Mairead Christopher, Euan Gwee and Hudson Lewandowski recently invited residents attending a mid-September farmers market to “adopt a drain.” Winchester High School sophomore Gwee says that he became involved in the Adopt-a-Drain program when he was looking for an Eagle Scout project. “I found this town program and I signed
Old Lyme Road resident Kerry Sullivan is trying to get the state to require health insurers to pay for hearing aids. “I’ve had a hearing loss since childhood from no known cause,” she says. “As a child, I would lip read and sit at the front of the classroom,
Grove Street resident Dr. Jonathan Paolino will be participating with his team in October’s Jimmy Fund Walk. A pediatric oncologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, his interest in pediatrics started when he was an Army medic. “I served three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan,” he says. “I realized then
You may have missed 19-year-old resident Rebecca Vernaglia because she whizzes by on her bicycle at a fast clip. Vernaglia recently put her hobby to good use when she rode in this year’s Pan-Mass Challenge, and raised more than $6,000 for the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. “I really like
Not only is she a Helper Among Us, Trish Gannon is also an artist. A 30-year Winchester resident, Gannon is a member of the Winchester Cultural Council and helped organize the 2025 Art in August. When asked why she joined the Cultural Council, Gannon says, “I’m an artist looking
Software company developer Pam Reeve, now retired, spends a lot of time helping — and her particular focus at the moment is helping the Boston Arts Academy Foundation do its fund-raising for the public school. The Boston Arts Academy’s goal is to raise $2.5 million. The Swan Street resident
Lisa Kalner Williams claims some of Facebook’s Everything Is Free Winchester items, but not for herself. The Hillside Avenue resident picks up clothing and school supplies for MAMAS, a Somerville organization that has their Free Store twice a year. Originally, they only had clothes, but Williams convinced them to
Winchester includes fewer than 3% of Blacks, but as local NAACP members point out, “The association is open to everyone, not just to Black folks.” Patty Shepherd says the Mystic Valley branch of the National Association for Colored People “has been around since the 1940s — it’s one of the
Amrita Mondal does classical Indian dance and she’s using her connections in the dance world to raise money for The Bridge Recovery Center which helps folks affected by a substance abuse disorder. The 16-year-old Winchester High School rising junior is coordinating an Indian dance and music charity festival in
Four McCall Middle School eighth-graders talked to Winchester News before the end of school about how they collected toiletry articles for homeless shelters. Isabella Bickford, Anna Dedeke, Sonia Kneiss and Lily Werner were looking for items, including sunscreen and menstrual products, which they put into 20 backpacks, according to Lily.
Perhaps Lyra should be the Winchester News Pet of the Week — she’s a therapy dog and she shares the Helpers Among Us category with her owner, Frank Siteman. He says he knew Lyra would make a good therapy dog. “Lyra’s behaviors are consistent with what a therapy animal
Last month three students who participate in Winchester’s A Better Chance program decided to go to Guatemala as part of a School of the World program. Joel Aryee, Danry Njawa and Eyitayo (Tayo) Owolabi mixed cement, painted the outside of a school building and created two murals. “Last year
When Maureen Conway and Mai Harrison were asked to be the chairs of this year’s En Ka Fair, they readily agreed. Harrison says, “Every year En Ka asks for chairs and I’ve always wanted to help bring joy to the town. Plus, it works for my schedule.” The
When Wendell Street resident Meg Mehn was looking for ways to give back to the community, she decided to join The Friends of Winchester Library. When asked why, Mehm says, “I used to take my kids to the library every week — it was an important place for them.” They found
When High School Junior Jacob Lieberman was stuck at home during COVID, he enjoyed baking with his mother. “It was a new thing for me,” he says. “We’d bake something different every day.” Five years later, he and his twin sister Mason and their friend Rachel Dunlap had a
If your shoes don’t get messy when you’re at Manchester Field, it might be thanks to Connie. The 4-year-old border collie runs around and chases the geese away several times a day. “I checked with the town’s Recreation Department and they said it’s OK,” says Manchester
