REFLECT: CONVICTS’ LETTERS TO THEIR YOUNGER SELVES
Taryn Plumb
ENGINE
265 MAIN STREET
BIDDEFORD, MAINE
JANUARY 10 THROUGH FEBRUARY 22
A ponytailed, white-bearded man peers skeptically over his glasses, hands clasped in his lap. All around him, silhouetting his bulky form on a sort of chalkboard, are harsh and angry words written in blocky script — bolded, underlined, screaming with caps and exclamation points.
“Look what you’ve done to us, our sons, our career and future — DESTROYED!” they admonish. “Listen to those who love you, get their wisdom and understanding. They want to save you from yourself!”
Time offers perspective and knowledge; all of us, if allowed the chance, would give ourselves a warning, an encouragement, maybe a reproach. What would you say to your younger self?
It’s a compelling question for anyone to answer, but when posed to a dozen inmates in the Maine prison system serving a range of sentences for a variety of offenses, the result is both stark and moving. The project, fittingly called “REFLECT: Convicts’ Letters to their Younger Selves” and photographed by Trent Bell, transposes large-scale portraits of prisoners over their hand-written letters to their pre-incarcerated selves. On display at Engine in Biddeford Jan. 10 through Feb. 22, it also encompasses video interviews by Joe Carter, pictures of prison guards by Corey Desrochers and ambient sounds recorded within institution walls.
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Heroes Among Us: Zachary Kerr
Transgender youth shares his tale of challenge
By Taryn Plumb | GLOBE CORRESPONDENT
DECEMBER 29, 2013
Mark Lorenz for The Boston Globe
Growing up as a girl – and an identical triplet – Zachary Kerr never felt quite right with himself.
When asked “What do you want to be when you grow up?” for instance, the answer from his little girl self was always “a boy.” It was charming at first, he recalled. But later, it became worrisome.
A tomboy who preferred rough-housing, he would often leave home dressed in clothes designated for his female gender. Then slyly on the school bus, he changed into outfits snuck from his older brothers’ closets.
He felt confused and alone. At age 14, he came across the transgender concept: people whose gender identity is different from what they were born with. It clicked; things finally made sense. He slowly started to make the transition from female to male.
“I was depressed because I didn’t end up in the right body,” said the 20-year-old Methuen native, who went to Methuen public schools and is now a freshman at Wheelock College. “I want people to see that you can be trans, and you can be happy.”
Displaying an incredible amount of frankness, poise, and self-confidence, Kerr is an advocate and a role model for the transgender community. Still undergoing his biological transition from female to male, his goal is to educate people of all types about transgenderism, and provide support to youths who are struggling with gender issues, as well as their families and caregivers.
In this quest, he works closely with the Massachusetts Safe Schools Program for Gay and Lesbian Students, and Greater Boston PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) through educational outreach programs. Essentially, he shares his personal story in a variety of settings — schools, churches, corporations, state agencies — with teenagers, adults, teachers, businesspeople, and officials. After college, he plans to continue, with a goal to pursue social work.
“It’s a learning process for everybody,” he said of becoming transgender.
For youths struggling with their identity, he said he knows how it is to feel alone. “There are support systems out there.”
Kerr offered this guidance for families and friends: “This is really hard to understand, and that’s OK. It’s not OK to hate and discriminate because you don’t understand. It’s not OK not to try to educate yourself.”
For his efforts, Kerr was recently recognized with a TeenNick HALO award from Nickelodeon, which celebrates young activists; he was one of just four recipients nationwide, and was accompanied on stage at a live broadcast by Josh Hutcherson of the “Hunger Games,” who founded the ally group Straight But Not Narrow.
Throughout his work, Kerr has been a defining influence for a number of people.
“Zach inspires me with his honesty, his openness, his maturity, and by how comfortable he is with himself,” said Deborah Peeples, president of Greater Boston PFLAG, and mother of a transgender young adult. “He demonstrates his courage by sharing his very personal story, and recognizes the power of putting a face to the issue of gender identity and how that helps break down barriers and build understanding.”
Kerr’s transition began in seventh grade, when he “came out to himself,” and slowly revealed his identity to his friends, triplet sisters Amy and Sara, and three older brothers. Eventually, he worked up the courage to tell his parents, with his mother nearly having to pry out the words, “I know I’m really a boy.”
From there, he made the social shift, wearing boys’ clothing, identifying as a male, and legally changing his name. He also takes a testosterone shot once a week, which dropped his voice, caused him to grow facial hair, and “all that fun stuff that goes with puberty.”
Although there has been the occasional person to say “stupid things,” the shift has been largely positive for him, with the support of his family, friends, and classmates.
His mother and father did initially have a tough time, feeling, in a sense, that they were “losing their youngest daughter,” he said.
But seeing how happy he was in finally discovering himself, he said they assured him: “We’ve always had a son. You just had the wrong title.”
Mark Lorenz for The Boston Globe
Story link.
© 2014 BOSTON GLOBE MEDIA PARTNERS, LLC
By Taryn Plumb | GLOBE CORRESPONDENT
DECEMBER 29, 2013
Mark Lorenz for The Boston Globe
Growing up as a girl – and an identical triplet – Zachary Kerr never felt quite right with himself.
When asked “What do you want to be when you grow up?” for instance, the answer from his little girl self was always “a boy.” It was charming at first, he recalled. But later, it became worrisome.
A tomboy who preferred rough-housing, he would often leave home dressed in clothes designated for his female gender. Then slyly on the school bus, he changed into outfits snuck from his older brothers’ closets.
He felt confused and alone. At age 14, he came across the transgender concept: people whose gender identity is different from what they were born with. It clicked; things finally made sense. He slowly started to make the transition from female to male.
“I was depressed because I didn’t end up in the right body,” said the 20-year-old Methuen native, who went to Methuen public schools and is now a freshman at Wheelock College. “I want people to see that you can be trans, and you can be happy.”
Displaying an incredible amount of frankness, poise, and self-confidence, Kerr is an advocate and a role model for the transgender community. Still undergoing his biological transition from female to male, his goal is to educate people of all types about transgenderism, and provide support to youths who are struggling with gender issues, as well as their families and caregivers.
In this quest, he works closely with the Massachusetts Safe Schools Program for Gay and Lesbian Students, and Greater Boston PFLAG (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays) through educational outreach programs. Essentially, he shares his personal story in a variety of settings — schools, churches, corporations, state agencies — with teenagers, adults, teachers, businesspeople, and officials. After college, he plans to continue, with a goal to pursue social work.
“It’s a learning process for everybody,” he said of becoming transgender.
For youths struggling with their identity, he said he knows how it is to feel alone. “There are support systems out there.”
Kerr offered this guidance for families and friends: “This is really hard to understand, and that’s OK. It’s not OK to hate and discriminate because you don’t understand. It’s not OK not to try to educate yourself.”
For his efforts, Kerr was recently recognized with a TeenNick HALO award from Nickelodeon, which celebrates young activists; he was one of just four recipients nationwide, and was accompanied on stage at a live broadcast by Josh Hutcherson of the “Hunger Games,” who founded the ally group Straight But Not Narrow.
Throughout his work, Kerr has been a defining influence for a number of people.
“Zach inspires me with his honesty, his openness, his maturity, and by how comfortable he is with himself,” said Deborah Peeples, president of Greater Boston PFLAG, and mother of a transgender young adult. “He demonstrates his courage by sharing his very personal story, and recognizes the power of putting a face to the issue of gender identity and how that helps break down barriers and build understanding.”
Kerr’s transition began in seventh grade, when he “came out to himself,” and slowly revealed his identity to his friends, triplet sisters Amy and Sara, and three older brothers. Eventually, he worked up the courage to tell his parents, with his mother nearly having to pry out the words, “I know I’m really a boy.”
From there, he made the social shift, wearing boys’ clothing, identifying as a male, and legally changing his name. He also takes a testosterone shot once a week, which dropped his voice, caused him to grow facial hair, and “all that fun stuff that goes with puberty.”
Although there has been the occasional person to say “stupid things,” the shift has been largely positive for him, with the support of his family, friends, and classmates.
His mother and father did initially have a tough time, feeling, in a sense, that they were “losing their youngest daughter,” he said.
But seeing how happy he was in finally discovering himself, he said they assured him: “We’ve always had a son. You just had the wrong title.”
Mark Lorenz for The Boston Globe
Story link.
© 2014 BOSTON GLOBE MEDIA PARTNERS, LLC
Heroes Among Us: Hope Wigglesworth
At 87, Hope is still there for others
By Taryn Plumb | GLOBE CORRESPONDENT
DECEMBER 29, 2013
Joanne Rathe / Globe Staff
Sitting in her pink scrubs, lanyard ID dangling, the white-haired, bespectacled octogenarian looked down at her lap and knotted her hands.
“There are so many volunteers, so many people who do great things,” Hope Wigglesworth said quietly. “I’m just one of millions.”
If there’s one thing that sums up the Ipswich 87-year-old, it’s her humility. Although Wigglesworth has given countless hours of her time to the community, she hardly wants recognition.
“I’ve done volunteer work for a good part of my life,” she said. “It was ingrained within my family that it was important to give back.”
Most notably, she does so by devoting her Thursdays as a patient ambassador atBeverly Hospital. Since May 2009, she has put in more than 350 hours, slowly pushing a cart through the halls, stopping room by room to offer up magazines, books, and pads and pencils for patients to write thoughts, questions, or medical directions — because, as she pointed out, people rarely remember to bring something to write on, and end up scribbling on napkins.
She keeps patients company, too, talking with them about whatever’s on their minds.
“I find that I meet a lot of wonderful people dealing with all kinds of medical issues, showing courage and faith, and a sense of humor at times,” she reflected.
“I can really say, when I leave here on Thursday, that I have gotten more than I have given.”
The mother of four and grandmother of nine, who has lived in Ipswich for more than 60 years, is involved in other facets of the community as well, but was reluctant to mention them, besides her work on the Ipswich Museum’s capital campaign.
“That’s one of the things with people like Hope — they certainly don’t do it for the recognition,” said Jane Karaman, the hospital’s manager of volunteer services. “Somebody that puts the amount of joy and effort into what they do, and so quietly. . . . Hope epitomizes that.”
Patients have described Wigglesworth as “precious,” Karaman said, noting that she always has a smile to offer up to a weary face.
“She has certainly brightened a lot of patients’ days and rooms.”
Wigglesworth’s dedication to volunteering started in college, when she spent a summer in New York City, where she grew up, with Travelers Aid International. It was just after World War II, and she worked with customs officials on the docks, meeting displaced individuals. Some of them had been in camps in Europe, and, as she explained, “came with absolutely nothing.”
Over the years, she also donated her time to high school guidance departments, and at the old Boston City Hospital.
Because her late husband William was a surgeon, she’s always had a “great admiration for all who work in the hospital area.”
So when she retired “around 1990” from a varied career in educational and hospital administration and health career counseling, she made a pact with herself that she would attempt to do three new things each year.
One of those included getting back into hospital volunteering. (Another, recently, has been to learn to use her iPhone.)
Of her devotion to community service, she said simply, “You don’t volunteer unless you care.”
Joanne Rathe / Globe Staff
Story link.
© 2014 BOSTON GLOBE MEDIA PARTNERS, LLC
By Taryn Plumb | GLOBE CORRESPONDENT
DECEMBER 29, 2013
Joanne Rathe / Globe Staff
Sitting in her pink scrubs, lanyard ID dangling, the white-haired, bespectacled octogenarian looked down at her lap and knotted her hands.
“There are so many volunteers, so many people who do great things,” Hope Wigglesworth said quietly. “I’m just one of millions.”
If there’s one thing that sums up the Ipswich 87-year-old, it’s her humility. Although Wigglesworth has given countless hours of her time to the community, she hardly wants recognition.
“I’ve done volunteer work for a good part of my life,” she said. “It was ingrained within my family that it was important to give back.”
Most notably, she does so by devoting her Thursdays as a patient ambassador atBeverly Hospital. Since May 2009, she has put in more than 350 hours, slowly pushing a cart through the halls, stopping room by room to offer up magazines, books, and pads and pencils for patients to write thoughts, questions, or medical directions — because, as she pointed out, people rarely remember to bring something to write on, and end up scribbling on napkins.
She keeps patients company, too, talking with them about whatever’s on their minds.
“I find that I meet a lot of wonderful people dealing with all kinds of medical issues, showing courage and faith, and a sense of humor at times,” she reflected.
“I can really say, when I leave here on Thursday, that I have gotten more than I have given.”
The mother of four and grandmother of nine, who has lived in Ipswich for more than 60 years, is involved in other facets of the community as well, but was reluctant to mention them, besides her work on the Ipswich Museum’s capital campaign.
“That’s one of the things with people like Hope — they certainly don’t do it for the recognition,” said Jane Karaman, the hospital’s manager of volunteer services. “Somebody that puts the amount of joy and effort into what they do, and so quietly. . . . Hope epitomizes that.”
Patients have described Wigglesworth as “precious,” Karaman said, noting that she always has a smile to offer up to a weary face.
“She has certainly brightened a lot of patients’ days and rooms.”
Wigglesworth’s dedication to volunteering started in college, when she spent a summer in New York City, where she grew up, with Travelers Aid International. It was just after World War II, and she worked with customs officials on the docks, meeting displaced individuals. Some of them had been in camps in Europe, and, as she explained, “came with absolutely nothing.”
Over the years, she also donated her time to high school guidance departments, and at the old Boston City Hospital.
Because her late husband William was a surgeon, she’s always had a “great admiration for all who work in the hospital area.”
So when she retired “around 1990” from a varied career in educational and hospital administration and health career counseling, she made a pact with herself that she would attempt to do three new things each year.
One of those included getting back into hospital volunteering. (Another, recently, has been to learn to use her iPhone.)
Of her devotion to community service, she said simply, “You don’t volunteer unless you care.”
Joanne Rathe / Globe Staff
Story link.
© 2014 BOSTON GLOBE MEDIA PARTNERS, LLC
Heroes Among us: Olympian Julia Marino
Competing in Olympics for Paraguay
By Taryn Plumb | GLOBE CORRESPONDENT
DECEMBER 29, 2013
Joanne Rathe / Globe Staff
In the land-locked South American country of Paraguay, the temperature averages 75 degrees, and snow — even a flurry — is rare.
But in February, in Sochi — a Russian resort city along the Black Sea — Julia Marino of Winchester will be the sole representative of the first Olympic team from Paraguay to tackle the Winter Games.
A native of Paraguay who was adopted and brought to the United States as an infant, Marino, 21, will compete in slopestyle skiing, which also will be making its Olympic debut.
“The Olympics [is] about representing where you’re from,” said Marino, a graduate of The Holderness School in Plymouth, N.H., and now a junior at the University of Colorado. “It’s making history for Paraguay.”
Slopestyle skiing consists of a downhill course with obstacles including jumps and rails (akin to skateboarding) that skiers use to perform tricks. The average run is a minute to just under a minute and a half, Marino said, and skiers are judged on their overall impression, such as air amplitude and creativity.
Because courses always vary, “Every event allows you to do something new and be creative,” she said.
She tried it for the first time at Loon Mountain in Lincoln, N.H., and began “taking it seriously” at age 11.
“It just really caught my attention,” she said. “I like the adrenaline rush. There’s nothing like flying through the air, doing tricks. It’s a very athletic sport, very demanding.”
She quickly progressed to regional and national events, competing in her first US junior nationals at age 12.
The idea of carrying the flag of Paraguay during the Opening Ceremonies came about as she began to contemplate what the monumental opportunity meant to her. Getting approval was a lengthy and intensive process: Because the country doesn’t have an active ski team, it had to apply for special status through the International Ski Federation.
“It took a tremendous amount of effort,” said Marino. “Hopefully it will open the world of snow sports to Paraguay.”
And her home country has been nothing but welcoming. She visited for the first time since her infancy in November, spending time in the capital, Asuncion, to meet with officials and attend press conferences and interviews. She also visited nearby San Bernardino, taking in the country’s culture, history, and learning a bit of its two languages, Spanish and Guarani.
She also spent time with her godmother, Magdalena, whom her parents met in the process of adopting her.
“It was a crazy, overwhelming experience, full of so many emotions,” she said. “It’s a trip I’ll never forget. I can’t wait to spend more time there.”
Next up are three World Cups, then training in Torino, Italy, and then the Olympics in Russia. During ski season, an average day will consist of four or five hours on the mountain, Marino said, as well as video review sessions and long periods jumping on a trampoline to get the feel for unnatural spins.
Leading up to the Olympics, she’s worked “steadily and hard” with Erik Kaloyanides of Athletic Evolution in Woburn.
As he explained, because there are so many injuries in her sport – Marino herself has torn an anterior cruciate ligament and broken her collarbone – their focus has been on developing her lower body, particularly strengthening her knees, and building up core strength to help with balance. Endurance – both physical and mental – also is key to the process, he said.
The two have built such a strong bond that he’ll be accompanying her to Russia.
“Julia is an unbelievable athlete,” said Kaloyanides. “She’s a great skier, but if she didn’t have the determination and drive, she definitely wouldn’t be here.”
Follow Marino’s Olympic journey: facebook.com/juliamarinoski
Story link.
© 2014 BOSTON GLOBE MEDIA PARTNERS, LLC
By Taryn Plumb | GLOBE CORRESPONDENT
DECEMBER 29, 2013
Joanne Rathe / Globe Staff
In the land-locked South American country of Paraguay, the temperature averages 75 degrees, and snow — even a flurry — is rare.
But in February, in Sochi — a Russian resort city along the Black Sea — Julia Marino of Winchester will be the sole representative of the first Olympic team from Paraguay to tackle the Winter Games.
A native of Paraguay who was adopted and brought to the United States as an infant, Marino, 21, will compete in slopestyle skiing, which also will be making its Olympic debut.
“The Olympics [is] about representing where you’re from,” said Marino, a graduate of The Holderness School in Plymouth, N.H., and now a junior at the University of Colorado. “It’s making history for Paraguay.”
Slopestyle skiing consists of a downhill course with obstacles including jumps and rails (akin to skateboarding) that skiers use to perform tricks. The average run is a minute to just under a minute and a half, Marino said, and skiers are judged on their overall impression, such as air amplitude and creativity.
Because courses always vary, “Every event allows you to do something new and be creative,” she said.
She tried it for the first time at Loon Mountain in Lincoln, N.H., and began “taking it seriously” at age 11.
“It just really caught my attention,” she said. “I like the adrenaline rush. There’s nothing like flying through the air, doing tricks. It’s a very athletic sport, very demanding.”
She quickly progressed to regional and national events, competing in her first US junior nationals at age 12.
The idea of carrying the flag of Paraguay during the Opening Ceremonies came about as she began to contemplate what the monumental opportunity meant to her. Getting approval was a lengthy and intensive process: Because the country doesn’t have an active ski team, it had to apply for special status through the International Ski Federation.
“It took a tremendous amount of effort,” said Marino. “Hopefully it will open the world of snow sports to Paraguay.”
And her home country has been nothing but welcoming. She visited for the first time since her infancy in November, spending time in the capital, Asuncion, to meet with officials and attend press conferences and interviews. She also visited nearby San Bernardino, taking in the country’s culture, history, and learning a bit of its two languages, Spanish and Guarani.
She also spent time with her godmother, Magdalena, whom her parents met in the process of adopting her.
“It was a crazy, overwhelming experience, full of so many emotions,” she said. “It’s a trip I’ll never forget. I can’t wait to spend more time there.”
Next up are three World Cups, then training in Torino, Italy, and then the Olympics in Russia. During ski season, an average day will consist of four or five hours on the mountain, Marino said, as well as video review sessions and long periods jumping on a trampoline to get the feel for unnatural spins.
Leading up to the Olympics, she’s worked “steadily and hard” with Erik Kaloyanides of Athletic Evolution in Woburn.
As he explained, because there are so many injuries in her sport – Marino herself has torn an anterior cruciate ligament and broken her collarbone – their focus has been on developing her lower body, particularly strengthening her knees, and building up core strength to help with balance. Endurance – both physical and mental – also is key to the process, he said.
The two have built such a strong bond that he’ll be accompanying her to Russia.
“Julia is an unbelievable athlete,” said Kaloyanides. “She’s a great skier, but if she didn’t have the determination and drive, she definitely wouldn’t be here.”
Follow Marino’s Olympic journey: facebook.com/juliamarinoski
Story link.
© 2014 BOSTON GLOBE MEDIA PARTNERS, LLC
Heroes Among Us: Steve Bjork
It’s no joke: the comedian truly cares
By Taryn Plumb | GLOBE CORRESPONDENT
DECEMBER 29, 2013
A lot of people in Wilmington — and beyond — know Steve Bjork is a good guy. Well, now the comedian by trade – and altruist by habit – can claim that title with all certainty, as he was recently bestowed with the town’s annual “good guy” award, which recognizes locals who generously devote their time to the betterment of the community.
“He’s a very unselfish individual who gives his time for many reasons,” said Joan Searfoss, a member of the committee that chooses each year’s “good guy” (which can be a man or a woman). “The list of organizations that he helps just goes on and on and on.”
Bjork, 45, who moved to Wilmington as a child, has volunteered with fund-raisers for Local Heroes, which ships care packages to troops overseas; the St. Thomas Appalachian Mountain Project, which helps rebuild homes for displaced individuals; the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life; the local Sons of Italy, which provides donations and scholarships; and his town’s chamber of commerce, youth hockey, and police association.
He’s also actively involved with Wilmington’s Rotary Club; sits on the executive board of the Friends of the Wilmington Memorial Library; organizes and moderates his town’s annual candidates’ night; and emcees the “good guy” dinner every year — a role he thought he would again play this year, until he walked into the Knights of Columbus Hall in Wilmington and was “surprised and humbled” to discover that he was the recipient. They’d kept it a secret from him.
All this between his regular comedy gigs, which he described as “corporate clean, basically squeaky.”
And if that weren’t enough, he and his wife, Georgett, recently took in three young siblings – 3-year-old Carrie and 5-year-old twin boys Blake and Isaiah – and are working toward adoption.
As Bjork explained, they heard about the kids’ “tough start,” initially got involved by helping baby-sit, and then heard they were going to be placed in different foster homes.
“We couldn’t stand the idea of them being separated,” he said.
With his stepson, Michael, 24, grown and out on his own, “it was a life-changer, to say the least,” Bjork said of the three small children. “We thought this part of our lives was over.”
But the kids are his “best friends” and “happy, healthy, and thriving."
“While we weren’t looking for it,” he said, “it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to us.”
But he wasn’t always so involved. He was prompted into duty about 10 years ago, he said, while working for the Wilmington Town Crier. Like many, he had assumed things just got done in town until, in the course of reporting, he saw the dire need for volunteers and community service.
“You can sum him up as a good human in the first few seconds you meet him,” said Tony V., a Boston-based comedian. “He genuinely cares. I don’t think Steve has ever said no to a good cause.”
Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff
Story link.
© 2014 BOSTON GLOBE MEDIA PARTNERS, LLC
By Taryn Plumb | GLOBE CORRESPONDENT
DECEMBER 29, 2013
A lot of people in Wilmington — and beyond — know Steve Bjork is a good guy. Well, now the comedian by trade – and altruist by habit – can claim that title with all certainty, as he was recently bestowed with the town’s annual “good guy” award, which recognizes locals who generously devote their time to the betterment of the community.
“He’s a very unselfish individual who gives his time for many reasons,” said Joan Searfoss, a member of the committee that chooses each year’s “good guy” (which can be a man or a woman). “The list of organizations that he helps just goes on and on and on.”
Bjork, 45, who moved to Wilmington as a child, has volunteered with fund-raisers for Local Heroes, which ships care packages to troops overseas; the St. Thomas Appalachian Mountain Project, which helps rebuild homes for displaced individuals; the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life; the local Sons of Italy, which provides donations and scholarships; and his town’s chamber of commerce, youth hockey, and police association.
He’s also actively involved with Wilmington’s Rotary Club; sits on the executive board of the Friends of the Wilmington Memorial Library; organizes and moderates his town’s annual candidates’ night; and emcees the “good guy” dinner every year — a role he thought he would again play this year, until he walked into the Knights of Columbus Hall in Wilmington and was “surprised and humbled” to discover that he was the recipient. They’d kept it a secret from him.
All this between his regular comedy gigs, which he described as “corporate clean, basically squeaky.”
And if that weren’t enough, he and his wife, Georgett, recently took in three young siblings – 3-year-old Carrie and 5-year-old twin boys Blake and Isaiah – and are working toward adoption.
As Bjork explained, they heard about the kids’ “tough start,” initially got involved by helping baby-sit, and then heard they were going to be placed in different foster homes.
“We couldn’t stand the idea of them being separated,” he said.
With his stepson, Michael, 24, grown and out on his own, “it was a life-changer, to say the least,” Bjork said of the three small children. “We thought this part of our lives was over.”
But the kids are his “best friends” and “happy, healthy, and thriving."
“While we weren’t looking for it,” he said, “it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to us.”
But he wasn’t always so involved. He was prompted into duty about 10 years ago, he said, while working for the Wilmington Town Crier. Like many, he had assumed things just got done in town until, in the course of reporting, he saw the dire need for volunteers and community service.
“You can sum him up as a good human in the first few seconds you meet him,” said Tony V., a Boston-based comedian. “He genuinely cares. I don’t think Steve has ever said no to a good cause.”
Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff
Story link.
© 2014 BOSTON GLOBE MEDIA PARTNERS, LLC
Heroes Among Us: Debbie Walz
Serving up cookies, and lots of care
By Taryn Plumb | GLOBE CORRESPONDENT
DECEMBER 29, 2013
Debbie Walz is playfully called the “Cookie Queen of Melrose,” but she’s much more than that.
Sure, she’s in charge of the roughly 24,000 boxes of Girl Scout cookies sold in the city every year, but the 46-year-old mother of two teenagers also organizes Melrose’s free weekly community dinner; its twice-yearly veterans breakfast; has volunteered in many facets in Melrose schools (from running book drives to chaperoning field trips); helped raise money to install special needs equipment at Lincoln Elementary School; and has been instrumental in setting up Melrose Grad Night, a post-graduation party intended to keep kids safe and substance-free.
“Any time there’s any type of committee, event, issue, situation that needs to be addressed, she’s the go-to person,” said fellow resident Christine Zarzour.
“I like to be involved in the community,” Walz said. “I’ve met some pretty incredible people, and have had many people touch my life.”
She’s so well regarded in town, in fact, that on Dec. 16, she received a formal recognition and proclamation from Mayor Rob Dolan, the Board of Aldermen, the city’s veterans advisers, and a joint proclamtion from the state Legislature presented by state Representative Paul Brodeur, for being a “stellar citizen.”
“Debra Walz has been one of the unsung heroes in the Melrose community for probably as long as she’s lived here,” said Carrie Kourkoumelis, a harpist instructor/player and member of the Melrose School Committee. She “can reliably be found behind the scenes throughout the community giving generously and without personal fanfare.”
Beyond her community work, Walz rounds out her busy schedule working as a parent-child educator at Hallmark Health, doing alterations and sewing (anything from costumes for Melrose Youth Ballet to wedding gowns) and also cares for several local special needs children while their parents are at work. They tag along with her on errands, and she tries to provide them with different experiences and sensory challenges, such as picking things out at the grocery store, or feeling materials at the fabric store.
Girl Scouts has long has been one of her passions. Although she wasn’t a Scout herself as a kid, she began organizing a troop 13 years ago, when her daughter was 5. Now, she’s in charge of a younger “Cadet” troop of 10 girls, and an older “Ambassador” group of 13. All of the latter are working toward earning their Gold Award – the highest award in Scouting, equivalent to an Eagle Scout – which requires designing and completing a sustainable community project.
And then there’s her role as the “cookie queen”: The beloved boxes of confections are typically sold for just a short period every year, so she trains all cookie advisers (of which there are about 30 in the city, working with more than 400 Scouts), and organizes booth sales at various locations. On one weekend, she keeps thousands of cookies at her home for Scouts to pick up and sell, door-to-door.
That experience is invaluable: It helps the girls not only to make money for their troops and councils but enforces self-confidence, teamwork, leadership, and business skills, Walz said.
“I don’t do what I do to be recognized,” she said. “I don’t get up in the morning and say ‘I’m going to go out and do some wonderful community service so people will think of me.’ It’s not about me at all.”
The girls also learn important lessons set by her example.
“She’s a tremendous role model,” said Zarzour, whose two daughters are in her troop. “She has a big heart, open arms. She is selfless. The thing about Deb is she just quietly goes along and does things.”
Josh Reynolds for The Boston Globe
Original story link.
© 2014 BOSTON GLOBE MEDIA PARTNERS, LLC
By Taryn Plumb | GLOBE CORRESPONDENT
DECEMBER 29, 2013
Debbie Walz is playfully called the “Cookie Queen of Melrose,” but she’s much more than that.
Sure, she’s in charge of the roughly 24,000 boxes of Girl Scout cookies sold in the city every year, but the 46-year-old mother of two teenagers also organizes Melrose’s free weekly community dinner; its twice-yearly veterans breakfast; has volunteered in many facets in Melrose schools (from running book drives to chaperoning field trips); helped raise money to install special needs equipment at Lincoln Elementary School; and has been instrumental in setting up Melrose Grad Night, a post-graduation party intended to keep kids safe and substance-free.
“Any time there’s any type of committee, event, issue, situation that needs to be addressed, she’s the go-to person,” said fellow resident Christine Zarzour.
“I like to be involved in the community,” Walz said. “I’ve met some pretty incredible people, and have had many people touch my life.”
She’s so well regarded in town, in fact, that on Dec. 16, she received a formal recognition and proclamation from Mayor Rob Dolan, the Board of Aldermen, the city’s veterans advisers, and a joint proclamtion from the state Legislature presented by state Representative Paul Brodeur, for being a “stellar citizen.”
“Debra Walz has been one of the unsung heroes in the Melrose community for probably as long as she’s lived here,” said Carrie Kourkoumelis, a harpist instructor/player and member of the Melrose School Committee. She “can reliably be found behind the scenes throughout the community giving generously and without personal fanfare.”
Beyond her community work, Walz rounds out her busy schedule working as a parent-child educator at Hallmark Health, doing alterations and sewing (anything from costumes for Melrose Youth Ballet to wedding gowns) and also cares for several local special needs children while their parents are at work. They tag along with her on errands, and she tries to provide them with different experiences and sensory challenges, such as picking things out at the grocery store, or feeling materials at the fabric store.
Girl Scouts has long has been one of her passions. Although she wasn’t a Scout herself as a kid, she began organizing a troop 13 years ago, when her daughter was 5. Now, she’s in charge of a younger “Cadet” troop of 10 girls, and an older “Ambassador” group of 13. All of the latter are working toward earning their Gold Award – the highest award in Scouting, equivalent to an Eagle Scout – which requires designing and completing a sustainable community project.
And then there’s her role as the “cookie queen”: The beloved boxes of confections are typically sold for just a short period every year, so she trains all cookie advisers (of which there are about 30 in the city, working with more than 400 Scouts), and organizes booth sales at various locations. On one weekend, she keeps thousands of cookies at her home for Scouts to pick up and sell, door-to-door.
That experience is invaluable: It helps the girls not only to make money for their troops and councils but enforces self-confidence, teamwork, leadership, and business skills, Walz said.
“I don’t do what I do to be recognized,” she said. “I don’t get up in the morning and say ‘I’m going to go out and do some wonderful community service so people will think of me.’ It’s not about me at all.”
The girls also learn important lessons set by her example.
“She’s a tremendous role model,” said Zarzour, whose two daughters are in her troop. “She has a big heart, open arms. She is selfless. The thing about Deb is she just quietly goes along and does things.”
Josh Reynolds for The Boston Globe
Original story link.
© 2014 BOSTON GLOBE MEDIA PARTNERS, LLC
Heroes Among Us: Honorable Mentions
More people working for a better world
DECEMBER 29, 2013
Of course we can’t include everybody, but here are a few other heroes who should be congratulated for their dedication to the community.
■ Leon McCarthy, Marblehead: Named one of the “8 Coolest Kids We Met in 2013” by Scholastic News, the 12-year-old was born without fingers on his left hand. He used a 3-D printer to create a prosthetic hand that allows him to hold a pencil and draw pictures. He hopes to continue designing prosthetics.
■ Sabrina Boggio, Lawrence: The Merrimack College senior began the mobile nonprofit Women’s Path to Employment, which helps provide work-appropriate apparel for job interviews. She is working toward a major in business administration.
■ Alan Papert, Newburyport: The retired engineer and South African native is dedicating to teaching children computer literacy and philosophy. Most notably, he is a board member of the local nonprofit Small Solutions Big Ideas, which funds educational programs and helps provide computers to children in developing countries through One Laptop Per Child.
■ Anne-Marie Bisson, Lowell: She founded the Dracut-based Catie’s Closet, which provides clothes and basic necessities to local homeless students so they can better focus on their education. Named in honor of Bisson’s daughter, who died from a heart ailment in 2010, the organization stages several clothing and toiletry drives, and hosts 15 in-school “stores” in Lowell and Hudson, N.H.
■ Joseph Dever, Marblehead: Former first justice of Lynn District Court, he was recently granted the Judicial Excellence Award by the Massachusetts Judges Conference. He received the Anti-Defamation League of the North Shore’s 2008 Community Service Award, and volunteers for Healing Abuse Working for Change, a nonprofit for victims of domestic violence, as well as his town’s Council on Aging and Rotary Club.
■ Bob Hildreth, Melrose native: The founder of Boston-based FUEL Education, the philanthropist and human-rights activist was recognized as a Social Justice Champion of 2013 by the community nonprofit The Chelsea Collaborative. He founded FUEL in 2009; the organization helps first-generation-to-college families prepare for the process through curriculum, savings, and connection to community agencies.
■ Jennah Dieter, Newburyport: The chiropractor, nutritionist, and owner of Healthcare Complete holds an annual food drive, “Cans for Care,” to benefit The Pettengill House. The Salisbury-based nonprofit social agency helps provide education, case management, and basic needs to at-risk individuals, children, and families.
■ Joan Dean and Shirley Samson, Melrose: Coordinators of A Servant’s Heart Food Pantry at Faith Evangelical Church. Founded in 1996, it serves more than 150 families on a regular basis, holds monthly community dinners, and distributes more than 70 holiday baskets.
■ Justin Merced, Lawrence: The Northern Essex Community College student previously served as an Army medic, doing tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. With plans to become a doctor, he now boasts a 4.0 GPA and serves on NECC’s Student Senate; is a representative on the All College Assembly advisory board to the president; and resurrected NECC’s veterans club and organized the school’s veterans appreciation day luncheon. Among other achievements, he is also a big brother with Big Friends Little Friends.
■ Deborah Fallon, Malden: Former city councilor and mayoral contender, she founded Portal to Hope, which offers emergency shelter, legal aid, job placement, housing assistance, and youth programs to victims of domestic violence. In 2010, Fallon was named an Unsung Heroine by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women.
■ Shannon Siviski’s fifth-grade class at High Plain Elementary School, Andover: Students decorated and sold wooden spoons for the annual Holiday Spoons Contest benefiting the statewide anti-hunger organization Project Bread.
Leon McCarthy shows off the prosthetic hand he created with a 3-D printer. (Reuters)
TARYN PLUMB
Story link.
© 2014 BOSTON GLOBE MEDIA PARTNERS, LLC
DECEMBER 29, 2013
Of course we can’t include everybody, but here are a few other heroes who should be congratulated for their dedication to the community.
■ Leon McCarthy, Marblehead: Named one of the “8 Coolest Kids We Met in 2013” by Scholastic News, the 12-year-old was born without fingers on his left hand. He used a 3-D printer to create a prosthetic hand that allows him to hold a pencil and draw pictures. He hopes to continue designing prosthetics.
■ Sabrina Boggio, Lawrence: The Merrimack College senior began the mobile nonprofit Women’s Path to Employment, which helps provide work-appropriate apparel for job interviews. She is working toward a major in business administration.
■ Alan Papert, Newburyport: The retired engineer and South African native is dedicating to teaching children computer literacy and philosophy. Most notably, he is a board member of the local nonprofit Small Solutions Big Ideas, which funds educational programs and helps provide computers to children in developing countries through One Laptop Per Child.
■ Anne-Marie Bisson, Lowell: She founded the Dracut-based Catie’s Closet, which provides clothes and basic necessities to local homeless students so they can better focus on their education. Named in honor of Bisson’s daughter, who died from a heart ailment in 2010, the organization stages several clothing and toiletry drives, and hosts 15 in-school “stores” in Lowell and Hudson, N.H.
■ Joseph Dever, Marblehead: Former first justice of Lynn District Court, he was recently granted the Judicial Excellence Award by the Massachusetts Judges Conference. He received the Anti-Defamation League of the North Shore’s 2008 Community Service Award, and volunteers for Healing Abuse Working for Change, a nonprofit for victims of domestic violence, as well as his town’s Council on Aging and Rotary Club.
■ Bob Hildreth, Melrose native: The founder of Boston-based FUEL Education, the philanthropist and human-rights activist was recognized as a Social Justice Champion of 2013 by the community nonprofit The Chelsea Collaborative. He founded FUEL in 2009; the organization helps first-generation-to-college families prepare for the process through curriculum, savings, and connection to community agencies.
■ Jennah Dieter, Newburyport: The chiropractor, nutritionist, and owner of Healthcare Complete holds an annual food drive, “Cans for Care,” to benefit The Pettengill House. The Salisbury-based nonprofit social agency helps provide education, case management, and basic needs to at-risk individuals, children, and families.
■ Joan Dean and Shirley Samson, Melrose: Coordinators of A Servant’s Heart Food Pantry at Faith Evangelical Church. Founded in 1996, it serves more than 150 families on a regular basis, holds monthly community dinners, and distributes more than 70 holiday baskets.
■ Justin Merced, Lawrence: The Northern Essex Community College student previously served as an Army medic, doing tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. With plans to become a doctor, he now boasts a 4.0 GPA and serves on NECC’s Student Senate; is a representative on the All College Assembly advisory board to the president; and resurrected NECC’s veterans club and organized the school’s veterans appreciation day luncheon. Among other achievements, he is also a big brother with Big Friends Little Friends.
■ Deborah Fallon, Malden: Former city councilor and mayoral contender, she founded Portal to Hope, which offers emergency shelter, legal aid, job placement, housing assistance, and youth programs to victims of domestic violence. In 2010, Fallon was named an Unsung Heroine by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women.
■ Shannon Siviski’s fifth-grade class at High Plain Elementary School, Andover: Students decorated and sold wooden spoons for the annual Holiday Spoons Contest benefiting the statewide anti-hunger organization Project Bread.
Leon McCarthy shows off the prosthetic hand he created with a 3-D printer. (Reuters)
TARYN PLUMB
Story link.
© 2014 BOSTON GLOBE MEDIA PARTNERS, LLC
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