Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Tim Devin hopes the stock exchange metaphor will inspire people to invest in the community.
It's called the Somerville Stock Exchange, and it trades in volunteer work, charitable giving and community spirit as opposed to monetary profits. It's the brainchild of local artist Tim Devin, who feels many people in Somerville are doing unheralded small things every day to make the city a better place. With his stock exchange project, Devin hopes to shed light on people's good deeds and raise money for charity at the same time. Alana Kumbier, a Union Square resident who's earned shares on the Somerville Stock Exchange, talked about doing things like picking up trash on your street or being a good recycler."[The] stock exchange encourages us to think about these things … as part of a larger effort," she said. It's a "metaphor," said …
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
The Brian Higgins Foundation has been supporting special needs causes, large and small, for 10 years.
Editor's note, April 6, 2012: Huffington Post has chosen to feature this story as today's Huffington Post Greatest Person of the Day. To see other people from around the country who have been selected for this honor, visit here. Congratulations to the whole Higgins family. Ten years ago this August, Brian Higgins, then 9 years old, died. He had contracted meningitis when he was 3 weeks old, and he suffered from developmental and respiratory problems for the rest of his life. Since his death, Brian's family has been on a mission to help other kids with special needs and their families. They've bought children medical equipment that insurance won't cover; they've helped build a tot lot designed for kids in wheelchairs; they've paid for …
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Ruth Allen, a Somerville resident and a speaker at TEDxSomerville on March 4, shares her story as humanitarian and political activist.
For Somerville’s Ruth Allen, being active in the community is as natural as breathing. Her explanation? “It’s in my blood,” she said. Sometimes her community is found on the other side of the globe. As director of governance and local partnerships at Mercy Corps, a humanitarian organization that focuses on both short-term and long-term development in 41 countries, Allen has worked in South Sudan, Ethiopia and other far-flung places. She focuses on promoting good governance, global rights, opportunities for women and local political action, among other things. On March 4 she spoke at the TEDxSomerville event, and she recently met with me at Diesel Café in Davis Square, greeting me with a firm handshake and big smile. We sat down to discuss …
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Charlotte Schofield decided to throw an elaborate Sweet 16 birthday party for herself, but there's something different about this extravaganza.
Editor's note, Feb. 9: We're happy to report that Huffington Post has chosen Somerville's Charlotte Schofield as today's "Greatest Person of the Day." You can check out Schofield and other greatest people of the day here. Charlotte Schofield, a Somerville High School student, recently held a huge bash at The Center for Arts at the Armory, a local venue that looks like a small castle, complete with a red carpet entrance, a paparazzi-style photographer and a dress code. The 150-some-odd guests came dressed in black and white, except for Schofield, who wore pink. It was much like a scene from MTV's "My Super Sweet 16," a show that follows spoiled, bratty teenagers as they plan lavish Sweet 16 birthday parties. But there was one big difference…
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Andreas Widmer, a Somerville resident, met Pope John Paul II while serving as a Swiss Guard nearly 25 years ago.
Somerville resident and author Andreas Widmer tells a story that exemplifies his time serving under Pope John Paul II as a Swiss Guard. A Kind Gesture By the Pope Widmer recalls his first interaction with the Pope: it was Dec. 24, 1986. The young Swiss Guard had arrived just a few weeks before taking up his post and was spending his first Christmas away from home. After a tearful call home to his mother, he assumed guard duty on the door the Pope would pass through en route to St. Peter’s Square. “He came out and he saw that I was crying,” Widmer said. The Pope was headed to give Midnight Mass that would be televised to millions, and yet as he passed through the door he noticed the nearly seven-foot-tall Widmer struggling to hold back …
42.38687
-71.10754
Saint Catherine of Genoa Parish
179 Summer St, Somerville, MA
/articles/former-swiss-guard-fights-poverty-with-entrepreneurship-7f033e25
786971
/locations/6242191
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Taken together, Cole and Philippe have spent more than 34 years on the road in Somerville helping elderly and disabled people get around.
For Penny Cole and Leslie Philippe, being drivers at Door2Door Transportation by SCM sometimes means going above and beyond the normal duties found in the job description. "Penny has been known to crawl through the window," said Reed Cochran, executive director of SCM. She did so, explained Cole, when an elderly man she was driving home forgot his keys. Cole crawled through the window, scrambled over a counter, and unlocked the man's door from inside his home. Technically speaking, it's not something drivers are supposed to do. Philippe has been known to show up at elderly riders' homes on his days off to help out. "We're not supposed to do that, but I used to go on Saturday, when I'm not working, and cut the grass for free," he said, …
42.400837
-71.12601
SCM Community Transportation
167 Holland St, Somerville, MA
/articles/profile-penny-cole-and-leslie-philippe-drivers-at-door2door
787239
/locations/6164413
Monday, November 28, 2011
The Somerville-based organization provides clothing to local people in need.
Next time you open your closet, rip out all those clothes you haven't worn in two years and stuff them into an old shopping bag to be donated to charity—a genuinely worthy thing to do—you may want to consider one thing? Who will end up wearing those clothes? With Second Chances, a non-profit founded and run by Somerville resident Andrea Shapiro, the answer is simple: People right here in the Somerville and Cambridge communities. Second Chances works with other organizations in Somerville and Cambridge to provide clothes to those who need them. It's easy to take clothes for granted, but if you're going through tough times and trying to get back on your feet, a lack of clothing can be a significant barrier. "Most of the folks we're seeing …
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Michelle Fine, of RESPOND, has spent 17 years working with the Somerville domestic violence shelter.
Imagine standing up, walking out the door and leaving, for good, with nothing more than what's in your pocket. Did you remember your wallet? Are you wearing a decent pair of clothes? How good are your shoes? What's more, imagine you have small children in tow, and you're an undocumented immigrant. You're leaving whatever friends, family and community you have. You're also leaving a violent, brutal home, a place where you've been beaten. You may even fear for your life and the safety of your kids, which is why you've walked out the door with nothing more than what's in your pocket. Michelle Fine has worked with people, mostly women, facing situations like that for the past 17 years. Fine is director of programs and services at RESPOND, a …
42.37952
-71.09525
66 Union Sq, Somerville, MA
/articles/michelle-fine-17-years-working-with-domestic-violence-survivors
/locations/5626105
lilliandevin
4:27 pm on Thursday, May 3, 2012
Good going, Tim! You are amazing! lfrancescad more ›