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Julie’s Family Learning Program is one of 33 local nonprofits awarded a total of $10 million from Cummings Foundation through its new Sustaining Grants program, which provides funding for up to 10 years.  Bob Monahan, Executive Director, and Carrie Coughlin, Director of Development, represented the nonprofit at a May 3 awards night at TradeCenter 128 in Woburn. Julie's high touch, long term engagement with individual mothers and their children provides a path to stability for families living in poverty. Currently, 50% are homeless, the rest live in public housing. Many struggle with childhood trauma, addiction, domestic violence, unemployment and poor health. Our intensive, holistic curriculum of adult basic education and life skills, combined with licensed, certified childcare, emergency supports and basic needs, and, most importantly, [...]

by Rick Winterson   Fr. Joseph M. White is well known in South Boston.  A few years ago, Fr. Joe was the Pastor of St. Vincent de Paul Parish at E and West Third Streets.  He’s now the Pastor of the West End’s St. Joseph Parish, but we are still fortunate to see a lot of him around here.  Last Thursday evening, April 26, the Laboure Center conferred their 2018 Jack Shaughnessy Service Award upon Fr. Joe at the Laboure’s 36th Annual Spring Reception.  He is a devoted parish priest, who willingly serves our community in a variety of ways. For a long time, Fr. Joe has worked on the problem of substance abuse, especially ministering to addicted people themselves and to their immediate families.  [...]

This year I am honored to serve as the Executive Council Co-Chair for the 2018 Boston Take Steps Walk for the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation. Last year, Boston Take Steps raised $340,000 for research, education, and programs to benefit the mission of the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation. Furthermore, our walk was the 3rd top Take Steps fundraising event in the country! Nationally, the Take Steps Walk program raises more than $10.5 million annually towards mission-critical research and patient education and support programs. Through our efforts last year, TEAM BUTLER RAISED NEARLY $42,000! (A huge thank you to all, you should know that we were a top 5 Team in the country in 2017)! Many of you now know my wife Sheila's story and how Crohn’s disease [...]

The Special Election to fill the First Suffolk District’s State Senate seat, which had been vacated by Linda Dorcena Forry in January, was held on Tuesday, May 1.  It is now over, and congratulations are in order for South Boston’s Nicholas “Nick” Collins (Democrat), who became state Senator Nick Collins (D) as of Wednesday morning. It was a decisive win for Senator Nick.  He captured just over 86% of the 4,700 votes cast.  He is a lifelong resident of South Boston, and has been our Representative in the Commonwealth’s state Legislature for seven years since 2010.  His two opponents – Althea Garrison (8+% of votes cast) and Donald Osgood, Sr. (3+% of votes cast) – received a total of 12% of the total votes cast. [...]

A Run to Honor … An Honor to Run Race date: Saturday, May 5, 2018   The 17th Annual Boston Marine Corps Honor Run will be held on Saturday, May 5, 2018 in honor of Marine Lance Corporal Alexander Scott Arredondo of Randolph, MA. More than 1,500 people - including active-duty military, veterans from all branches of armed services, and local law enforcement groups - will gather at South Boston’s DCR Carson Beach to run us in honor of Lance Corporal Arredondo who was killed in action on August 25, 2004   This popular 5K road race, produced by Boston-based Conventures, Inc., is held to raise awareness for the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation.     Lance Corporal Arredondo was killed in action on August 25, [...]

by Rick Winterson      South Boston Online was invited to take part in a recent tour of the newly entitled “Innovation and Design Building”, now commonly known as the “IDB”.  The tour was arranged and sponsored by the Friends of Fort Point Channel (the FFPC), headed by Rachel Borgatti, its Executive Director.  Early on Thursday morning, April 12, approximately 40 members of the “Friends” gathered in the Ann Sacks Showroom (21 Drydock, Suite 120E).  Ms. Sacks had graciously offered her design space for this; coffee and a collation were served. This tour’s purpose was aimed at introducing interested Fort Point businesses to the commercial and scientific activities that now occupy the Innovation and Design Building (the IDB).  There’s an interesting growth and transition pattern [...]

by Rick Winterson      Momentum (and excitement) for observing the 200th Anniversary of Father Francis Anthony Matignon’s death is growing.  This was increasingly obvious at the most recent Anniversary Committee meeting on April 12. To briefly review, Fr. Matignon served as the Catholic priest for Boston and all of New England from the late 1700s until his death on September 15, 1818.  Boston’s first Bishop, Jean-Louis de Cheverus, erected the St. Augustine Chapel to Matignon’s memory, breaking ground in December, 1818, and completing the Chapel in 1819.  Fr. Matignon’s remains are interred in the Chapel.  Since then, Cardinal Cushing built the Matignon High School in North Cambridge. Observances at the Chapel are already planned later this year, beginning on Friday evening, September 14; Cardinal [...]

By Richard Campbell As big box retailers fade into irrelevance blaming Amazon for their demise, LL Bean’s opening in the Boston Seaport this past week showed everyone that old fashioned customer service, genuine product, and just being friendly drives customer loyalty.  I’ve been to plenty of store openings over the years, and would have to go way back to recall any store opening with such smart style, well trained staff, and genuine great vibes. Rarely does this writer to wait outside a store in a cow line, but I showed up and hour early to be a gift card recipient and mind waiting at all because the LL Bean staff kept coming by lavishing us with freebies (water, water bottles, hats, pens).  LL Bean greeters [...]

by Rick Winterson      South Boston’s Neighborhood Advisory Council meets monthly to conduct an open, back-and-forth discussion of police matters in and around South Boston.  This meeting, called by Station C-6 Capt. Joseph Boyle on Wednesday evening, April 4, was particularly interesting locally. March’s key event, of course, was the St. Patrick’s/Evacuation Day Parade on Sunday, March 18.  Capt. Boyle reported that it was comparatively peaceful along the Parade’s abbreviated route, which terminated halfway along the usual route, at Farragut Road.  A few complaints were voiced about the length of the lines into the bars and taverns along Broadway, but nothing really serious occurred because of these.  Some 67 police actions were taken during the Parade itself – lower than last year’s total of [...]