Mark your calendar: Kindergarten Information Night Schedule

The schedule of Kindergarten information nights is shown here

School	Date	Time
Davis Thayer	Thursday, May 2, 2019	5:45 PM
Jefferson	Thursday, May 9, 2019	6:00 PM
Keller	Tuesday, May 14, 2019	6:00 PM
Kennedy	Thursday, May 16, 2019	6:00 PM
Oak St	Wednesday, May 29, 2019	6:00 PM
Parmenter	Wednesday, May 15, 2019	6:00 PM

Kindergarten Information Night Schedule

4th Annual Empty Bowls Dinner Tickets on Sale

To help the more than 1,100 individuals seeking food assistance from the Franklin Food Pantry, the Pantry is partnering with the Franklin High School Empty Bowls Club in the 4th Annual Empty Bowls Dinner on May 2, from 6 – 8 PM at Franklin High School.

The dinner event, which features a simple meal of soup and bread served “soup-kitchen” style, will set the stage for community members to join in support of the Franklin Food Pantry. The open house format welcomes attendees any time between 6 – 8 PM.

The event serves as a reminder of the many “empty bowls” that exist in the lives of those who experience hunger. The awareness and fundraising event is family-friendly and caters to all ages.

4th Annual Empty Bowls Dinner on May 2

According to Amy Cataldo, the Pantry’s Interim Executive Director, “Many in our community are unaware of the level of hunger that exists in our own backyard. The number of families counting on the Pantry is the highest it’s been in four years. The need is very real. The Empty Bowls Dinner is an opportunity for our community to support our neighbors in need.”

The Pantry distributed more than 300,000 pounds of food in 2018, which was a 24 percent increase over the prior year.

Empty Bowls Club Member Megan Torey
(left) and event attendee Kate Cataldo 

Cataldo said the event would not be possible without the partnership of the Franklin High School Empty Bowls Club and FHS Art Teacher Brenna Johnson. “Our students are excited to be part of such a meaningful effort,” said Johnson, adviser for the Empty Bowls Club. “We have been making ceramic bowls throughout the year and have hosted bowl-making events open to the community. The hand-painted, ceramic bowls are given to attendees to take home as a reminder that “somewhere, someone’s bowl is empty.”

The event includes a silent auction featuring more elaborate pieces that have been created and painted by members of the FHS Empty Bowls Club and community members. In addition, kids of all ages will have an opportunity to make a bowl to take home with them as part of ArtWeek. 

Donations made via the Giving Wall will be used to purchase food for neighbors in need. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Franklin Food Pantry and will be used to fight hunger locally.

Tickets must be bought in advance and can be purchased online at www.franklinfoodpantry.org. Seating is limited to 400 guests so tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. The cost is $20 for adults and $10 for children and students.

Empty Bowls is an international grass roots effort to fight hunger and raise funds to support local pantries. The Franklin Food Pantry and the FHS Empty Bowls Club work together to support the cause locally. For more information on the dinner, visit www.franklinfoodpantry.org or call 508-528-3115.

"Franklin resident Chris Lim will complete a rare marathon feat"

In just a couple of weeks, Franklin resident Christian (Chris) Lim will complete a rare marathon feat when he finishes the London Marathon. He will have completed all 6 Abbott World Marathon Majors and receive the Six Star Medal. Only 4,989 people in the world have earned this medal so far.

His journey began in 2015 when he decided to run the Boston Marathon with charity – the Dana Farber / Jimmy Fund. After his father’s passing, Chris decided to complete the rest of the world majors.

The Abbott World Marathon Majors consist of the following 6 marathons, in order of the races throughout the year: Tokyo, Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York. Each world major has three groups of entrants: time qualifier, random ballot, or charity. Each race has a time qualifier that is very fast – under 3 hours 20 minutes in each case. Chris has battled a number of injuries and does not run that fast.

Chris had phenomenal luck and got into 2017 Chicago, 2018 Berlin and 2018 New York all on the random ballot drawing. He ran for Ronald McDonald House Charity in 2019 Tokyo and is running for Children with Cancer UK for 2019 London. He has raised almost $20,000 across those three charities with his running. In addition, he has set a new personal best with each marathon. For those who know about marathons, that is 4 world major marathons in just 8 months. His current best time is 3:53:16, which he set on March 3, 2019 in Tokyo.

Chris had been competing locally in triathlons but injured his shoulder. While recovering, he found he could run longer and longer distances and wanted to challenge himself. He enjoys running in the big cities and seeing the sights with the huge crowd support at each of these marathons.

He continues to cheer on his Dana Farber teammates each year since he ran Boston. He runs training runs with them and helps support for those running Boston on race day.

For more information about the Abbott World Majors see https://www.worldmarathonmajors.com/

To support Chris’ latest charity fundraising as he runs London, see https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/donation-web/fundraiser?fundraiserActivityId=1016836

"Franklin resident Chris Lim will complete a rare marathon feat"

MSAA-MIAA 5th Annual Mental Health Summit - Apr 26

The MSAA-MIAA 5th Annual Mental Health Summit being held on Friday, April 26th at the Doubletree Hotel in Westborough, MA. 

Congressman Joe Kennedy III will be serving as the keynote speaker. The flier is on the MIAA wellness page at http://www.miaa.net 
The cost is $55.00 and all are welcome


Get your copy of the event flyer here
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B0wjbnXDBhczTndqQkcwSGFxWnJHODhaSjZnajA1R2ZHNjBV/view?usp=sharing

MSAA-MIAA 5th Annual Mental Health Summit - Apr 26

Franklin Library: Impact of the 1918 Flu Epidemic - Apr 9

What was the impact of the 1918 flu epidemic? The talk is scheduled for Tuesday, April 9 at 6:30 PM at the Franklin Library.

"The 1918 flu pandemic killed up to 100 million people worldwide in less than a year, disproportionately taking healthy young adults. The personal impact was devastating and wide-ranging, including immigration, families split apart, and openings for women in the workforce. This talk draws on stories and newspaper articles to explore the multi-faceted ways the 1918 flu epidemic impacted families, sometimes for generations. This talk will be presented by Genealogist Lori Lyn Price."

impact of the 1918 flu epidemic

Upcoming Events in Franklin, MA: FRI - Apr 5 to THU - Apr 11

Friday, April 5

10:00am

 Knitting Group

1:30pm

 Half Day Matinee! (FoFL)

3:00pm

 MICCA Festival - Music

4:00pm

 Intro to Knit

7:00pm

 Culinary Cabaret

7:00pm

 TOM RUSH with Matt Nakoa

Saturday, April 6

9:00am

 Recycling Event

10:00am

 Franklin Historical Museum (Always free)

10:30am

 Baby Sensory! (FOFL Room)

3:00pm

 MICCA Festival - Music

Sunday, April 7

1:00pm

 Franklin Historical Museum (always free)

Monday, April 8

10:30am

 Move Along

11:00am

 Toddler Playgroup

3:00pm

 Monday Crafternoons

3:30pm

 Dungeons & Dragons for Kids ( Teen Room)

7:00pm

 OSKEY Rehearsal

Tuesday, April 9

9:30am

 Cool Cruisers

10:30am

 Get Ready for Kindergarten

3:30pm

 French Storytime! (FOFL Room)

3:30pm

 Play S.t.e.a.m.

6:30pm

 Doggie Tales (FOFL)

6:30pm

 Impact of the 1918 Flu Epidemic

7:00pm

 School Committee

7:00pm

 Wine Tasting 101

7:30pm

 Franklin Bellingham Rail Trail Committee Public Meeting

Wednesday, April 10

10:30am

 Terrific Toddlers

11:00am

 Toddler Playgroup

2:30pm

 Preschool Play N' Learn (Community Room)

4:00pm

 Construction Junction

6:30pm

 Christian Zen Weekly Meditation

6:30pm

 Grandparents Raising Grandchildren

6:30pm

 Teen Advisory Board

7:00pm

 OSKEY Rehearsal

7:00pm

 Town Council Meeting

7:30pm

 LET'S LAUGH TODAY

Thursday, April 11

9:30am

 Baby Tummy Time

10:30am

 Story & Craft

3:30pm

 Discovery Workshop

4:00pm

 Franklin Historical Museum (always free)

6:00pm

 Volunteens

6:30pm

 Lenten Soup Supper and Book Study

6:30pm

 Charles River Meadowlands Community Forum

For the interactive version, please visit

http://www.franklinmatters.org/p/blog-page.html

For the Town of Franklin Public Meeting Calendar

http://www.franklinma.gov/calendar

Submit an event for the Community Calendar, please use this link

https://goo.gl/forms/7Pr1iBuAiIna7cUo2

Upcoming Events in Franklin, MA: FRI - Apr 5 to THU - Apr 11

What is a Dementia Friendly Community? (video)

What is a Dementia Friendly Community?

A place where individuals living with dementia and their care partners can live as independently as possible, continue to be part of their communities by receiving support and understanding at local facilities such as banks, shops, cafes and restaurants and maintain their social networks.

For more about dementia and what the town is offering to become a dementia friendly community visit  https://www.franklinma.gov/dff