“Senior isolation is always an issue, especially in the winter time”

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

"Senior citizens and their advocates have long struggled to tackle seclusion and loneliness in a portion of the population – particularly those less fortunate than Foley, without close family or the ability to drive.

To see her grandchildren, 79-year-old Hopedale resident Phyllis Foley arms herself with disinfecting wipes, drives a few minutes up the street, and heads into her daughter’s garden.

While she does a little weeding, her grandchildren come out of the house and sit several feet away.

“I think I’ve got a pretty good sense of what to do, because I had to do it for many years,” the former Navy nurse and visiting nurse said, adding that she wipes down every door handle, gives people a wide berth, and rarely leaves her apartment."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200404/metrowest-greater-milford-seniors-battle-extreme-isolation-during-pandemic

From a soon to be available interview with Karen Alves, Director of the Franklin Senior Center, the Center offers a weekly reassurance call for those who would like to receive one. Please call the Center at 508 520-4945 and leave a message. They will follow up to confirm the details and set up the weekly call.

“Senior isolation is always an issue, especially in the winter time”

Small businesses: Where to go for financial relief information

Small businesses: Where to go for financial relief information by Lesley Fair, Attorney, FTC Bureau of Consumer Protection If you own a small business or work for one, you've seen the headlines about financial relief that may be available to some companies through the Small Business Administration (SBA). But you've also heard about scammers who extract a grain of truth from the news and distort it in an effort to cheat small businesses.  Now more than ever it's critical for small businesses to go straight to the source for accurate information about what's happening at the SBA. And that source, of course, is the Small Business Administration's dedicated page, sba.gov/coronavirus. Read more  https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2020/04/small-businesses-where-go-financial-relief-information  This is a free service provided by the Federal Trade Commission.

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Let's beat our 2010 Census response rate this time around

"Recently, you should have received a census form. The US Census determines both State & Federal funding based on the information collected! Be counted! The census is quick, easy, and important, and all of your answers are confidential. 

Visit http://my2020census.gov today!"

We are currently (as of April 3) at 55.8%  As of 3/31 we were at 49.3% so we increased by about 6% in a few days.

In 2010 we responded with a 79.9% rate. Let's get well into the 80% rate this year!

The 2020 Census rate response interactive pagehttps://2020census.gov/en/response-rates.html

Let's beat our 2010 Census response rate this time around

 

Spend a few minutes with Marcus

Better late to this than not to have seen it. The ONE thing the pandemic has given us is time. The real question then comes back, if we let it, "how do we use this time?"

Marcus Buckingham, the strengths guy, speaker, author ... Someone I would put on my 'dream Board of Directors" posted this 14 minute video to Instagram. He did it, not his team, they are all distant now. As we are physically distant too. And we don't, shouldn't be, socially distant. We need each other to get through this.

Spend a few minutes with Marcus. He has a series of these. Don't catch up all at once. Gardening is not a binge action. Gardening takes time, you can not rush it.  https://www.instagram.com/tv/B99YyO9AkYJ/

View this post on Instagram

We all have a responsibility right now. To give and to give up. There are things in life we have to give up in order to contribute. We have to give up our going out, our eating out, our hugging and handshaking. And there are things that we can give. Yes, we can give money, food, excess toilet paper to our neighbors. And of course, your biggest gift: contributing the strongest and best parts of you. But if you don’t know what those are, and if the people around you don’t either, this ‘biggest gift’ is not possible. I’ve probably spent too many hours wishing I could sing or make songs like Chris Martin of Coldplay, or play piano like @JohnLegend. Or tell jokes like @TheEllenShow. But those are not my gifts to give. I’m just a researcher. One who loves to ask questions and write books. I AM clear, though, on where I am strong. And so, for the next, oh dear, however many weeks, I want to help you bring more love and more strength into your life. And if you do, then, as the data show, you will bring more strength into the lives of those you love: Your son, daughter, sister, mother, father, friend, and maybe your bullheaded yet brilliant, British mate. So, here is day one. I promise to give my best tomorrow to you. I see you. I love you.

A post shared by Marcus Buckingham (@marcusbuckingham) on Mar 20, 2020 at 7:47am PDT

From my email from Marcus:

Hello. I hope the last 8 videos in the #iseeyouiloveyou series have been useful in your life and the lives of those you love.

I’ve linked each below in case you missed any of them:

• DAY ONE: Where are you strong?
• DAY TWO: The SIGN Interview – find a few people to do this with and let me know what you find.
• DAY THREE: Questions you may have never asked your mother. Or your lover. Or your friend. (Listen in to a conversation I have with my Mum in London!)
• DAY FOUR: “Does it Matter If....?” is one of the most powerful questions to really discover someone.
• DAY FIVE: Resilience: The 2 Sources of Control ~ Discover 2 powerful questions to help you and others take back control.
• DAY SIX: Learn 3 powerful techniques to get people to reveal themselves
• DAY SEVEN: What space are you making for others? (a must-see for PARENTS + TEACHERS!)
• DAY EIGHT: Your #StrongLifeTeam – Your source of Strength: Monday – Friday of this week! 

I hope you join me this week for #StrongLifeTeam - Together we will build something for you that you will be able to lean into for a lifetime.

https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_banners/53504913/1555960570/1500x500

Two too good not to share!

1 - "Happy birthday Will! We love to bring a smile!"

Happy birthday Will! We love to bring a smile! Hey @johnkrasinski and @somegoodnews here is #SomeGoodNews ! https://t.co/70nZCAMgfG

— Franklin Police (@franklinpolice) April 3, 2020

Also found in the Milford Daily News:
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200403/video-franklin-boy-serenaded-by-police-on-his-12th-birthday

Twitter video screengrab

2 - Kathy Pennell reads "Brown Bear, Brown Bear ..."

View the story video on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/kathy.pennell.10/videos/10222192179696410/ 

Facebook screengrab image

 

Senator Rausch: COVID-19 Update #9

CORONAVIRUS / COVID-19 UPDATE #9

Friday, April 3, 2020

Hi friends,

I hope you are staying well and practicing extensive social distancing.

Great news - the municipalities bill that I've been shepherding through the legislative process is now passed and signed into law! (Here's the final language.) The bill does a whole bunch of important things to ensure our local and regional governments keep functioning and providing services to Bay Staters:

1. creates significant budget flexibility, particularly important for towns that can't have Town Meeting right now to pass a Fiscal Year 2021 budget;
2. extends the time frame for holding Town Meetings;
3. grants extensions for permits, hearings, and other deadlines, including a temporary lift on any constructive approvals;
4. allows municipalities to extend the deadline for property taxes and waive penalties on any late payments of taxes or fees; and
5. contains an important equity provision that prohibits the termination of any essential municipal service – including water, sewer, and trash collection – for a resident who is unable to pay local taxes or fees. In this uncertain time of job loss and insecurity, the last thing our government should do is prevent vulnerable residents from washing their hands.

By the way, this bill also carried the income tax extension from April to July, and lets everyone order beer and wine as part of your takeout order from local restaurants! A great way to continue to help your local businesses stay afloat during these trying economic times.

In addition to my extensive and ongoing work as the Senate Chair of the Municipalities Committee, I've also been advocating for decarceration, a stay at home order (not an advisory), shutting down non-essential construction, medical privileges for clinicians licensed in other countries, robust protections for medical professionals and first responders who are fighting this thing on the front lines, and more. I'm hearing from constituents daily, and I am giving voice to our shared concerns and disappointment with the executive management of this crisis.

....

My team and I are all working overtime and are here for you. Call us at 617-722-1555 or email me directly at becca.rausch@masenate.gov and one of us will get back to you as quickly as we can.

Wishing you and your families strength, health, and resilience.

Yours in service,

Senator Becca Rausch

The newsletter was shorted for publication here, to view the full contents:
https://us20.campaign-archive.com/?u=09452b4d597ce95fe20563af4&id=71591a6e6a

Senator Rausch: COVID-19 Update #9

Franklin Latter-day Saints Invite Town to Watch Worldwide Broadcast on Peace

In a time of such uncertainty, random acts of kindness and neighborly love has and continues to be shown in abundance around the globe. A worldwide pandemic, such as the one we are facing now in COVID-19, has a way of uniting people of all denominations, races and beliefs. It's as if we are all brothers and sisters in an expansive global family. It just takes something as drastic as our current conditions to realize it.

Members of the local congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Franklin would like to invite all to watch a global broadcast this weekend that aims to uplift, strengthen, and ultimately restore the sense of peace we all seek.

Saturday 12 PM, 4 PM, 8 PM
Sunday 12 PM, 4 PM

Broadcast Link:
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/broadcasts?lang=eng

 

Franklin Latter-day Saints Invite Town to Watch Worldwide Broadcast on Peace