50+ Job Seekers Group - Upcoming Events

Mark your calendar!

Hello 50+ Job Seeker!   Here is a snapshot of what we have coming up for you in the coming weeks:   Thurs, Mar 25th: 10-1130am: What Now? Long Term Stress Management Featuring Guest Speaker: Dr. William Sharp   Come and share your experiences as our guest speaker, Dr William Sharp, Psychoanalyst, guides us through ways to identify and manage the long-term stress created by this "new normal" we find ourselves living in. See flyer   *Advanced Registration for this Special Event is Required* https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0vduGgrDIjGNZeCneWpSP1CeCs0Pp4XjYZ Register Here Thurs, Apr 8th: 10-1130am: Volunteerism - A Pathway to Purpose & Employment   Interactive Panel Event with: Kara Cohen-AARP Stacey Sirios - Commonwealth Corp/Mass Service Alliance Donna Morelle - Empower Success Corp [ESC] David Guydan - Discovery Centers   Join our panel to learn about ways in which volunteering with anyone of these organizations can change your life and the lives' of others. Gain an understanding of the value of volunteering as it relates to your job search. See flyer  *Advanced Registration for this Special Event is Required* https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUuduqspzktGNTLlJPMXSqZBtwr2-i9oMjX Register Here Feel free to share the attached Promotional Flyers for these special events with your network!   50+ Interactive Workshop Series schedule in March-April is: Session #6: LinkedIn Profile: Tues 3/23-10am; Fri 3/26-1pm; Mon 4/5-630pm Session #7: Using LinkedIn: Fri 4/9-1pm; Tues 4/13-10am; Mon 4/19-630pm G2G Networking Sessions: Mar 16th and April 6th at 10am.  Four attendees of each G2G Networking session will be randomly selected to receive a free, 20-minute 1-1 Speed Coaching with one of your Group Leaders! EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT! COMING IN APRIL!! We are excited to be partnering with MassHire Career Centers to launch a 3-part Bilingual Workshop Series for 50+ Job Seekers in the Latino communities of the Commonwealth.  April 21, 1-3pm: Skills Assessment and New Career Pathways May 19, 1-3pm: Turn your Resume into a Marketing Tool June 16, 1-3pm: Network your way to a New Career   If you know someone in your community who could benefit from our 50+ interactive workshops offered in a bilingual modality, please share the flyers below for additional information and registration. English Flyer Spanish Flyer Please visit our website for additional information! For questions, contact 50plusjobseekersadmin@mcoaonline.com

Massachusetts Association of Councils on Aging | 116 Pleasant Street, Suite 306, Easthampton, MA 01027 Sent by susan@sdkelly.com powered by Try email marketing for free today!

Franklin Art Association: Pisini Virtual Gallery (video)

The latest Virtual Gallery, devoted to Victor Pisini's work, is up on the FAA and All About Franklin Facebook pages and the FAA YouTube channel.  

 

The link to get you to it is https://youtu.be/4J_XtZdd72Y

Franklin Cultural District ArtWALK/Celebration Planning Meeting - Mar 25

Dear Cultural District Partners,

We hope you are doing well and that you have been able to enjoy some of this sunny weather.

 The Franklin Cultural District Committee was pleased to learn that we had been awarded a Massachusetts Cultural Council grant.

As a result we were able to fund the requests of eight of our Cultural District partners. These grants will help to support exhibits, events, and performances during the ArtWALK/Celebration which will take place during the weekend of June 11th.

As we begin the planning for this event we are inviting all partners to our first planning meeting. This meeting which will be held virtually on the Zoom platform, will be on Thursday, March 25 at 7:00 PM. We hope that you will all join us for this meeting.

Below you will find the zoom link for the meeting.

The Cultural District Committee is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Cultural District Committee, Cultural District Partners Event Planning Meeting
March 25, 2021 7:00 PM

Join Zoom Meeting   =      https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83387368806

Meeting ID: 833 8736 8806
One tap mobile   =      +13017158592,,83387368806# US (Washington DC)

Dial by your location           +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
Meeting ID: 833 8736 8806
Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdVvZiUkbc

We look forward to working together to plan a wonderful event celebrating the arts and culture in Franklin.

Regards,

Nancy Schoen
Chair, Cultural District Committee
nschoenfranklinculture@gmail.com 

Franklin Cultural District ArtWALK/Celebration Planning Meeting - Mar 25

 

FM #491 - Talk Franklin - 03/12/21 (audio)

FM #491 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 491 in the series. 

This session of the radio show shares my "Talk Franklin" conversation with Town Administrator Jamie Hellen and Marketing and Communications Specialist Anne Marie Tracey. We had our conversation via conference bridge to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.

We talk about: 

Pandemic and recovery, vaccines (not locally delivered), re-opening (Library 3/22)

Budget cycle starting

• FinCom got preview of revenues
• budget subcommittee meeting Weds
• SchComm budget previewed Mar 9

ThinkFranklinFirst

Earth Day Registration

Senior Coffee hour 3/18 at 8:30 AM

Franklin Matters Q&A 3/18 at 1:30 PM

Links to the key topics covered here are included in the show notes. The recording runs about 31 minutes, so let’s listen to my conversation with Jamie and Anne Marie.  Audio file = https://player.captivate.fm/episode/e1f74225-b958-4790-8883-e1cb0ddbc442

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Town of Franklin COVID-19 page = https://www.franklinma.gov/home/pages/vaccination-and-covid-19-data 

Finance Committee meeting - revenue estimates
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2021/03/fm-490-finance-committee-meeting-031021.html 

School Committee meeting budget first view
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2021/03/fm-486-school-committee-mtg-030921-p2.html 

#Project Envoy - March schedule = https://www.franklinfoodpantry.org/project-envoy/ 

Dan Feerick interview =  https://www.franklinmatters.org/2021/03/fm-484-dan-feerick-for-project-envoy.html 

#ThinkFranklinFirst gift cards = https://franklingiftcard.com/

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

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 #491 - Talk Franklin - 03/12/21 (audio)

FM #492 - Senator Becca Rausch - 03/11/21 (audio)

FM #492 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 492 in the series. 

This session of the radio show shares my conversation with Senator Becca Rausch. 

We had our conversation via conference bridge to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.

We talk about: 

Last meet/recorded Aug 14, 2020 on the Franklin Town Common

How are you doing?

 

Priorities this year

Vaccine equity/ post pandemic

Voting rights

Links to the Senator’s pages as mentioned during our conversation are provided in the show notes.  

Our recording runs about 41 minutes, so let’s listen to my conversation with Senator Becca Rausch. Audio file = https://player.captivate.fm/episode/4bf800a4-d8a6-4568-8c6e-2748f8e7d523 

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Senator Becca Rausch home page:   https://www.beccarauschma.com/ 

Her issues page:  https://www.beccarausch.com/issues    

Leadership Lunch series celebrating women in March on Facebook Live: https://www.facebook.com/beccarauschMA/posts/748458989143885

Sign up for a spot during one of her virtual ‘office hours’  https://www.beccarauschma.com/office-hours 

COVID-19 updates https://www.beccarauschma.com/coronavirus 

Newsletter archive  https://us20.campaign-archive.com/home/?u=09452b4d597ce95fe20563af4&id=c427233b9b 

From the archives: our conversation recorded in August 2020
https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/08/fm-331-senator-becca-rausch-81420-audio.html  

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

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"

Senator Becca Rausch (Twitter profile image)

St. Mary's Women's Faith Formation Group - April 3 - "The Meaning of Easter"

St Mary's Women's Faith Formation will be watching  Bishop Barron's video  "The Meaning of Easter" at our monthly Saturday morning Zoom meeting on April 3 starting at 9:30 AM. 

There will be time for discussion after the viewing.  This meeting is open to all women. 

If interested in attending this 45 minute meeting, please email Deacon Guy (deaconguy@stmarysfranklin.org) for Zoom link contact information.

 

St. Mary's Women's Faith Formation Group

MA Legislature News: no action on move to slow school reopening; Senate advances Climate change bill again

 

"Massachusetts lawmakers have not been shy about criticizing Governor Charlie Baker’s balky vaccine rollout, especially amid the recent, escalating conflict between Baker and teachers unions over school reopenings.

State lawmakers could turn those rebukes into legislative action by passing a new bill to delay Baker’s timetable for school reopenings by several weeks and mandate that all school staff have “equitable access” to vaccines before they’re required to return.

But so far, few seem eager to do so."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/03/15/metro/legislative-leaders-quiet-new-bill-override-baker-school-return-timeline/ 

"THE MASSACHUSETTS SENATE passed climate change legislation on Monday by an overwhelming vote of 39-1, signaling the Legislature is unwilling to go along with several amendments sought by Gov. Charlie Baker.

The bill approved by the Senate includes a number of tweaks sought by the governor, but on several key provisions – a 50 percent reduction in emissions by 2030 and mandatory interim goals for industry subsectors – the legislation did not budge. Baker has insisted the 50 percent target, as opposed to the 45 percent he favored, would end up costing Massachusetts residents $6 billion unnecessarily."

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/environment/senate-passes-climate-change-bill-39-1/

National News: CDC review of documents; AI and the bias issue

"Federal health officials have identified several controversial pandemic recommendations released during the Donald Trump administration that they say were “not primarily authored” by staff and don’t reflect the best scientific evidence, based on a review ordered by its new director.

The review identified three documents that had already been removed from the agency’s website: One, released in July, delivered a strong argument for school reopenings and downplayed health risks. A second set of guidelines about the country’s reopening was released in April by the White House and was far less detailed than what had been drafted by the CDC and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. A third guidance issued in August discouraged the testing of people without covid-19 symptoms even when they had contact with infected individuals. That was replaced in September after experts inside and outside the agency raised alarms."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2021/03/15/cdc-removes-some-trump-era-guidance/

"Hundreds of people gathered for the first lecture at what had become the world’s most important conference on artificial intelligence — row after row of faces. Some were East Asian, a few were Indian, and a few were women. But the vast majority were white men. More than 5,500 people attended the meeting, five years ago in Barcelona, Spain.

Timnit Gebru, then a graduate student at Stanford University, remembers counting only six Black people other than herself, all of whom she knew, all of whom were men.

The homogeneous crowd crystallized for her a glaring issue. The big thinkers of tech say A.I. is the future. It will underpin everything from search engines and email to the software that drives our cars, directs the policing of our streets and helps create our vaccines."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/15/technology/artificial-intelligence-google-bias.html

Franklin Senior Center: Quarantini Time Tuesday at 5 PM

Franklin Senior Center: Quarantini Time Tuesday at 5 PM

Invite a friend to join us!!

Click below to join Quarantini Time Tuesday at 5 PM
https://zoom.us/j/97985268050?pwd=M3ZSNU5WSS9pQnhDT2t3ZkF2MVBzdz09

Meeting ID: 979 8526 8050
Passcode: 350991

--

Ariel Doggett

Virtual Program Coordinator

Respite Coordinator

"We rise by lifting others" - Robert Ingersoll

There is no act of kindness too small

Veterans COVID-19 Vaccine Scheduling Phone Number

Veterans COVID-19 Vaccine Scheduling Phone Number

Veterans Can Enroll in VA Healthcare by Phone

 

Veterans enrolled in the VA Healthcare System can now call: 857-203-3919 to schedule an appointment for the COVID-19 vaccine at VA Boston's Brockton, Jamaica Plain or Brockton campuses.

Veterans can call: 877-222-8387 to enroll in VA Healthcare.

VA Boston offers both the Moderna and Janssen COVID-19 vaccines and Veterans will be offered a vaccine based on clinical need and vaccine inventory. For those receiving the Moderna vaccine a second dose will be scheduled 28 days later. For those receiving the Janssen vaccine a second shot is not needed.
 
Shared from the Town of Franklin page =
https://www.franklinma.gov/veterans-services/news/veterans-covid-19-vaccine-scheduling-phone-number

 

Veterans COVID-19 Vaccine Scheduling Phone Number

 

Senate President Spilka holds Fourth Annual Social Emotional Learning Forum - Mar 19

Senate President holds Fourth Annual Social Emotional Learning Forum

Event to offer parents tools to support students' success during pandemic and beyond

On Friday, March 19, 2020, Massachusetts Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland) will hold a virtual event entitled, "Supporting our Students through COVID-19 and Beyond." The event is the Senate President's fourth annual Social Emotional Learning (SEL) forum part of her #MetroWestKids initiative and is aimed at offering resources to educators and parents. This important event is being presented in partnership with the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy and will feature local and statewide experts in social emotional learning.

 

"In this moment, ensuring our young people's future success means stepping up and stepping into their lives to understand the hardships they are facing due to COVID-19," stated Senate President Spilka. "The need to talk about our kids' mental health has never been so great. I hope all MetroWest parents and educators who are interested will join us on March 19." 

While continuing to provide parents with tools to support the development of key skills, such as making self-aware, responsible decisions and maintaining healthy relationships, this year's event will also deal with the specific challenges faced by young people in light of the pandemic. In particular, the forum will highlight methods to reduce stress levels, build resilience, and promote overall wellness.

Those interested in the event, which will be held on Zoom, may register at https://karenspilka.com/sel. The event will be from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm on March 19, 2021. All are welcome to join, but event will be focused on MetroWest. Participants may submit questions to the featured experts when registering.

 

Fourth Annual Social Emotional Learning Forum - Mar 19

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

Watch "Massachusetts school funding primer" on YouTube

Take 10 minutes to get the insights into the MA school funding primer. This is timely. The budget season is upon us. The first pass at the school budget was previewed at the School Committee meeting Mar 9. The School Committee budget subcommittee is scheduled to meet again Tuesday, Mar 16 at 4:30.

This brief video will help with some of the basic terminology for the budget.

Video link = https://youtu.be/o_XvmGzQ6oo

School Committee meeting budget segment:

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2021/03/fm-486-school-committee-mtg-030921-p2.html

Budget book for FPS FY 2022 as previewed during the Mar 9 meeting

https://www.franklinps.net/district/meeting-packets/files/supt-rec-budget-3-9-21

Holy Week and Easter Services at St John's Episcopal Church, Franklin

Holy Week and Easter Services at St John's Episcopal Church, Franklin

Palm Sunday - March 28th, 10 AM

on Facebook Live

Tenebrae - Wednesday, March 31, 7 PM

Service of Darkness and Light

on Facebook Live

Maundy Thursday - April 1st, 7 PM

on Facebook Live

Good Friday - April 2

Stations of the Cross

see StJohnsFranklinMA.org

pre-recorded with Franklin United Methodist Church 

and Franklin Federated Church

Easter Day - April 4th

9am - Easter Egg Hunt

10am - Drive-in Service of Resurrection

Listen on your car radio or Facebook Live

Holy Week and Easter Services at St John's Episcopal Church, Franklin