*Franklin* Planet Fitness Club Offers Free Recovery for Boston Marathon Runners

Planet Fitness, one of the largest and fastest-growing franchisors and operators of fitness centers with more members than any other fitness brand, invites Boston Marathon runners to work out and recover for FREE at Planet Fitness locations in Massachusetts from race day on April 15 through April 19.

*Franklin* Planet Fitness

This year marks the 128th Boston Marathon and in recognition of the world's most elite runners, Planet Fitness is allowing FREE use of their state-of-the-art equipment and Black Card® Spa for anyone with a race bib. Everyone taking advantage of this free offer will need to provide ID at the front desk. You do NOT have to be a member to participate.

Most importantly, runners will need to recover after the big race and Planet Fitness is opening its doors for them to do so all week. Relax before or after in the PF Black Card® Spa or try a cool down workout. Enjoy HydroMassage Loungers, Cryo Loungers, massage chairs, and the RelaxSpace Wellness Pod, where members can reset and focus on their mental health for 15 minutes by selecting videos, scents and even temperatures while learning more about diet, nutrition, breathing, and the benefits of exercise. Locations with a RelaxSpace Wellness Pod are noted below with a single asterisk and locations with a Cryo Lounger have a double asterisk. Some clubs offer both. Planet Fitness locations also offer dedicated stretching areas.

All Planet Fitness locations are spacious, clean and judgement free, with free fitness training for members.

WHEN:    April 15 through April 19

WHERE:  Massachusetts

Planet Fitness – Franklin 

166 Grove St

Franklin, MA 02038

About Planet Fitness

Founded in 1992 in Dover, NH, Planet Fitness is one of the largest and fastest-growing franchisors and operators of fitness centers in the world by number of members and locations. As of December 31, 2023, Planet Fitness had approximately 18.7 million members and 2,575 stores in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Canada, Panama, Mexico and Australia. The Company's mission is to enhance people's lives by providing a high-quality fitness experience in a welcoming, non-intimidating environment, which we call the Judgement Free Zone®. More than 90% of Planet Fitness stores are owned and operated by independent business men and women.

Franklin Health Dept: September is National Recovery Month

September is National Recovery Month. 

In the past year 1 in 3 adults had a substance use disorder or any mental illness. 

Get help at FindTreatment.gov

Franklin Health Dept: September is National Recovery Month 

Reminder: The GoFundMe for Franklin resident Scott McLean who is recovering from stroke is short of its goal

"Hi , I’m Bonnie Fitzgerald and I’m fundraising on behalf of Scott McLean and family 

On the morning of November 24th, the day before Thanksgiving, Scott McLean suffered a devastating ischemic stroke. Luckily at the time, his two boys, Derek and Jason, were home and able to call 911 saving his life. Scott underwent emergency surgery, but unfortunately, it was not successful. He was left paralyzed on his right side, unable to walk, speak or eat. He spent over 2 weeks in the ICU, overcoming several life-threatening complications before being able to transfer to Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital where he fights every day to regain some of this lost function. He has made some progress, but Scott and his family still have a very long and difficult road ahead of them.

Many of you know Scott as a strong, independent and loving father and husband. You could always find Scott and his wife Becca on the sidelines cheering on their boys during their Franklin Pop Warner football and Bishop Feehan and Bridgton Academy lacrosse games. We are raising money to help the McLean family with Scott’s medical expenses and future care needs. We are grateful for donations of any amount. Thank you and please keep Scott, Becca and their boys in your thoughts and prayers."

Contribute to the McLean Family cause here via GoFundMe 

https://www.gofundme.com/f/4z5t6-help-the-mclean-family

GoFundMe for Franklin resident Scott McLean recovering from stroke 

Governor Baker Signs $4 Billion Federal COVID-19 Relief Funding Spending Bill

Charlie Baker (@MassGovernor) tweeted on Mon, Dec 13, 2021:

The #COVID19MA public health crisis has had a significant impact on MA workers, families, communities and businesses for nearly two years, and today's signing directs billions of dollars in relief toward those hardest hit across the Commonwealth.

The Governor's press release -> https://t.co/VotS5qeyJX 

Shared from Twitter:  https://t.co/5k7jcAojRI

CommonWealth Magazine coverage -> https://commonwealthmagazine.org/state-government/baker-signs-4b-arpa-bill-with-slight-tweaks/

Boston Globe coverage -> https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/12/13/metro/baker-signs-4-billion-covid-relief-bill-wrests-control-how-when-distribute-worker-bonuses/

Governor Baker Signs $4 Billion Federal COVID-19 Relief Funding Spending Bill

New York Times: "The Economic Rebound Is Still Waiting for Workers"

"Fall was meant to mark the beginning of the end of the labor shortage that has held back the nation’s economic recovery. Expanded unemployment benefits were ending. Schools were reopening, freeing up many caregivers. Surely, economists and business owners reasoned, a flood of workers would follow.

Instead, the labor force shrank in September. There are five million fewer people working than before the pandemic began, and three million fewer even looking for work.

The slow return of workers is causing headaches for the Biden administration, which was counting on a strong economic rebound to give momentum to its political agenda. Forecasters were largely blindsided by the problem and don’t know how long it will last."

Continue reading the article online. (Subscription maybe required)

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/19/business/economy/us-economy.html

Danielle Miess lost her job at a travel agency in the Philadelphia area. Her unemployment benefits have run out, but she isn’t looking for another office job. Instead, she is cobbling together a living from a variety of gigs.Credit...Kriston Jae Bethel for The New York Times

Overdose Awareness Day - Aug 31. 2021

On the Town Common from 6:30 to 8:00 PM

Follow the SAFE Coalition Facebook event for updates

https://www.facebook.com/events/638778387100220

Overdose Awareness Day - Aug 31. 2021

SBA Restaurant Revitalization Fund

SBA Restaurant Revitalization Fund

The American Rescue Plan Act established the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) to provide funding to help restaurants and other eligible businesses keep their doors open. This program will provide restaurants with funding equal to their pandemic-related revenue loss up to $10 million per business and no more than $5 million per physical location.

Eligible entities who have experienced pandemic-related revenue loss include:

• Restaurants
• Food stands, food trucks, food carts
• Caterers
• Bars, saloons, lounges, taverns
• Snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
• Bakeries
• Brewpubs, tasting rooms, taprooms
• Breweries and/or microbreweries 
• Wineries and distilleries 
• Inns 
• Licensed facilities or premises of a beverage alcohol producer where the public may taste, sample, or purchase products

Learn more about on their website here https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/covid-19-relief-options/restaurant-revitalization-fund

SBA Restaurant Revitalization Fund

"Thank you to all who registered and attended yesterday’s informative session on the Restaurant Revitalization Fund with Dan Martiniello from the SBA.  ….and the Chamber is here to help you!

Attached is Dan’s presentation.  And if you want to watch or listen, the video link is below.  Dan also provided links to help make life easier for you as well.  These links are below.  If you need further assistance or direction, please feel free to contact you local Chamber and we will direct you to the right people to help you!

RRF Registration Link:   SBA Restaurant Revitalization Fund::<https://restaurants.sba.gov/requests/borrower/login/?next=/>

RRF Sample Application: SBA Form 3172 Restaurant Revitalization Funding Application (Sample only)<https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/2021-04/SBA%20Form%203172%20RRF%20Application%204.20.21-508.pdf>

RRF Program Guide Updated 4/28/21: Restaurant Revitalization Funding Program Guide as of April 28, 2021 (sba.gov)<https://www.sba.gov/sites/default/files/2021-04/Restaurant%20Revitalization%20Fund%20Program%20Guide%20as%20of%204.28.21-508_0.pdf>

RRF FAQs: Restaurant Revitalization Fund Knowledge Base – SBA Restaurant Program (zendesk.com)<https://ussbaforgiveness.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/categories/360005965311-Restaurant-Revitalization-Fund-Knowledge-Base>

RRF Website Informational Landing Page on SBA.gov: Restaurant Revitalization Fund (sba.gov)<https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/covid-19-relief-options/restaurant-revitalization-fund>

Video of Info Session:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-wdoCyMa_3E&t=4s"

"businesses warn recovery ‘is not going to be flicking a switch’"

"CDC links restaurant dining to a rise in cases"

"Even as officials in Texas and Mississippi lifted statewide mask mandates, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday offered fresh evidence of the importance of face coverings, reporting that mask-wearing mandates were linked to fewer infections with the coronavirus and COVID-19 deaths in counties across the United States.

Federal researchers also found that counties opening restaurants for on-premises dining — indoors or outdoors — saw a rise in daily infections about six weeks later, and an increase in COVID-19 death rates about two months later.

The study does not prove cause and effect, but the findings square with other research showing that masks prevent infection and that indoor spaces foster the spread of the virus through aerosols, tiny respiratory particles that linger in the air.

“You have decreases in cases and deaths when you wear masks, and you have increases in cases and deaths when you have in-person restaurant dining,” Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the director of the CDC, said Friday. “And so we would advocate for policies, certainly while we’re at this plateau of a high number of cases, that would listen to that public health science.”

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/03/06/nation/cdc-links-restaurant-dining-rise-cases/

 

Editor's Note: So just because you can doesn't mean you should.

------------

 

"As Massachusetts prepares for final phase of reopening, businesses warn recovery ‘is not going to be flicking a switch’"

"After a year of hunkering down, the country is about to bask in the biggest boom in nearly four decades. But the scars of the pandemic linger.

By summer, most American adults should be vaccinated, and life is expected to return to something approaching normal as people eat in restaurants, hop on a plane, or catch a game at Fenway Park. Getting out of the house for work and recreation will swell the economy, juiced by another big federal stimulus program and trillions of dollars in savings that consumers are eager to spend.

Yet that rosy outlook isn’t reflected in the sentiments of many local employers who would benefit greatly from a post-pandemic resurgence. Hammered by COVID-19 shutdowns, they remain wary after earlier forecasts about the trajectory of the disease proved too optimistic.

Instead of the rapid rebound projected by economists, these employers — from small business owners to big institutions such as hospitals and universities — expect a more gradual recovery marked by fits and starts. So they’re ramping up slowly and delaying hiring decisions until the picture is clearer."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/03/06/business/massachusetts-prepares-final-phase-reopening-businesses-warn-recovery-is-not-going-be-flicking-switch/

What about a Marshall Plan for today?

From The Washington Post, an article of interest for Franklin:

The writers are the mayors of Pittsburgh; Youngstown, Ohio; Dayton, Ohio; Columbus, Ohio; Cincinnati; Huntington, W.Va.; Morgantown, W.Va.; and Louisville.

"Every four years, voters in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and Kentucky are told how important they are to American industry, but once the election is over, nothing happens. The United States now has a president-elect who comes from our region originally and is more likely to understand what we need to revive it. We, the mayors of eight cities, are banding together to demand real investment in our shared region, which has fueled the U.S. economy for generations yet never gets the attention it deserves.

It’s why we’re asking for an ambitious federal response to save our industries and communities from destruction: a Marshall Plan for Middle America.

In the post-World War II recovery period, the Marshall Plan was a $13 billion ($143 billion today) investment strategy to rebuild Europe and foster economic and democratic institutions. Like postwar Europe, Middle America faces similar issues of decline — a shared crisis of aging infrastructure, obsolescence of business and government institutions, and the need for upskilling and reskilling the workforce."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required) 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/11/22/marshall-plan-middle-america-eight-mayors/

The Marshall Plan  https://www.marshallfoundation.org/marshall/the-marshall-plan/history-marshall-plan/

 

Note: how can we get out of the pandemic and fix some of the major ills across the board? A modern version of the Marshall Plan might just be the thing to do so.

Washington Post: "The recession is over for the rich, but the working class is far from recovered"

From The Washington Post, an article of interest for Franklin:

"U.S. stocks are hovering near a record high, a stunning comeback since March that underscores the new phase the economy has entered: The wealthy have mostly recovered. The bottom half remain far from it.

This dichotomy is evident in many facets of the economy, especially in employment. Jobs are fully back for the highest wage earners, but fewer than half the jobs lost this spring have returned for those making less than $20 an hour, according to a new labor data analysis by John Friedman, an economics professor at Brown University and co-director of Opportunity Insights.

Though recessions almost always hit lower-wage workers the hardest, the pandemic is causing especially large gaps between rich and poor, and between White and minority households. It is also widening the gap between big and small businesses. Some of the largest companies, such as Nike and Best Buy, are enjoying their highest stock prices ever while many smaller businesses fight for survival."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2020/08/13/recession-is-over-rich-working-class-is-far-recovered/?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-high_viruseconomy-630pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory-ans

Washington Post: "The recession is over for the rich, but the working class is far from recovered"

“I think it’s important that we learn to coexist with wildlife”

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"Stacey Cobb doesn’t need a calendar, or blooming flowers and emerging buds, to tell her when spring has arrived. That’s because it’s the time of year when her household swells with new arrivals - many of them newborns - in need of some compassion and tender loving care. 

They aren’t of the human kind, but rather are babies of the forest: Squirrels, rabbits, raccoons, foxes. When they are orphaned and too young to care for themselves, or they need some non-veterinary care for a while, Cobb is there with open heart to help. 

A wildlife rehabilitator, Cobb is finding herself quite busy lately with the first babies of the season. A litter of five squirrel kits - so young they are still blind and hairless - came into her care just days ago, joining two other baby squirrels she’d already been caring for, in addition to other critters making a temporary home with her until they are ready to be returned to the wild."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20190418/natures-nurse-franklin-wildlife-rehabilitator-opens-heart-home-to-animals-in-need

You can help by buying items off Stacy's Amazon Wish List
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/7LISNHDHE84P

You can help by buying items off Stacy's Amazon Wish List

Sober Mommies: Clothing Drive - Collection ends Jan 14

"The mission of Sober Mommies is to empower women in, and contemplating, recovery from substance use and misuse to reach their full personal recovery and parenting goals through peer-to-peer support and mentorship. "

Things Being Collected

• Personal hygiene products
• Diapers of all sizes
• Newborn clothing - up to adult
• Jackets
• Hats & Gloves
• New underwear and socks for all ages
• Strollers
• Gently used toys
• Gently used books

Drop off locations are at the Walpole Public Library, Hair with Flair: 499 High Street, Dedham and you can always drop off at 177 West Street, Walpole. 

Sober Mommies: Clothing Drive - Collection ends Jan 14

We will be donating up until the 14th. 

If you drop off at the library or Salon please fill out the sheet that is left there with your information, so I can send you a card and let you know exactly where your donations went. 

THANK YOU!


These donations are being personally delivered to halfway house and family shelters. Here are the places we're helping so far:

Serenity House - Located in Framingham is a residential treatment program for women recovering from substance abuse. The Serenity house has expecting mothers so they need maternity clothing, one is twenty-two weeks pregnant with a girl, and the other is thirty weeks pregnant with a boy. One little girl is one years old but will be leaving the program very soon but I’m sure she needs clothing and such to go home with, then they have two boys one is four months old and the other is a two month old preemie.

Pathways Family Shelter - Also located in Framingham. Pathways Family Shelter is a fourteen family shelter for homeless families. There are children from a newborn baby girl, up until early teens. There are boys and girls of all ages. The moms and dads need things too; things they really need are personal hygiene products, seasonal clothing and diapers!

Phoenix House - is a residential program for women with young children located in Dorchester; they also provide emergency shelter for mothers and their children.

Faith house - located in Worcester is a residential treatment program for women recovering from substance abuse. They have two women expecting, ones expecting twin girls and one is expecting a little boy. They also have a mother who is hoping to have her six month old son join her soon. Lets all pray that happens for her!

Sojourner House - Located in Roxbury houses up to nine families at a time. They can unfortunately, only accept new clothing and new twin and full size bedding. They really are in need though of diapers and hygiene products. The Sojourner house was the first shelter in Boston to house both men and female. They are really trying to help the homeless and they recognize the need for more affordable housing so they now have three houses located in Milton, Dorchester and Roxbury. They have units with 1,2 and 3 bedrooms. They have done amazing things and put on many events to raise money for the community and families in need but that doesn’t mean they don’t need help. We’ll see if we can gather up diapers and hygiene products for them.


For more about Sober Mommies, visit their web page  https://sobermommies.com/

SAFE Community Forum - Weds, Oct 3 - 7:00 PM

Join the Safe Coalition on Wednesday, Oct 3 from 7:00 to 9:00 PM. You can hear Shared Recovery Stories, Grandparents Role in Recovery from SUD, Outreach Talks on Alcoholism, Recovery News, and Upcoming Community Events,

SAFE Community Forum - Weds,Oct 3  7:00 PM

For more about the SAFE Coalition, visit their web page    http://www.safecoalitionma.org/

Macklemore in Pawtucket This Saturday! - "Recovery Fest 2018"

Tickets starting at just $23! Buy Tickets The Above the Noise Foundation is a New England based not for profit organization that hosts drug-and-alcohol-free music festivals that inspire, empower, and provide funding to U.S. cities battling the national addiction epidemic. This inaugural "Recovery Fest 2018" features national recording star Macklemore appearing at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. .

If the link on the button doesn't work, for tickets use this
https://www.ticketreturn.com/prod2/Team.asp?SponsorID=11938#.W4gUmSRKivF&utm_source=ZohoCampaigns&utm_campaign=Concert+9.26_2018-09-24_1&utm_medium=email

In the News: 40B issue runs across MA; new memorial for 911 rescue and recovery workers

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

"The story is often the same. 

A developer proposes to build a densely populated, mixed-income housing complex in a community. The proposal evokes outrage from local residents who argue the development will be disruptive. The influx of so many new people will exacerbate traffic, unfairly add costs to municipal budgets and strain local infrastructure, the argument goes. 

“The proposed development is poorly designed and too intense for a site that is just over an acre in size,” wrote the Wellesley Board of Selectmen in a letter objecting to mixed-income developments on Stearns Road and Worcester Street. ”(It) must be denied at this level of density.” 

Despite the local outcry, however, developers often end up building what they want because the law is on their side."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20180530/affordable-housing-still-scarce-in-massachusetts-communities

40B issue runs across MA - Franklin status

"A pathway flanked by six stones meant to symbolize strength and determination will be added to the Sept. 11 memorial site in lower Manhattan to honor the rescue and recovery workers who toiled for months at ground zero, officials announced Wednesday in unveiling the design concept. 

The new dedicated area will also serve as a way to honor those who became sick or died from exposure to the toxins in the environment after the twin towers fell. 

“Hundreds of thousands of people are estimated to have been exposed to toxins at the World Trade Center site, both on the day of 9/11 and during the months of recovery operations that followed,” Alice Greenwald, president and CEO of the National Sept. 11 Memorial & Museum, said in a statement. 

She added, “By integrating this meaningful public space at the memorial, we seek to recognize all those for whom 9/11 has remained an all-too-present reality.”

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/zz/news/20180530/design-to-honor-september-11-rescue-recovery-workers-unveiled

"Stop the Silence. Speak the Truth. Start the Conversation".

Patricia Byrne writes:

Patricia's son Kurt

"It’s time to Stop the Silence. It’s time to Speak the Truth. My son is a heroin addict. I want to wear a t-shirt, a hat, a pin, something. I want a suffering family member or addict to see me in the grocery store and be able to walk up and say ‘me too’. I want families to not feel isolated and alone in this hell that is Addiction. It is everywhere, and we are hiding it because we feel guilty and ashamed. I have seen in people’s eyes in the past that they knew my son was an addict. But they also didn’t know if I knew, and I wasn’t shouting it from the rooftops. So the elephant was with me everywhere I went. We lived in a small town. I was sure everyone knew. I was sure my son’s name was whispered when I wasn’t there. Yet I stayed silent.  

My son is in recovery. He has been clean and sober for 16 months. It’s a miracle he’s alive. That miracle cost us a small fortune. True recovery is not cheap and it is not easy. It is not five days of detox, have a nice day. It is not a thirty day stint in rehab, have a nice life. It is a slow, slogging, exhausting crawl out of the muddy nasty pit Addiction digs under you."

Continue reading her article here
https://stopthesilencespeakthetruth.wordpress.com/2015/06/04/hello-world/


Help is coming to Franklin. There is a meeting at the Franklin High School auditorium on Tuesday, June 30 - 7:00 PM to form a "Community Coalition" to address the heroin and opiate drug problem the community faces. It can be solved, not by putting additional police on the streets but by providing the support to the individuals and families that need it.

Additional information on the Community Coalition can be found here
http://www.franklinmatters.org/2015/06/community-coalition-on-opiate-addiction.html