Hill House Presents Free Kids’ Valentine’s Day Party
Hill House, Inc. located at 127 Mount Vernon St., will host its annual, free kids’ Valentine’s Day Party on Thursday, Feb. 13, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in the main assembly room of the Firehouse.
All ages are welcome for an event that includes crafts, seasonally appropriate games and a chance to win a $10 JP Licks gift card. This event does not require registration – you can just come anytime. Along with the party, Hill House is holding a cosmetic, handbag and footwear drive for Dress For Success Boston, and hopes you’ll donate unused, unopened cosmetics, size 5-9 women’s footwear (business casual), and lightly used handbags.
For more information on the party or donation drive, contact Meredith Adamczyk at 617-227-5838 or [email protected]. Visit hillhouseboston.org for more information.
King’s Chapel’s Tuesday Recitals
King’s Chapel, 58 Tremont St., presents its Tuesday Recitals. Admission is by suggested donation of $5 per person; the donations are given to the performing musicians. Programs begin at 12:15 p.m. and last approximately 35 minutes; for more information, call 617-227-2155.
Programming includes George Sargeant on the C.B. Fisk organ performing works by Bach, Franck, Gigout and Howells on Feb. 18; Caroline Hughes (flute) and Tim Roberts (cello) and Heinrich Christensen (organ) performing works by Bach, Corigliano, Faure and Morricone on Feb. 25.
Hill House to Host Free Senior Dinner Feb. 18
Hill House, Inc. located at 127 Mount Vernon St., will host its free monthly Senior Dinner for area residents 65+ on Tuesday, Feb. 18 from 4:30-6 p.m. at 74 Joy St.
Come for a free hot meal, beverages and dessert. A local Girl Scout troop will also be providing Valentine’s Day treats to those in attendance.
For more information on Hill House’s Senior Dinners or volunteering, contact Meredith Adamczyk at 617-227-5838 or [email protected]. You can also visit hillhouseboston.org.
Frost Fit Winter Series Returns to the Esplanade
The Esplanade Association is partnering with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and the Department of Conservation and Recreation to present the Frost Fit Winter Series.
On Saturday, Feb. 15, at 10 a.m., instructors from Lynx Fitness Club will lead you through an hour-long high intensity interval training (HIIT) class that incorporates bodyweight strength training with high-intensity cardio bursts for maximum calorie burning effect, set to fun and upbeat music.
And on Monday, Feb. 17, at 6:30 a.m., instructors from the November Project will lead you through running loops, body-weight exercises, and other fun, energetic activities designed to keep you moving.
Visit Esplanade.org/Fitness to learn more and register.
Lecture Series Looks Back on Urban Renewal in the West End
The West End Museum presents “Reflections on Boston’s West End: The Origins & Lessons of Urban Renewal,” a lecture series that provides a comprehensive examination of the forces that led to the urban renewal programs in mid-20th century America. Structured as a series of seven lectures with discussion, each session has a distinct topic, but all use Boston’s West End urban renewal project as the primary example and connecting point.
Attendees will learn how an entire Boston neighborhood vanished, displacing about 7,500 people who called it home. Tenement houses with mom-and-pop storefronts fell to the wrecking ball, ultimately to be replaced by high-rises with professed suburban amenities, all in the name of progress.
Series presenter James Briand has worked with The West End Museum since 2009, developing classroom presentations and tours on various topics including urban renewal, the work of Jane Jacobs, the 1949 Housing Act, and Title One. Briand has authored numerous articles on local history and is a lifelong resident of the Boston area.
Beginning Feb. 19 and running through the fall, the lectures take place on Wednesday evenings from 7 to 8 p.m. at the museum. Pre-registration is required at thewestendmuseum.org/events. Attendees may opt to register for the entire lecture series for $120 ($60 Museum members and students), or individual sessions for $20 each ($10 Museum members and students).
Conversation With Caregivers
The Dementia Care Collaborative welcomes guest speaker Donna Newman-Bluestein, MEd, BC-DMT, LMHC, for “Embodied Caregiving: Transforming the Culture of Care for People with Dementia through Movement Therapy” at the Mass. General Hospital, O’Keefe Auditorium, 55 Fruit St., on Tuesday, Feb.18, at 5:30 p.m.
How do we convey acceptance, caring, and genuine interest to people whose verbal skills are diminished so that they feel safe and willing to cooperate? Through video and a lecture demonstration, Dr. Newman-Bluestein’s program will offer a brief overview at the many ways we express ourselves through movement so that people with dementia experience genuine connection and pleasure, rather than isolation, loneliness, and abandonment.
This monthly educational seminar series is a helpful resource for everyone; for caregivers walking the journey of dementia with a loved one, for clinicians, hospital staff, and community members.
All are welcome. Refreshments will be available at 5 p.m., and admission is free. R.S.V.P. at 617-724-0406.
Friends of the Boston Harborwalk’s ‘Winter Harbor Cruise’
Friends of the Boston Harborwalk presents a narrated Boston Harbor tour on Boston Harbor Cruise’s Regency on Saturday, Feb. 22, departing from and returning to Long Wharf. Boarding begins at 9:30 a.m. with departure at 10 a.m. (sharp), returning at approximately 12:15 p.m. Specific dock location and boarding information will be sent out days prior to the tour.
The heated vessel will travel around the Inner Harbor and out past the Boston Harbor Islands. Speakers will discuss the history and evolution of Boston’s waterfront. Dress extra warmly if you would like to be outside.
Admission is $20, and the fee supports the work of the Friends of the Boston Harborwalk, affiliated with Boston Harbor Now, is an all-volunteer group that promotes public enjoyment of Boston’s 43-mile Harborwalk. Sign up at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/winter-harbor-cruise-tickets-91630259573.
Lecture Explores Newcomb Pottery
The Nichols House Museum presents a lecture called “A Lover of the Beautiful”: Harriet Joor, Newcomb Pottery, and the Arts and Crafts Movement” with Maggie Dimock on Tuesday, Feb. 25, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Grogan & Co. Auction House, 20 Charles St.
Founded in New Orleans in 1895, the Newcomb Pottery enterprise gained international attention for its distinctive ceramic wares featuring painted decoration derived from floral and botanical specimens of the Louisiana bayou region. This lecture will explore the legacy of the Newcomb enterprise through the lens of one of its artists, Harriet Coulter Joor (1875-1965). Joor was instrumental in establishing Newcomb Pottery’s artistic direction, and her subsequent post-Newcomb career as a designer for Gustav Stickley’s Craftsman Workshops open a further window into the remarkable influence the Newcomb enterprise had on early 20th-century American design, and the opportunities available for professional women artists of the Progressive Era.
Visit www.eventbrite.com/e/lecture-harriet-joor-newcomb-pottery-and-the-arts-crafts-movement-tickets-88855632589?utm_campaign=new_event_email&utm_medium=email&utm_source=eb_email&utm_term=viewmyevent_button to purchase tickets, or contact the museum at [email protected] or call 617-227-6993 for more information.
Hill House Spring Baseball League Registration Now Open
Hill House, Inc. located at 127 Mount Vernon St., has opened up Baseball and Softball League registration. Members of the community can now register for its new Red Sox Rookie League for 4-year-olds, T-Ball (ages 5-6.5), AA Baseball (ages 6.5-7), AAA Baseball (ages 8-9) and Majors League (10- to 12-year-olds). Hill house also offers Girls Softball for 6- to 8-year-olds and 9- to 12-year-olds. All leagues are coed, and the season will begin the first week in April.
Visit http://www.hillhouseboston.org/Athletics/Baseball.htm for more details.
For more information on the Hill House Little League, contact Hill House Athletics Director Marshall Caldera at 617-227-5838 or [email protected].
BSNJ Community Children’s Chorus
The Boston Society of The New Jerusalem (BSNJ) Community Children’s Chorus is a comprehensive musical training program for children in the third through seventh grades.
Your child will be participating in a program that promotes: the love of music, expressive singing, teamwork-cooperative learning, building new friendships, self-assessment and the fun of being in an outstanding program.
The group meets at 140 Bowdoin St. on Saturday mornings. Tuition is free for any child with a Greater Boston-area address. All levels of singing ability are welcome. To register, contact Carlton Doctor at 617-523-4575 or visit www.churchonthehillboston.org (click on “music.”)
BSNJ/The Church On The Hill sponsors this initiative, but we are not promoting any religious ideology.
‘Coloring for Adults’ at the West End Branch Library
The West End Branch of the Boston Public Library, located at 151 Cambridge St., presents “Color Your World: Coloring for Adults“ on Fridays from 2 to 4 p.m.
At this time, the library will supply coloring pages, colored pencils, markers and crayons, or bring your own supplies if you prefer. Feel free to drop in between these hours.
Call 617-523-3957 for more information.
Spanish/English Language Exchange
The West End Branch of the Boston Public Library, located at 151 Cambridge St., presents the Spanish/English Language Exchange/Intercambio de Idiomas en Inglés y Español on Mondays from 3 to 5 p.m.
At this time, English speakers can practice Spanish and Spanish speakers can practice English in this fun, informal conversation class.
Call 617-523-3957 for more information.
BSNJ Community Children’s Chorus
The Boston Society of The New Jerusalem (BSNJ) Community Children’s Chorus is a comprehensive musical training program for children in Grades 3 to 7.
Your child will be participating in a program that promotes: the love of music, expressive singing, teamwork-cooperative learning, building new friendships, self-assessment and the fun of being in a well organized program.
The rehearsals take place at 140 Bowdoin St. on Tuesday afternoons. Tuition is free for any child with a Boston address. All levels of singing ability are welcome. To sign up, please contact Mr. Doctor at 617-523-4575 or visit www.churchonthehillboston.org (click on “music”).
The Church on the Hill sponsors this initiative but we are not promoting any religious ideology.
ESL Conversation Group Resumes Meeting at West End Branch Library
The West End Branch of the Boston Public Library, located at 151 Cambridge St., welcomes the English as a Second Language (ESL) conversation group every Tuesday from noon to 1:30 p.m. Come and practice your English language skills with other newcomers and a facilitator.
West End Playgroup Meets Tuesday Mornings
The West End Community Center, located at 1 Congress St., welcomes the West End Playgroup on Tuesdays from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. through the fall and winter.
This is a free drop-in time to let kids play and adults chat with one another. Small toy donations are welcome.
Get Homework Help at the West End Branch Library
The West End Branch of the Boston Public Library, located at 151 Cambridge St., offers homework help every Thursday from 4 to 6 p.m.
Get help from a Boston Public Schools teacher. No appointment necessary; simply drop in with your homework.
Call 617-523-3957 for more information.
Compassionate Friends Group Reaches Out to Bereaved Parents, Families
The Boston Chapter of The Compassionate Friends (TCF) meets at Trinity Church on the first Tuesday of each month from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
TCF is a national self-help, mutual-assistance organization offering friendship, understanding and hope to bereaved parents and their families. Call 617-539-6424 or e-mail [email protected] for more information.
West End Food Pantry Seeking Donations
The West End Food Pantry needs help to continue serving its more than 120 clients per month. They welcome donations to replenish the supply of food that they give out to hungry residents in the neighborhood.
The pantry is located in the West End Branch of the Boston Public Library and is staffed by volunteers from ABCD’s North End/West End Neighborhood Service Center. Non-perishable (canned and boxed) items are being sought, including rice, pasta, canned tuna, canned chicken, chili, beans, vegetables, cereal, soups, cup of noodles, etc.
Donations can be left at the library, 151 Cambridge St., on Monday through Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursday from noon to 8 p.m. and Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Volunteers Needed For Hot Meal Program
The North End/West End Neighborhood Service Center (NE/WE NSC), located at 1 Michelangelo St., serves a hot, fresh, home-cooked lunch to seniors in the neighborhood Mondays and Fridays, and is looking for two volunteers to help with shopping, food preparation, cooking, serving and clean-up. The non-profit providing services and programs to low-income residents of the North End, West End and Beacon Hill is looking for volunteers who can assist with the whole meal from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on a Monday and/or Friday, but can make arrangements to fit your schedule.
Contact Maria Stella Gulla, director, at 617-523-8125, ext. 201, via e-mail at [email protected] for more information.
Introduction to Laptops, eReaders and iPads at the West End Branch Library
The West End Branch of the Boston Public Library, 151 Cambridge St., offers an introduction to laptops, eReaders and iPads by appointment only. Get the most out of your eReader or Laptop. Receive tips and guidance during these one-on-one sessions. Call Branch Librarian, Helen Bender at617-523-3957 or e-mail [email protected] to set up an appointment.
Yoga for Seniors at the West End Branch Library
The West End Branch of the Boston Public Library, 151 Cambridge St., presents yoga for seniors every Tuesday from 2:45 to 3:30 p.m. Classes are led by Tatiana Nekrasova, a certified yoga instructor.
Volunteer at Spaulding Rehab
Stay active, meet new people and be connected with your community by volunteering at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. Staff members will match your skills and interests to a volunteer opportunity. The hospital is currently recruiting volunteers, ages 18 and up, for two- to three-hour-a-week shifts for a minimum of six to 12 months commitment. Visit www.spauldingnetwork.org for more information.
After-Work tai chi Group at the West End Branch Library
The West End Branch of the Boston Public Library, 151 Cambridge St., welcomes after-work tai chi group every Thursday from 5 to 6 p.m. Come and try this low impact energy exercise with yang-style tai chi instructor Arthur Soo-Hoo.
Be a Friend to Elderly in Need
FriendshipWorks seeks caring people to offer help and support to isolated elders in the Boston area. Volunteers are needed to provide companionship and assist elders with tasks such as reading, organizing, or going for a walk – lend an hour each week and gain a friend and a new perspective. Volunteers also needed to escort elders to and from medical appointments. No car is needed and hours are flexible. For more information or to apply online, visit www.fw4elders.org or call 617-482-1510.
Local Residents Needed to Drive Cancer Patients to and from Treatment
The American Cancer Society is in great need of Road to Recovery volunteers to drive local cancer patients to and from their chemotherapy and/or radiation treatments. An integral part of treating cancer successfully is making sure cancer patients receive their treatments, but many find making transportation arrangements is a challenge. The American Cancer Society provided more than 19,000 rides to cancer patients in New England last year, but needs new volunteer drivers to keep up with the demand for transportation.
Make a difference in the fight against cancer by becoming a volunteer driver for the American Cancer Society’s Road to Recovery. Drivers use their own vehicle to drive patients to and from their treatments. The schedule for volunteers is flexible, and treatment appointments take place weekdays, primarily during business hours. If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a volunteer driver for Road to Recovery, contact your American Cancer Society at 800-227-2345 or visit HYPERLINK “http://www.cancer.org/”www.cancer.org.
Join the Downtown Boston Rotary Club
The Downtown Boston Rotary Club, the first new Rotary Club in Boston in 100 years, holds meetings at the UMass Club in the Financial District on the first and third Tuesdays of each month from 6 to 7:15 p.m.
For more information, visit HYPERLINK “http://www.dbrotary.org” www.dbrotary.org or call 617-535-1950.