BrooklineCAN Blog

May 8^th is the Town Election.  Two town-wide races are contested: Select Board Members and School Committee.  There are two ballot questions and many interesting races in individual precincts.    The League of Women Voters publishes a voter’s guide on all races and candidates. Be on the lookout for it.

You do not need to wait until May 8^th to vote. You can vote absentee either by mail or going to the Town Clerk’s office and voting in person.  If you chose to vote by mail, you will need to apply by mail or online and the Town Clerk’s office will send you a ballot.  However, anytime the Clerk’s office is open up until     May 7^th you may fill out your absentee ballot there and vote!

Sample ballots for each precinct and absentee ballot information can be found at http://www.brooklinecan.org.

On Thursday, May 10 from 5:30-7:30 pm at the Senior Center enjoy light refreshments while you mingle with friends before the games begin!  Nancy Linde, our game host, is the author of two books on games, puzzles & trivia challenges specially designed to keep our aging brains young. This will be a lively, informative, interactive, and thoroughly enjoyable program. This event is free for current BrooklineCAN members.

A charge of $10 for non-members, payable at the door (cash or check), can be applied to membership. To register, please call 617-730-2770 or email MemberEvent@BrooklineCAN.org.

The Brookline Age-Friendly City committee is seeking new citizen members. The committee coordinates Brookline’s Age-Friendly City initiative, a comprehensive, multi-year effort to strengthen the Town’s response to its rapidly growing senior population. Age-Friendly Brookline is a collaboration involving the Town of Brookline, the Council on Aging, and BrooklineCAN. Members are expected to attend monthly meetings and contribute to committee projects. Committee members are appointed by the Select Board for 3-year renewable terms.  For more information contact Co-Chair Frank Caro frank.g.caro@gmail.com.

“Telling Your Story,” Senior Autobiographical writings.

As we age, we often look back and remember instances of our lives, some important, others, a fleeting image, a picture of a split-second recollection. “Telling your Story,” supports seniors in writing their stories, or fragments of them. The stories are as varied as the people who wrote them: funny, dramatic, poignant, and emotional. You can hear some of them and meet the authors at a reading and presentation of their work on Wednesday, May 23, from 10:15 to 11:45, at the Brookline Senior Center. Call 617-730-2777 for information. An unforgettable experience!

Starting Saturday June 2^nd at 5 pm the Coolidge Corner Library will close for some needed renovations.  One of the big new services is the installation of an elevator that will make it possible for anyone with mobility issues to get to the community meeting room without having to exit the building and use the steep path to the lower back entrance.

The public is welcome to attend informational meetings about the renovations on Sunday, May 6, 11 AM-12:30 PM and Thursday, May 10, 7-8:30 PM at the Coolidge Corner Library.  The Sussman House satellite library will be open on Monday, June 4 from 9-4.

The Move Maven is helping Furnishing Hope ofMassachusetts, Inc. with its Spring Linen Drive. Urgently needed items include new or gently-used sheets, pillowcases, blankets, comforters, towels, bathmats, and shower curtains. Furnishing Hope, a nonprofit organization, will distribute the items to families transitioning from homeless and domestic violence shelters into stable housing. Drop off your items (labelled “For Furnishing Hope”) in the reception area of the Senior Center before May 31. For more information or to arrange a pick-up from your home, contact Karen Zweig at The Move Maven: 617.455.1964 karen@movemaven.com.

New York Times writer and blogger Paula Span will deliver the Helen Kass Memorial Lecture on Thursday, May 24, at the Senior Center. Reception and tribute to Helen Kass, 6:00-6:30, program and discussion 6:30-7:45. Span’s topics will include: aging in the community, healthcare and over treatment, and today’s elders: educated, outspoken, feminist. The program is free of charge. Call 617-730-2770 to register.

The 16^th Age Friendly Cities (AFC-TV) show focuses on two Brookline initiatives, the Bicycle and Pedestrian Committees.  In 2016 the Town of Brookline filed a Complete Streets Policy with the State.  Brookline’s policy represents a shift from designing streets for cars to designing them for people of all ages and abilities, including the town’s most vulnerable users.

Our guests are John Bowman and David Trevvett representing the two
committees key to the implementation of the policy.  Check out the Brookline Age Friendly Cities TV programs on the BrooklineCAN web site http://www.brooklinecan.org and note references on the BrooklineCAN Twitter and Facebook accounts. Programs are aired on Channel 3 on Comcast and RCN.

THE BROOKLINE PUBLIC HEALTH DEPARTMENT OFFERS A SERIES OF EVENTS DURING PUBLIC HEALTH WEEK 2018.

April 2   NotFakeNews: Public Health and Climate Change
April 3   Hello Brookline:The Conversation Game for Living and Dying Well
April 3   Public Health & Gun Control – Who really is in control?
April 4   The Secret Lives of Tweens & Teens
April 5   You Are The Help Until Help Arrives
April 6   Stink! A Movie by Jon J. Whelan
April 7   Youth Climate Adaptation Challenge

Full details are at (or call 617-730-2300 for more information):
http://www.brooklinecan.org/documents/nphwpr2018ltrheadsj.pdf

Brookline Poet Laureate Zvi  A. Sesling, will host “An Evening of Poetry Translations” on Wednesday, April 25, 7:00 pm at Hunneman Hall, Main Library, Brookline Public Library (617-730-2370), 361 Washington Street.   Poems will be read in their original language and translated into English.  There will be German, Russian, French, Persian (Farsi), Chinese, Korean, Hebrew, Arabic, Greek and more.   The program is free of charge.  Come and enjoy this intriguing event.