2016 Rochester Country Fair Award

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Thanks to the generosity and support of those who attended last year’s Ponderosa Open Golf Tournament to benefit the Rochester Country Fair Awards, we are happy to announce that we will be able to award $500 for educational expenses to a graduating senior from both Old Rochester Regional High School and Old Colony Regional Vocational High School.

The deserving students must reside in Rochester and have shown and proven positive leadership, strong work ethics, academic goals and community service.

Applications are now available in each of the school’s guidance offices.

Marion Garden Group Plant Sale

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The Marion Garden Group Plant Sale will be held on Saturday, May 14 from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon, with a rain date of Sunday, May 15 (same time) at Bicentennial Park on the corner of Main Street and Spring Street

Members of the Marion Garden Group have been digging, dividing, and donating. As a result, hundreds of plants from gardens all over Marion will be offered for sale next weekend at the first annual Diggings and Donations Plant Sale. You’ll want to arrive early for the best selection of hostas, black-eyed Susans, herbs, groundcovers (including pink lilies of the valley and pachysandra), dogwood, daylilies, clematis, lilac, iris, salvia, sedum, succulents, and much more. Some of the specimens have been nurtured in Marion gardens for decades. Special features at the sale are 100-year-old orange daylilies. In addition to mature varieties of perennials, there will also be seedlings, cut flowers, handmade bird and garden crafts, and houseplants for sale.

Brought to you by the Marion Garden Group, all proceeds will benefit village beautification projects. The Garden Group also sponsors the Holiday Greens Boutique held every December at the Music Hall in conjunction with the Marion Holiday House Tour.

Members have been digging and dividing their gardens and nurturing plants in a greenhouse in order to bring you this special one-day event.

The Garden Group is made up of 60 active and 30 affiliate members with an interest in gardening and the betterment of Marion. Members plant window boxes in the village four times each year with ongoing maintenance that includes watering and deadheading. They volunteer at two area nursing homes conducting monthly flower arranging classes, and they make and distribute holiday wreaths for businesses and residents of the town. This year, the group has made generous donations to the Sippican School Greenhouse, the Sippican Lands Trust, and to Pollinator Corridor, Best Bees Beehive, Seed Giveaway, and Grow Native Massachusetts. For more information, visit their website www/mariongardengroup.org.

Police Fundraise for Local Boy

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On April 28, the Mattapoisett Police Officer’s Association, in partnership with Cops for Kids with Cancer, presented a ‘big check’ to local teen Nicholas (aka Nick) Claudio of Marion (formally of Mattapoisett), age 15, a sophomore at ORRHS and a cancer survivor.

Traveling from Braintree to be with Nick and to help present the gift was Cops for Kids with Cancer Chairman Robert Faherty, a retired Boston Police officer. Present from the Mattapoisett Police Officer’s Association were Officers Turner Ryan, Adalberto Cardoso, Nicholas Lorenco, and Kyle Pavao.

At the age of 9, Nick was diagnosed with brain cancer, his mother Alison Isherwood shared. The disease would eventually rob Nick of his eyesight, but not his spirit. His story was brought to the attention of the Mattapoisett Police Department, which has worked with Cops for Kids with Cancer for the last several years.

Cops for Kids with Cancer is a nonprofit organization started by one police officer, John Dow, of the Boston Police Department. Dow’s personal health issues inspired him to help children suffering from cancer and their families, as he recognized the financial burden heaped on families dealing with a cancer diagnosis.

Dow, along with fellow police officers, began fundraising in an effort to provide these families with a bit of financial relief. Dow has since passed away, but his work continues, Faherty said.

“There are lots of charities out there that give money to hospitals or research centers, but our organization gives money directly to the families,” Faherty said. Since 2003, the organization has been able to help 450 families with checks in the amount of $5,000.

By partnering with local and state police organizations throughout New England, the group conducts fundraising events. Faherty said, “Ninety percent of all monies raised is passed along to families,” said Faherty.

The Mattapoisett Police Officer’s Association held a fundraising golf tournament in October, and the proceeds of that event went towards the gift to Claudio. The association also supports such organizations and activities as Gifts to Give, the Halloween Parade, annual student scholarships, and Breakfast with Santa.

As for Nick, he has high aspirations for the future.

“I’ll maybe do something in law or study political science,” said Claudio.

Isherwood said, years ago, when she sat down with the principal of Old Hammondtown School, she was pleasantly surprised to find herself surrounded by a team prepared to provide her son with the educational services and support he needed to stay in the school system.

That has clearly paid off.

Nick is a student of merit. He is a member of the Junior National Honor Society and currently on the honor roll at ORRHS.

On this day, as he was surrounded by retired and active duty police officers, he no doubt felt their warmth and generosity as he thanked each for the big check. It was also very apparent that the officers were moved by Nick’s bravery.

If you want to learn more about Cops for Kids with Cancer, visit copsforkidswithcancer.org. To learn more about fundraising opportunities with the Mattapoisett Police Officer’s Association, visit the department’s Facebook page or contact Officer Nicholas Lorenco at 508-758-4100 ext. 10.

By Marilou Newell

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Lights! Camera! Action!

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Recently, members of ORRJHS Cub Reporters, ORRHS Bulldog TV, Intro to TV Production/Video Journalism and Sippican School Cub Reporters attended the “Lights! Camera! Action!” Media Production Conference for high school students at Millis High School.

The event offered students the opportunity to meet their peers and view work from various high school media programs. The day opened with a mini film festival with films created by the students. Conference speakers included a panel discussion with investigative reporters Mike Beaudet from WCVB, Joe Bergantino, founder of NE Center for Investigative Reporting, and Boston Globe Photojournalist John Tlumacki. Other workshops included: documentary film making with producer/director Roger Lyons; meteorology with Fox 25’s Sarah Wroblewski; film/TV location director Tiffany Kinder; Comcast Sports Net; College Interns and Student Opportunities with Michelle Ryder, Matthew Leighton, Emmy Award Winning TJ Hourigan Host of NESN Clubhouse; camera lens choices and backpack gear.

Students gathered outside for a “Good Morning Eye Opener” message shot via drone which will air on WCVB’s morning newscast.

The conference is sponsored by the New England Chapter of the National Academy of TV Arts and Sciences.

ORRJHS Cub Reporter Daphne Poirier commented, “It was a fun conference. I especially liked the panel discussion with the investigative reporters.”

“It was fun to get a behind the scenes look at the TV and film industry,” said Bulldog TV member Zoe Bilodeau.

This was the first year the elementary students were invited to the media conference.

“The whole day was fun,” commented Sippican Cub Reporter Sarah Wyman.

“I liked the red carpet; I felt like a celebrity!” exclaimed Sippican Cub Reporter Mariah Ruell.

“It was very educational. I like learning how TV weather is done,” said Sippican Cub Reporter Rosie Lally.

Marion Town Clean-up

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To the Editor:

Over the last 25 years, whether through the organized town cleanup or Arbor Day/ Earth Day activities, the residents of Marion have come together on a particular day in the spring to clean up and keep beautiful our town. For the last couple of years, it has been paired on the same day as Springfest at Washburn Park run by The Sippican Lands Trust. Because Lands Trust is taking a year off from hosting Springfest, we, as current organizers of the town-wide clean-up, thought it best to take a break as well and re-assess how best to move forward in the years to come. Participation has dwindled a bit in the past few years with people generally commenting that they found little to pick up. That certainly speaks to our town’s ongoing efforts and commitment to keeping Marion clean!

Not wanting to completely abandon clean-up efforts, we thought we’d use May 13, during the town-wide elections at the VFW, as an opportunity to hand out bags and gloves to those leaving the polls in hopes that they could return to their own neighborhoods with those efforts in mind. We will also supply a list of historically problem areas in our town if you wish to venture elsewhere!

Thanks for your continued support over the years, and we welcome any/all comments and suggestions for the future.

Hope to see you at the polls on May 13!

Sue Noonan

Stan Bradford

The views expressed in the “Letters to the Editor” column are not necessarily those of The Wanderer, its staff or advertisers. The Wanderer will gladly accept any and all correspondence relating to timely and pertinent issues in the great Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester area, provided they include the author’s name, address and phone number for verification. We cannot publish anonymous, unsigned or unconfirmed submissions. The Wanderer reserves the right to edit, condense and otherwise alter submissions for purposes of clarity and/or spacing considerations. The Wanderer may choose to not run letters that thank businesses, and The Wanderer has the right to edit letters to omit business names. The Wanderer also reserves the right to deny publication of any submitted correspondence.

Half-Price Sale

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Mattapoisett Friends Meeting (Quaker) is extending its Spring Sale from 9:00 to 11:00 am on Saturday, May 7 at its Hall, 103 Marion Road (Rte. 6), Mattapoisett.

Everything sold at half price or less with many items 25 and 50 cents. Last Saturday’s sale netted slightly more than $800 for the Historic Meeting House Restoration Fund.

Miss Inspirational Program

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On Friday, May 6, the Miss Inspirational program will highlight and celebrate the achievements of 30 girls with special needs and disabilities at the Old Rochester Regional High School auditorium at 6:30 pm.

Hosted by the reigning Miss South Coast Jillian Zucco, this event is designed to be a confidence-building program that will focus on ability and empowerment. Ms. Zucco has been inspired by her work as a personal care attendant for girls with varying levels of disability through the Cerebral Palsy of Massachusetts organization. “So many of them are breaking barriers and overcoming incredible challenges every single day. My goal is to raise public awareness by giving these young women and girls a platform to show the community how inspirational they truly are.”

The program will have four phases: Introduction, Talent, Formal Wear, and Personal Statement. The personal statement will be submitted in writing before the event detailing obstacles they have overcome, barriers broken and/or goals and aspirations, pieces of which will be read to the audience during the Evening Wear portion of the live show.

Admission for the public to attend the Miss Inspirational program is a $10 donation to the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (Boston Children’s Hospital) to be collected at the door.

For more information, email JillianZucco@gmail.com or visit her Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/JillianMarieZucco/.

Miss Southcoast is a local preliminary to the Miss Massachusetts and Miss America organizaions.

CSL Drive Supports Local Homeless Students

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Every day, there are students across the South Coast who struggle with poverty, and that struggle has an impact on the quality of education for those homeless students enrolled in Massachusetts public schools.

A homeless child is nine times more likely to repeat a grade, and homeless children have twice the rate of learning disabilities. These alarming statistics have led Old Rochester Regional High School’s Community Service Learning (CSL) club to start a School Supplies Drive to support a local organization that is fighting homelessness by providing extra educational services to homeless students in the area.

This organization is called Schools on Wheels Massachusetts (SOWMA), and it helps students struggling with homelessness by providing them with volunteer tutors and school supplies. Since its creation in 2004, SOWMA has supported more than 1,800 students across their 12 program sites in Southeastern Massachusetts.

The drive wish list includes items such as backpacks, notebooks, rulers, pencil pouches, index cards, crayons, filler paper, 1-inch binders, and the list goes on and on. All items must be new.

Supplies collected by Old Rochester will go to students in need primarily in New Bedford, Fall River, and Brockton.

Senior Alexandria Powers worked together with CSL supervisor Heidi Graser to start the drive. Powers is a part of the SOWMA program, and she brought the drive to the school in order to allow ORR students the opportunity to help those in need.

“I contacted one of the reps, and he gave me tips on how to start the drive,” said Powers. “And when I brought it back to Ms. Graser, she really wanted to help. So we got together a lot during school and put the drive together!”

Powers is involved in the SOWMA program by tutoring local homeless children to ensure they stay on track in school.

“I tutor children in New Bedford and became inspired by how happy and enthusiastic the kids are to learn considering their situations,” said Powers. “Ms. [Kelly] Ochoa got me involved in the program along with a few other seniors in our AP Spanish class.”

The drive began on April 25 and will continue indefinitely until the CSL has collected enough supplies to donate at one time. In order to advertise, donation boxes have been set up in nearly every homeroom at ORR, including one big box in the Front Office. Posters have been set up in the hallways where students will see them and be reminded to help those less fortunate than themselves. One poster for the drive has also been featured on the Old Rochester Regional Facebook page.

If the community has any questions or donations for the drive, CSL supervisor Heidi Graser is available to email at hgraser@orr.mec.edu.

By Sienna Wurl

 

Rochester Starts ‘Operation Special Alert’

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If you live in Rochester and have a family member who has a tendency to wander, has a developmental or cognitive disability, with or without a speech impairment or is non-verbal, with the potential for requiring unique assistance in the event of an emergency, Rochester’s Chief Dispatcher Tracy Eldridge says she needs your assistance with establishing the town’s “Operation Special Alert” system.

Rochester residents with developmental and cognitive disabilities, and their parents and caregivers, will soon have a safeguard in place with first responders to ensure special accommodations can be provided during an emergency response situation. But before the voluntary program can be fully implemented, Eldridge is seeking input from parents and caregivers on what type of information to request on a standard form that residents will use to register with the program.

In addition to the basic demographic information, the goal of the program is to collect pertinent information about the resident that will help first responders endure the safety of the person in distress at the address.

For example, a child or an adult with autism living at a specific address may have sensory sensitivities to light or sound; knowing this will help emergency response staff react accordingly, perhaps by turning off sirens and lights before arrival. If the resident is also non-verbal or does not respond when their name is called, this vital information can assist first responders in ensuring the safety of the resident in the case of an emergency situation.

In addition to providing crucial information about the diagnosis and characteristics of the resident, any tendencies of wandering away from the home can be noted in the file so that if a wandering event should happen, emergency staff could find information on file about the topography of the land near the residence, any water sources nearby that may attract the child or adult that has gone missing, and any history of wandering by the person so police might know where to begin searching first.

“The fact that they wander, we want to know,” said Eldridge during a phone interview on May 2. “Are they attracted to water? It’s very important if we were to have a missing child and that child was a child with special needs … and not able to speak to us. If we call their name, are they going to respond to us?”

If a parent of an autistic child calls the communication center, Eldridge said, she wants that parent to know that dispatch has the important information on file that is needed in order to best inform the responders.

Back in March, Eldridge attended a training put on by the Massachusetts State Police, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and the nonprofit organization Autism Speaks that provided tools to implement a program such as Operation Special Alert within the community. Eldridge said a recent incident was the impetus to get the ball rolling with the program.

A caregiver had contacted the communication center in Rochester and asked if there was a way to flag their address as the home of someone who was cognitively impaired and non-verbal.

“Later, a silent 911 call was received, and it indicated a police and ambulance response based on the medical history of the home the person provided,” said Eldridge. The person made the call but could not speak, but the information about the residence popped up on the screen, and the information was transmitted to the emergency responders. “An appropriate dispatch was made and a true medical emergency was happening at the home,” said Eldridge. “It worked.”

This is the kind of response Eldridge said she hopes the Operation Special Alert will provide the town.

Eldridge is hoping that caregivers, specialists, or parents will contact her to join her for a meeting to gather input on what type of information the form should request.

“There’s things that I may not know or understand and they may be able to point me in the right direction,” said Eldridge.

She is shooting for the third week of May.

“Then I’m going to be putting together a training for both the police and emergency responders,” Eldridge said. Both the police and fire chiefs have been informed about the upcoming program Eldridge has been working on. “I find any type of training extremely valuable as the chief dispatcher. Anything that can help us … better serve the public. That’s just how I’ve always run my center.”

Those interested in contributing to the establishment of the Operation Special Alert form can contact Tracy Eldridge at TEldridge@townofrochester.com or call 508-763-5112 ext. 103.

Eldridge’s progress in establishing the program has been mentioned in the most recent blog on the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s website, where further information about the program can be found. Visit http://blog.missingkids.com.

By Jean Perry

 

Rochester Memorial Day Boat Race

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The Rochester Memorial Day Boat Race on the Mattapoisett River, sponsored by the Rochester Fire Department, will take place on Monday, May 30 starting at 8:30 am at Grandma Hartley’s Reservoir, Snipatuit Road, in Rochester and finishing at the Herring Weir, River Road at Route 6, in Mattapoisett.

The minimum age for contestants is 6 years old on Memorial Day. There will be two persons to a boat. The boat must be a homemade river racer design of any material you choose. There are no limitations or restrictions on types of paddles.

Divisions include open/men’s, women’s, junior boys, junior girls, co-ed and parent/child. Junior division teams are both contestants under 14 years old. Parent/child is for a parent with his/her child (child under 14 years old) or an adult (25 or older) with a child (child under 14 years old). Trophies are awarded to the first, second and third place finishers in each division.

Pre-registration is required. Contestants may register at the Rochester Grange Hall, 205 Hartley Road, on Friday, May 13 and Friday, May 20, from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. No registrations will be accepted after Friday, May 20 at 8:00 pm. It may be prudent for contestants that raced last year to submit their paper work on the first night of registration in the event of unforeseen circumstances that prevent them from attending the last registration and losing the starting position they earned based on last year’s finish position. This would also make the workload on the registration staff a bit easier on the last night of registration.

Rules and registration forms may be obtained at Lloyd’s Market and at the registration sessions. A signed registration form must be submitted by each contestant for a team to be eligible to draw a starting position.

The Boat Race Ham & Bean Supper will be served on the Saturday evening of the Memorial Day weekend, May 28 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at Rochester Memorial School. Tickets for the supper may be purchased at the door. Proceeds from the supper, along with donations, fund the expenses of the race. (There is no registration/entry fee to race.)

Trophies and prizes will be awarded on Memorial Day at Rochester Memorial School at 7:30 pm.

For further information, contact Boat Race Chairman Arthur F. Benner at 508-763-2024.