From the Community

13 Jamaica Plain Residents Participated in Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk

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On Sunday, 13 Jamaica Plain residents participated in the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk. The Jamaica Plain residents joined thousands of other walkers on Oct. 1 in the iconic annual event to raise funds to support all forms of adult and pediatric care and cancer research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. The Jimmy Fund Walk has raised more than $167 million for Dana-Farber Cancer in its 34-year history including more than $8.8 million in 2022. The following Jamaica Plain residents walked:

Steven Penella
Chelsea Heneghan
Dong-Woo Kang
Awilda Pena
Liz Attanasio
William Cyr
Hadley Bloomhardt
Minh Do
Jimmy Kearney
Joanne Wolfe
Mary Adams
Juliana Willis
Jane Craycroft

“Throughout the past 34 years, the Jimmy Fund Walk has continuously supported life-saving research and cancer care at Dana-Farber.

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From the Community

Opinion: City Not Listening to Residents About Proposed Boylston Street Bike Lanes

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Many pro-bike lane residents around Boylston Street are very disappointed with the city’s continued insistence on pushing through its original Boylston Street multiple bike lane plan without any revisions to respond to the expressed concerns and objections of the neighbors. They are insisting on the plan that was developed in a vacuum without community engagement and without accommodations for the community’s concerns. The city plans to carry out a quick-fix plan to push through an unsafe 2-way bike plan for narrow, congested 1-way Boylston Street that creates safety issues for cyclists, congests traffic, causes unnecessary hardship for many residents, and has infuriated the community. The part of Boylston Street this concerns runs for a half-mile uphill from Lamartine to Centre Street. It is a busy connector for westbound traffic through JP.

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From the Community

Boston’s Latin Quarter Welcomes Latinx Heritage Month with Comparsa and Outdoor Theater

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The cultural district of Boston's Latin Quarter will kick off the celebration of Latinx Heritage Month on September 15 at the iconic Mozart Park with a troupe and play starring the Puerto Rican artistic collective Agua, Sol y Sereno, along with youth from the community. The free cultural activity will include the presentation of the play "Comer," an original piece by Agua, Sol y Sereno for the whole family, which includes live music, dance and pantomimes. In addition, the public will be able to enjoy the comparsas that have made this artistic group famous for their colorful costumes and original "cabezudos." Agua, Sol y Sereno rose to world fame last February, when their "cabezudos" co-starred in the opening of the 2023 Grammy Awards along with fellow Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny. But its trajectory includes 25 years of dynamic creations with a thematic focus grounded in cultural identity and social justice.

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From the Community

Sherrill House Taps Tuere L. Crawford to Lead Longwood Hospice Program

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Jamaica Plain's Sherrill House, a not-for-profit skilled nursing and rehabilitation center, recently announced that Tuere L. Crawford has been named executive director of its Longwood Hospice program. Crawford brings more than 30 years of experience in health care, skilled nursing, and hospice settings to Longwood Hospice, which was opened in Brookline by Sherrill House in 2022. She has held executive and management-level positions at Norwood Hospital, Kindred Healthcare, Ascend Hospice, and CareOne. “Tuere is a wonderful addition to our growing team at Sherrill House and Longwood Hospice,” said Sherrill House Chief Executive Officer Patrick J. Stapleton. “Her warmth, energy and leadership will help this program expand and flourish.”

As Longwood Hospice Executive Director, Crawford will focus on increasing program development, creating brand awareness, educating the community on hospice care and its benefits, and cultivating a strong team.

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From the Community

JP Nonprofit VOAMASS Receives $200,000+ in Grants to Benefit Veterans Services Work

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Jamaica Plain-based Volunteers of America of Massachusetts (VOAMASS), a nonprofit that creates opportunities for individuals through residential and outpatient behavioral health treatment, re-entry for justice-involved individuals, veteran services and senior living, recently received two grants totaling more than $200,000 from The Home Depot Foundation for programs and projects at the Massachusetts Bay Veterans Center (MBVC) in Somerville. VOAMASS received a Veterans Flexible Funding grant of $150,159 to expand its Welcome Home Project, which helps veterans secure permanent housing and remain stably housed. The organization also received a Veterans Housing Grant of $51,292 to upgrade MBVC’s security and HVAC systems.

“Two of the biggest challenges homeless veterans face are finding housing and receiving comprehensive, trauma-informed behavioral health care,” said VOAMASS President and CEO Charles Gagnon. “These grants from The Home Depot Foundation will help ensure that MBVC is best positioned to provide the services and supports that our veterans deserve.”

The Welcome Home Project focuses on assisting veterans transitioning from MBVC into permanent housing by helping them obtain rental leases and household goods while accessing continued case management within the community. The grant funds will be used to create a veteran aid fund and hire a housing coordinator.

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From the Community

Community Servings Appoints Two New Members to Board of Directors

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Jamaica Plain nonprofit Community Servings, a nonprofit provider of medically tailored meals and nutrition services, and a leader in “food is medicine” research, advocacy and policy, announced the election of two new members to its Board of Directors. • Jerome Smith, Head of Community Engagement - New England for Amazon, who leads the online retail and technology company’s community engagement for the New England region;

• Debbie Williams, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer and Senior Vice President for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, who leads sales, brand and marketing for the state’s largest private health plan. “Jerome and Debbie bring tremendous experience in community engagement and health care, respectively, and we look forward to their contributions to the board as Community Servings continues to grow and serve more people living with critical and chronic illnesses,” said David B. Waters, CEO of Community Servings. The new board members began their leadership roles with Community Servings in July. Smith’s career has always centered on community.

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From the Community

Jamaica Plain Student Selected for Highly Competitive Internship with Boys and Girls Club

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Jamaica Plain's Yohannes Bekele was among five students selected as 2023 Massachusetts Bank of America Student Leaders, a highly competitive internship that recognizes 300 community-focused juniors and seniors from across the U.S. annually. As part of his internship, Bekele was placed with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston this summer to help mentor young people while building essential workforce experience and leadership skills. He also participated in an all-expense paid week-long leadership summit in Washington, D.C.

Bekele is a rising senior at John D. O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science and a member of his high school debate team. “By providing the pathways and resources for young adults to gain the foundational work skills and leadership experience they need to succeed, we are investing in long-term economic growth in Massachusetts,” said Miceal Chamberlain, President, Bank of America Massachusetts. “The teens selected for this paid summer intern program are truly extraordinary, but they may not have had access to opportunities like this until now.

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From the Community

Open Your Heart: Immigrant Stories and Music from Boston and Beyond on June 30

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Hoopla Productions (who brought you JP Porchfest from 2014-2019) invites you to a different type of event: Open Your Heart: Immigrant Stories and Music from Boston at Beyond on City Hall Plaza. Open Your Heart is an inter-generational show that centers the moving and inspiring stories of seven immigrants who landed in East Boston and ultimately became community leaders and activists who contribute to the vibrancy of their community. Produced by Jamaica Plain-based Hoopla Productions, in collaboration with the East Boston-based youth nonprofit, ZUMIX!, the show features youth actors and musicians from ZUMIX along with professional actors, Ines de la Cruz, Jaime José Hernandez, and Luz Lopez. Narrating the performance is Jenn DeLeon, award-winning writer and young adult author of Borderless. And following the show, there’s a dance party with dancer, singer and percussionist, Eli Pabon!

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From the Community

President’s Walking Tour of the Entire Emerald Necklace Park on June 17

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Lace up your walking shoes and join the Emerald Necklace Conservancy for the 5.5-mile walk through Frederick Law Olmsted’s entire Emerald Necklace park on June 17. The Emerald Necklace is Boston’s largest park system and includes seven distinct parks designed by Frederick Law Olmsted to connect more than a dozen neighborhoods with 1,100 acres of meadows, woodlands, waterways, paths, and parkways. The Emerald Necklace Conservancy is a community-supported non-profit founded in 1998 to steward and champion the Emerald Necklace. Conservancy President Karen Mauney-Brodek will lead the complete 5.5-mile walk from Franklin Park to Charlesgate of the Emerald Necklace park. Brief stops will be made along the way to take in the scenery and learn about this historic parkland and the Conservancy’s current work to restore, maintain and improve these green spaces.

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From the Community

Jamaica Plain Resident Elected to Massachusetts Society of CPAs Board of Directors

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The Massachusetts Society of Certified Public Accountants (MassCPAs) recently announced that Jamaica Plain resident Adnani Johari was elected to serve a third year on its Board of Directors for its 2023-2024 fiscal year. Johari is a director and vice president at Brighthouse Investment Advisers, a member of the Brighthouse Investment Advisors Valuation Committee and an assistant treasurer of Brighthouse Funds. MassCPAs Board of Directors is a group of 19 elected members that sets policies, manages programs and oversees activities for the 11,500-member organization. “MassCPAs Board of Directors is an exceptional and diverse group of individuals that will have a profound impact on defining the Society's priorities and propelling the accounting profession forward in Massachusetts," said Amy Pitter, MassCPAs president and CEO via press release. “I am thrilled to have Adnani on the board and know that her valuable contributions and leadership will benefit the Society, our community and the profession in the coming year.”

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