Family (Pop-up) Christmas Pageant at Franklin United Methodist Church - Dec 24, 2021

"Join the Franklin United Methodist Church for a Family (Pop-up) Christmas Pageant on Christmas Eve, December 24, at 5 PM. We will sing Christmas Carols while our esteemed pageant directors pick the cast from those in attendance in order to set the nativity scene. Everyone will have a part to play. Everyone can be a star!

This service will occur in-person in-the-sanctuary, in-person virtually using Google Meet, and live-streamed via YouTube. All are welcome.

NOTE: All persons, regardless of vaccination status, attending this service in-person in the sanctuary must wear a mask over their mouth and nose upon entering our facility."

For more information including the remote links,  please visit the Facebook page ->

https://www.facebook.com/events/208148198178760

Family (Pop-up) Christmas Pageant at Franklin United Methodist Church

Empty Bowls silent/virtual auction ends June 21, 2021 at 10 PM

If you haven't got a bid in for one or more of the fabulous ceramic works of art, please make the time to do so before the auction closes out Thursday, Jun 17 at 10 PM.

"Good news! We are extending the deadline for the Empty Bowls auction until Monday, June 21!!!!!! Get your bids in and don't miss your chance to own a one of a kind ceramic piece AND help The Pantry! "

Auction web page -> https://sites.google.com/view/emptybowls6/home

Listen to "Inside the Empty Bowls 2021 preparations"

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2021/06/fm-561-inside-empty-bowls-2021-060821.html 

All this to benefit the Franklin Food Pantry. You can donate directly to the Pantry on the Empty Bowls page or at the Pantry page  https://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/ 

Come bid on these one of a kind hand-made items. #emptybowls

Still time for the 10th Annual FBRTC Virtual Race – 5K run or walk 2021

Register today and support the Franklin & Bellingham Rail Trail Committee and the SNETT rail trail. 

Thank you to TVFR (https://www.tri-valleyfrontrunners.com/) for partnering with us this year in organizing and supporting our event!

Register here: https://www.active.com/running/distance-running-virtual-events/10th-annual-fbrtc-virtual-race-5k-run-or-walk-2021

If you or your business would like to become a sponsor, please email us at fbrtcommittee@gmail.com for details. Thank you. 

When:  May 22 - May 31

 

Still time for the 10th Annual FBRTC Virtual Race – 5K run or walk 2021

incredABLE Day is Coming!

Don't Miss Your Chance to Do Something incredABLE!

20 Years of Celebrating the ABLE In All Of Us! For 20 years, incredABLE Day has united thousands of people around a common cause: to raise vital funds that allow HMEA to continue providing lifespan services and supports to more than 5,000 people with intellectual and developmental disabilities across Massachusetts and Rhode Island.  HMEA launched its first incredABLE Day in 2002, as a way to bring together the community we support and work with, to celebrate the ABLE in all of us. The event is now HMEA's biggest fundraiser of the year and, twenty years later, incredABLE Day remains a highly-anticipated annual tradition for the thousands of children, adults, and families impacted by intellectual and/or developmental disabilities, including autism, who depend on HMEA's services.  Proceeds raised for this event are returned to our programs – including 24/7 Residential Services, Day Habilitation and Employment Programs, Children's Services, Clinical and Medical supports, and Applied Behavioral Health Services – to ensure the continued provision of these invaluable services and the ongoing pursuit of our mission. Don't Miss Your Chance To Do Something incredABLE! Auction & Raffle Sales Close May 21 at 12pm! Place your bids in the incredABLE Auction! Items include: 1-week vacation anywhere in the world! 13" MacBook Pro! Golf Tour package! Ultimate Dining package! And more! Auction! Get your Dream Raffle tickets! $5 gets you 6 chances to win! Items include: 10" tablet! HD video camera! Telescope! Games! Gift cards & baskets! And more! Dream Raffle! You could win up to $5,000, while helping to give up to $5,000!* Get your 50/50 raffle tickets for just $25 each. One lucky winner will take home half of the total prize money raised through ticket sales! *amount based on tickets sold. 50/50 Raffle! Place Your Bids & Get Your Tickets Today! First, Get Your Tickets & Place Your Bids! Then, Watch To See If You're A Winner! Tune In for The Special LIVE Broadcast Event! Tune in to HMEA's Facebook or YouTube pages this Sunday, May 23, 2021 at 10:00am for a special, live broadcast event to celebrate the 20th Anniversary incredABLE Day! Click the buttons below, or search "HMEAinc" on either platform. All are welcome to watch and join along in the comments! You'll see: incredABLE athletes running the incredABLE 5K! Special guests throughout the broadcast! Announcement of incredABLE Contest, Challenge, & Auction winners! LIVE Dream Raffle and 50/50 Raffle drawings! And more! Watch on Facebook! Watch on YouTube! Sunday, May 23 at 10:00am! Give to incredABLE Day Donate to the team page of your choice and make a targeted gift of support, or make a general donation and help incredABLE Day have an incredABLE impact! Or, text ABLE2021 to 44321 to make a donation in any amount you choose, securely and right from your phone! Donations in support of incredABLE Day are gratefully accepted through June 30, 2021. Through June 30, 2021!

HMEA | 8 Forge Park East, Franklin, MA 02038 Sent by hmea@hmea.org powered by Try email marketing for free today!

Join the HMEA May 16 and May 23 events virtually

May 16, 2021 is HMEA's 60^th Birthday! To mark this occasion and get in shape for incredABLE Day, we'll be taking a Stroll Down Memory Lane on Sunday, May 16 at 6pm. Join us for some virtual social time, lots of giveaways, and a brief slideshow of the last 20 years of incredABLE Day; you'll probably see yourself from over the years!

• It's FREE! Just click HERE to join, or click the invitation attached to add to your Outlook calendar
• Use Passcode: 20years
• Tons of GIVEAWAYS, including special-edition HMEA swag, Dream Raffle tickets, Papa Gino's party packs, and more!
• Get food for the show! Order from ANY Papa Gino's location or ANY participating D'Angelo location on May 16 between 12pm and 7pm, mention you're supporting HMEA's 20^th Anniversary incredABLE Day, and 20% of your order will be donated to the incredABLE Day team of your choice! 

 

Also for your calendar:

May 23 is HMEA's 20^th Anniversary incredABLE Day! Tune in to HMEA's Facebook page or YouTube page on Sunday, May 23 for special live coverage of incredABLE Day, starting at 10:00am!

• It's FREE to watch!
• See who wins the incredABLE 5K, photo and video contests, challenges, and auction!
• Hear from special guests and chime in with your live comments!
• Find out if you're a winner during LIVE Dream Raffle an 50/50 Raffle drawings!

 

                

10th Annual FBRTC Virtual Race – 5K run or walk 2021 May 22 - May 31

Hello all!

The month of May is here which means our virtual 5k is just around the corner! Attached in this email is all the information you need to register for the event. Follow the link to sign up and get your free neck gaiter. 

Also please forward this to all your friends and family to sign up as well! You can walk or run from anywhere! We will mail the neck gaiter to anyone outside the area so forward it to Aunt Sally in Florida or Uncle George in California! We have a limited number of gaiters so don't be left out! 

Help us to make this a successful fundraiser for the SNETT!

Thanks so much for your support!

Sue Rheaume 
FBRTC Race committee 

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

10th Annual FBRTC Virtual Race – 5K run or walk 2021 May 22 - May 31

Greetings!!

Registration is now open for the 10th Annual FBRTC 5K Run or Walk.  

Participants can run (or walk) ANY 5k course they choose (trail or road). But there will be some directions on the SNETT trail from the Grove St trailhead as to start/turn-around/finish locations for those that want to run this on the SNETT trail  (which is the beneficiary of the race) during the time period when the race is "open" (May 22-31).

Here are the details: 

• Entry Fee:  Runners $20, Walkers $15
• There will be a WALKER division (no timed results or awards)
• Race divisions will be Male Open (49 and under), Female Open (49 and under),
• Male Senior (50+) and Female Senior (50+)
• Each Male and Female division winner will receive a gift certificate from 67 Degrees Brewing (158 Grove St, Franklin)
• Race give-aways (guaranteed for participants who register by April 30, and to all others as availability allows) will be neck gaiter/buff which will be distributed from 67 Degrees during the race "open" period (May 22-31) during their regular hours. See the web site: www.67degreesbrewing.com
• Additional Info Available at www.tri-valleyfrontrunners.com

More Info: 

This will be a VIRTUAL 5k Race. The "date" of the race will be Memorial Day, Monday, May 31, 2021, but participants can submit results of runs from anytime between Saturday, May 22 until the end of the day on May 31 (when registration will also close)

We look forward to you joining us at 67 Degrees Brewing and on the Roads or Trails!  

Thank you,

Mark Capparella 

FBRTC 5K Race Director

mark_capparella@waters.com

FM #522 - Doug MacPherson - HMEA - 04/06/21 (audio)

FM #522 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 522 in the series. 

This session of the radio show shares my conversation with Doug MacPherson, Vice-President of Development and Public Relations for Horace Mann Education Association (HMEA). We had our conversation via conference bridge to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.

Doug and I talked about the preparation for the HMEA’s IncredABLE 5K scheduled for May 23, 2021. In this pandemic period, the road race, community walk, and family fun field day has been converted to a virtual event. Virtual? Yes, we talk about how you can run your 5K on a certified 5K course and send your results to HMEA to count.

Our conversation includes the other elements of fund raising by HMEA event leading up to May 23. Links to the fund raising activities are included in the show notes.

The recording runs about 23 minutes, so let’s listen to my conversation with Doug. Audio file = https://player.captivate.fm/episode/6c76ef69-8533-4943-9a15-c70179f3aa02

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

Visit HMEA online IncredABLE Day May 23 ->  https://www.hmea.org/incredable-day/ 

• Video and photo contests ->   https://www.hmea.org/contests/
• Virtual trivia  https://www.hmea.org/smarty-pants2/   or Virtual bingo  https://www.hmea.org/bingo/ 
• 50/50 Raffle ->  https://www.hmea.org/50-50-raffle/
• Stroll down memory lane May 16 -> https://www.hmea.org/anniversary-video/

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

We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm). 

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.

How can you help?

• If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors

• If you don't like something here, please let me know

Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit   Franklinmatters.org/  or www.franklin.news/

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana"  c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.

I hope you enjoy!

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

You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"

FM #522 - Doug MacPherson - HMEA - 04/06/21 (audio)

Remote work and the " new normal"

"The post-vaccine workplace is taking shape, and for many it’s going to be a hybrid model, allowing more remote work but with clear expectations that some days a week will be in the office.

Workforce experts are bracing for a whole new set of post-pandemic upheavals, in some instances more transformative than the unplanned move to working from home last March, with some making efforts to avoid pre-pandemic remote-work mistakes.

“In a lot of ways it’s going to be more disruptive than when we went all remote,” said Brian Kropp, vice president of research at Gartner."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required) 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/03/30/hybrid-office-remote-work-citigroup-ford-target/

 

"Since the pandemic sent workers home last year, a slew of modifications have been made to office buildings to protect against the spread of the coronavirus. Now, as companies prepare to bring workers back, experts say even more changes are on the way.

Expect expanded gathering spaces and fewer personal workstations, for instance, changes that are being fueled by the success of working from home. Companies like Google, Microsoft and Walmart have already announced proposals for hybrid work models that will allow employees to continue to work remotely at least a few days a week."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required) 

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/30/business/office-return-space.html 

 

MA State News: climate change bill likely to get signed; Remote work likely here to stay

 

"WITH BOTH BRANCHES of the Legislature approving climate change legislation by veto-proof majorities, the Baker administration on Thursday declared victory and signaled that the governor will sign the bill into law.

“The governor and I are very pleased the Legislature adopted the vast majority of our amendments,” said Katie Theoharides, the governor’s secretary of energy and environmental affairs.

She said she couldn’t definitively say the governor will sign the bill until it actually reaches his desk and he can see it in its final form, but she signaled that was likely. “We are very pleased by the inclusion of key amendments as well as technical changes,” she said."

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/environment/baker-administration-very-pleased-with-climate-change-bill/

 

The MA Legislature's press release on the passage of the climate change bill

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2021/03/ma-legislature-passes-landmark-climate.html

The link to the legislation itself  https://malegislature.gov/Bills/192/S9

Remote work looks like it’s here to stay

"EASTERN BANK USED to be a typical employer. Be in the office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with an hour break for lunch. Its employees in Lynn, Boston, and elsewhere fought the traffic with other rush hour commuters.

No more. That model, says CEO Bob Rivers, is likely gone for good.

Once the pandemic eases, Eastern Bank plans to implement for the first time a widely available work-from-home policy, which will give employers more options for whether they want to come into the office or not.

“Being able to work in this way with greater flexibility we think will make us a better employer, and certainly a more competitive employer,” Rivers said."

Continue reading the article online  https://commonwealthmagazine.org/economy/remote-work-looks-like-its-here-to-stay/

Mustard's Retreat - Virtual concert - benefits Franklin Food Pantry

Join us for another online concert

Mustard's Retreat online concert Tues, Mar 16 View this email in your browser Mustard's Retreat March 16 - 7 PM donations You may have seen Mustard's Retreat at the Circle of Friends Coffeehouse, the New Bedford Folk Fest, or Falcon Ridge. They always put on a fabulous show. Donations for this virtual show on Facebook or YouTube will benefit the Franklin Food Pantry Mustard's Retreat has been delighting audiences by telling stories for 40 years- they are witty, insightful, fun, and profound, as well as accomplished songwriters and musicians.  They've traveled more than a million miles and performed more than 6,000 shows, from pig roasts and pool parties to Lincoln Center Out of Doors, The Barns at Wolftrap and the Kennedy's Center's Millennium Stage. The show ill be streaming at Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEL_S34548_opJYOEW-5HTA Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mustardsretreat/live/ The Circle of Friends Coffeehouse is a non-profit organization affiliated with Franklin's First Universalist Society.  Please visit http://www.circlefolk.org/  for more information.

Circle of Friends Coffeehouse · First Universalist Society · 262 Chestnut St · Franklin, MA 02038 · USA