston Online promised in its last issue, the Annual Comedy Night, a laugh-filled party courtesy of the South Boston Collaborative Center, was a great success.  The Collaborative’s Comedy Night was held last Friday evening, November 16, in Florian Hall.  A full house of between 250 and 300 guests formed a responsive audience, who were ready to have a great time while supporting the Collaborative (both of which they certainly did). The high point of the evening was the presentation of the Annual Darlene Sheehan “Beacon of Hope” Awards.  The two 2018 recipients – George McEvoy and Dennis McLaughlin – are members of the ILA (the International Longshoremen’s Association).  Collaborative Executive Director Andy Ward served as Emcee; Sen. [...]

 by Rick Winterson   First, let’s look at some “demographics” in Washington.  As everyone knows, in the recent mid-term elections American voters sent a Democratic majority to the U.S. House of Representatives.  By itself, that’s not unusual.  In fact, out of 50 mid-term elections in our history, only three times did the House fail (!) to change hands.  This means that the House now has a large number of new, younger Democrats – age 50 or less – while its leaders, mostly senior House members, are in their late 70s and 80s.  Calls for new leadership have been frequently heard since the November 6 elections. South Boston’s Congressman Stephen Lynch was interviewed by “On the Record” (OTR, Channel 5) last Sunday.  Lynch himself has been [...]

By Richard Campbell The 23rd Annual Kenneth B. Schwartz Compassionate Healthcare Dinner graced the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center this past Thursday with well over 1,300 in attendance.  While many award dinners are kind of superficial entertainments, this event was marked for the depth of feeling and humility of the Schwartz Center’s extended medical family. In the age of increased public violence since 911 and the Marathon bombing, Bostonians have gained a new appreciation for challenges faced by first responders and medical professionals in rehabilitative services- but many may not know about the enormity of this group’s mission.   If your personal life is touched by the tragedy of trauma, life threatening illness, or deep psychological struggles;  perhaps the best thing that could happen is that [...]

The Broadway has just become a substantial donor to the SB Boys & Girls Club, located on Sixth Street in the Edgerley Family Clubhouse. Shown above at the start of a Clubhouse tour are Nick Zaferakis (Advisory Board), Harry Duvall (Club Director), Joey Acari (“The Broadway’s” Owner), Katie Lang (from “The Broadway”), and Zach Flechtner (Advisory Board). The members of the Boys & Girls Club, as well as everyone in South Boston, are grateful to “The Broadway” for their to “The Broadway” for their generosity. And by the way, their renovations are really striking – be sure to stop in for a look. generosity.

Three Young Ladies Support Dana Farber by Rick Winterson Last Friday, three South Boston women visited the Yawkey Center for Cancer Care, an integral part of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. These three ladies from South Boston met with Dana Farber’s Hannah Rosenberg and Allison Karzenski from the Development Office of Annual Giving, in order to present a check for funds they had raised here in South Boston, selling hand-crafted rings, chokers, and bracelets they had made by themselves. These South Boston women are actually young girls, whose names are Natalie LaTerza, Callie Barrett, and Sophie Angotto. They are third graders at the Oliver Hazard Perry K-8 School. They came up with their idea of doing this fundraising project while they were second graders, so [...]

  Gleaming new buildings are springing up like mushrooms all over South Boston, along with upscale restaurants and trendy boutiques. In this atmosphere of plenty it’s hard to imagine that there are more than a few people in the neighborhood who are hurting and hungry. But hurting and hungry they are.  Ten years ago, Dr. Nisha Thakrar, pediatrician and Chief Medical Officer at South Boston Community Health Center approached the CEO, Bill Halpin, with a concern. She had patients who weren’t making it to the end of the month with their food supply. She had several moms who had to make the choice to forgo a meal so their children could eat.  Halpin and Susan LaPaglia, the Director of Administrative Services spearheaded a food drive. [...]

by Rick Winterson  Last Wednesday morning, October 3, Artists for Humanity cut the ribbon on its 30,000 square foot expansion.  For several years now, Artists for Humanity has occupied its clean-lined building at the intersection of A and Second Streets. This building opened in 2004. It is called “The EpiCenter”, a word that means the point on the earth’s surface directly above an earthquake. The EpiCenter has served thousands of young artists, who have generated a true “earthquake” of creativity in Boston since then.  Led by Susan Rodgerson, its Founding Executive/Artistic Director, Artists for Humanity began working with young artists in 1993, using donated space in the old Boston Wharf warehouses along A Street. When Boston Wharf sold their properties, Artists for Humanity moved to [...]