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
When Gerry Dunleavy was growing up near the Cliffs of Mohr in Ireland, he probably never thought he’d be a successful builder in America. But he came to Winchester in 1978 because his job for an electrical engineering company transferred him to the U.S. for work. While visiting
When Maaike Biemans was 4 years old, she had open heart surgery at Boston Children’s Hospital. Now she’s giving back with entertainment bags for young patients. The Brookside Avenue resident is a Northeastern University student and for her senior project, she’s creating these bags for the hospital’
Every Sunday, six or seven Winchester High School students conduct English language classes at Vinson-Owen Elementary School. They call their program, “Teaching English to Elderly Immigrants.” Amberwood Drive resident Nicole Han started the program during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Social isolation was a big problem then,” says Han. “There was no
If you’ve ever had a pen pal, you know how much fun it can be, and Karen Fullerton is helping Winchester seniors get them. They’re McCall students, and Fullerton’s project is called Letters Trellis. “We’ve got 15 pairs,” Fullerton says. “These letters feed the spirit and
This past holiday season, downtown trees were covered in lights and many residents might have thought the town pays for them. But in fact, Squire Road resident Lucille Murray raised funds and bought them in 2004 to cheer up Winchester’s children. “My 10-year-old daughter Marie Camille died from cystic
