For one day each year, people across the country drop what they’re doing and honor the special women that have touched their lives on Mother’s Day. For the rest of the year, there’s an organization on the SouthCoast that works to help empower women to achieve success and be positive role models for their children, among others.

The SouthCoast Women’s Fund will be holding their Sixth Annual Tiara Mother’s Day 5K and Fun Run on Sunday, May 13 beginning at 9:00 am. All proceeds raised will benefit the Women’s Fund.

“The Fund serves and helps to enhance economic development for women here in the South Coast,” said Liz Ackerman, a member of the Women’s Fund. “This race has steadily grown every year.”

In its inaugural year, the race drew in 300 participants, and the fund was thrilled. Last year, there were approximately 1,000 runners, both children and adults, and nearly $40,000 was raised.

The race came to fruition when a group of running enthusiasts in the Women’s Fund wanted to do a 5K closer to home instead of traveling to Plymouth to participate in one. Holding the race on Mother’s Day was the logical choice since all the proceeds will be benefitting women.

“I think the group of volunteers is symbolic of the growth of the Women’s Fund in the last few years,” Ackerman said. “Here is a group of strong active women getting together and getting things done. It shows the power of people working together to get things done and bring communities together.”

The Fund’s latest project is a multi-million dollar platform to raise money for a cooperative program that will help send women to Bristol Community College to further their education. The program aims to help provide women with both financial and mentor support systems during their enrollments.

“I think some of us take advantage of it,” said Ackerman. “It takes more than the want to go to college and obviously the resources aren’t there for everyone. For some of us who are lucky enough, if we can help spread some of that it’s great. It’s a plus for the entire area and it helps women to be productive members of society.”

The race will begin and end at the Oxford Creamery, and the route runs through the streets of Mattapoisett Village and along the water, providing a scenic view for all participants. Two races will be held: a Children’s Fun Run which begins at 9:00 am, followed by the 5K which will begin at 9:30 am. Race bibs can be picked up at the Oxford Creamery on Saturday, May 12 from 1:00 to 5:00 pm or on race day from 7:00 to 8:30 am.

Registration for adults is $20 and $5 for kids. All children will receive a medal and a t-shirt for participating. Prizes will be awarded to the top three finishers in the 5K. The Mattapoisett Food Pantry will also be collecting canned food donations. A DJ will be on site for entertainment and will be joined by a face painter and several vendors.

For more information on the race or to register, log on to www.womensfundsema.org.

By Katy Fitzpatrick

The following was submitted in an Elks Club Press Release:

We congratulate Senior, Megan Pierce of Rochester, for being selected by the Old Rochester Regional High School faculty and staff.  Megan is a senior who has become involved in numerous aspects of Old Rochester life.  She is a hard working student who continues to work on improving her academic performance.

Despite having been plagued by a number of medical problems over her high school years, she has worked to keep a positive outlook each day.  Megan has very clear goals for college and her future career as a special needs elementary school teacher.  She knows the value and the demands of such a career, since she has worked closely with her younger sister, who has many academic and personal challenges.

She has had major roles in several Drama Club, is a member of the Paw Prints staff and sings in the chorus.  She has been the Old Rochester winner of the Poetry Out Loud school competition and performed well in regional competition in Yarmouth.  This busy young woman has also won at several levels in the Lions Club Speech Competition.

Despite her busy schedule she also works at Uncle John’s.  Each day Megan strives to be a friend to all and a positive contributor to her school and family.

The Elks of Wareham Lodge No. 1548 sponsors the Elks Student of the Month and Student of the Year Awards for students enrolled in local area high schools.  The criteria used in nominating a student includes a student who excels in scholarship, citizenship, performing arts, fine arts, hobbies, athletics, church, school, club and community service, industry and farming.

Recently, members of Bulldog TV, Intro to TV Production and Video Journalism attended the Lights! Camera! Action! Media Production Conference for high school students at Millis High School.  The conference is sponsored by the New England Chapter of the National Academy of TV Arts and Sciences.

The event offered students an opportunity to meet their peers and view work from various high school media programs.  Conference speakers included a panel discussion with New England Cable News (NECN) anchor Steve Aveson, business reporter Peter Howe and anchor Mike Nikitas who discussed how social media is being used in daily newscasts.  After the presentation, the anchors eagerly fielded questions from the audience.

High School students from across New England were offered a variety of workshops to attend. Workshops included: Shooting in 3-D; Special Effects Make-Up Demo; Discussion of Editing Software; Being an On-Air Talent with NECN reporter/anchor and former Miss Massachusetts Jackie Bruno.

ORRHS Video Journalism student Evan Martinez stated, “It was insightful and I learned a lot about real world media production.”

Article submitted by Deborah Stinson

On Saturday, April 28th, Marion Recreation held its Girls Softball Opening Day at Washburn Park in Marion. There were 130 Softball players from Marion, Mattapoisett and Rochester. A Marion Fire Engine led the girls and their coaches in parade. All of the teams were introduced, including the Kindergarten to Second Grade T-ball players. The Old Rochester Booster Club concession stand was on hand for the day. Each player was given a complementary lunch from the Friends of Marion Recreation. A Home Run Derby was held, and all the teams played games throughout the afternoon. Everyone had a fantastic time. It was a great way to kick off the Softball season!

If a fire occurred in your home tonight, would your family get out safely?  When a fire occurs and smoke begins to fill your home, everyone must know what to do and where to go when the smoke alarm sounds. Too often, people panic in this situation because they do not know what to do. Develop a Fire Escape Plan and practice it regularly, ensuring that all family members and overnight guests know the escape plan.

The first step in escaping a fire in the home is to plan ahead. By installing smoke detectors in the home and being sure they are in good working order, family members can be alerted to the presence of smoke or fire before it is too late. Be sure to change the batteries in your smoke detectors and test them twice a year when you change your clocks.

When you hear a smoke alarm going off or perhaps someone is yelling “FIRE”  or  “SMOKE”,  you may only have a few minutes to safely exit before smoke and heat fill the inside of your home. Unless it is a small fire that can quickly and easily be put out with a fire extinguisher, it is always best to get out and stay out and dial 9-1-1 to notify the Fire Department.

Even if the fire isn’t large, there is a good chance the entire home can fill with smoke. The heat and gases associated with smoke can kill occupants far more quickly than the actual flames. Each member of your family should understand the importance of crawling low under smoke. As smoke and heat rise, the best place to find fresher and cooler air is near the floor. When approaching a door, feel the back of the door before opening it. If it is hot, do not open it and seek another exit. If you find yourself trapped, always close doors between you and the smoke. Doors will do a good job of holding back smoke by stuffing the cracks and covering vents to keep smoke out. If there is a phone available, call in your exact location to the Fire Department. Wait at the window and signal with a sheet, piece of clothing or anything visible that will draw attention to the window.

Parents, be sure to involve your children in the planning and practicing of your home fire escape plan and it might just surprise you how much children will enjoy it. After you have practiced it a few times, perform the fire drill with an exit blocked or perhaps without any lights on in the home. Always be sure to enforce with children that they should never hide from fire under the bed, in a closet, or in a bathroom, but should exit the home as quickly and safely as they can.

A special meeting place should be established a safe distance from the house. It could be a mailbox, neighbor’s driveway, or perhaps a large tree. Whatever it is, it must be something that is stationary and won’t be moved. This safe meeting place is where everyone meets in the event of a fire. It also prevents family members from wandering around the neighborhood looking for one another, or worse, being tempted to re-enter the burning house for someone thought to be trapped inside. Once outside at the safe meeting place, a member can be sent to the neighbor’s to call 9-1-1. If anyone is missing, give that information to the Fire Department immediately and inform them where the probable location of the missing person could be. Under no circumstances should anyone re-enter the burning home.

Remember, the first step toward escaping a fire is to plan ahead. Practice your home fire escape plan throughout the year and be sure that if anything should change around the home, it is included in the home fire escape plan. Practicing this plan is crucial to helping you and your family remain calm and confident during an actual emergency.

These and other Fire Safety Tips can be found on the Mattapoisett Fire Department web page at www.mattapoisett.net. Any additional questions regarding Fire Safety, contact Lt. Patrick Saltmarsh at 508-758-4150 or by emailing: psaltmarsh@mattapoisett.net

By Lt. Patrick Saltmarsh, Mattapoisett Fire Department