Sudbury Girl Scout helps homeless family find a permanent home
PERSONAL ASSISTANCE: Caroline Hultin,
a Girl Scout from Sudbury, recently coordinated a family’s “Up & Out’’ move from a homeless shelter into permanent housing
as part of her Gold Award project.
Working through Cambridge-based Heading Home Inc.,
the 16-year-old junior at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School
met with the single mother, her 15-year-old daughter, and her 9-year-old son to get a feel for their tastes and food preferences.
Caroline (inset below) raised $1,000 through a bake sale and donations, and then she and other volunteers shopped for supplies.
The group cleaned the family’s new apartment in Dorchester and stocked the kitchen. The following day, they loaded a moving van with gently used furniture, decorations, and other household items, such as a pink and purple comforter for the teenage girl’s bedroom.
Caroline said the highlight was when they handed the family their new keys and gave them a welcome tour.
“A lot of service projects do a little for a lot of people,’’ said Caroline, who has been a Girl Scout since first grade. “But I liked the idea of doing a lot for one family.’’
To inspire others who want to follow her example, Caroline assembled a binder of information for younger Girl Scouts and created a video. To learn more, search YouTube for “Up and Out for Gold 2012.’’
MARIJUANA DEBATE: Jeffrey Miron
of Wellesley and Kevin Sabet
of Cambridge will debate the pros and cons of legalizing medical marijuana during the next Walden Forum installment, set for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the new Wayland High School, 264 Old Connecticut Path.
Miron and Sabet will each have 30 minutes to present their opinions on the issue, which will appear as Question 3 on the Massachusetts ballot on Nov. 6. A question and answer session will follow with Miron, who supports the initiative, and Sabet, who opposes it.
Miron is senior lecturer and director of undergraduate studies in the economics department at Harvard University, and a senior fellow at the Cato Institute in Washington, D.C. Author of the 2004 book “Drug War Crimes: The Consequences of Prohibition,’’ he has received an Olin Fellowship from the National Bureau of Economic Research, an Earhart Foundation Fellowship, and a Sloan Foundation Research Fellowship.
Sabet, a former senior adviser in the Obama administration’s White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, has a doctorate in public policy analysis from the University of Oxford, with an emphasis on drug policy, drug prevention, drug enforcement, and legalization. He is president of the Policy Solutions Lab and director of the Drug Policy Institute at the University of Florida, where he is an assistant professor.
For more information about the free event, which is being presented in partnership with WaylandCares, e-mail [email protected] or visit www.waldenforum.org.
OUTSIDE THE BOX: Psychotherapist C. Anthony Martignetti
of Lexington will speak on Friday, 7 to 8:30 p.m., at the Lexington Depot about his new book of short stories. “Lunatic Heroes: Memories, Lies, and Reflections’’ is a collection of tales from the 1950s to the present with a repeating cast of characters exhibiting a range of human qualities and capacities.
Martignetti is founder of the Biscuit Box Theater Company in Lexington and the Souled Out Artists writers’ group. He is also the author of several articles in professional journals, and a chapter in a recently published book, “Unlocking the Emotional Brain.’’
“Lunatic Heroes’’ is Martignetti’s first published foray into creative writing.
“I would like to encourage others to push the boundaries of expression through their creative efforts,’’ he wrote in an e-mail. “To risk their truth. To make art in, what I consider to be, the truest sense.’’
Presented by Lexington Community Education, the talk has a $5 admission fee, with the proceeds benefiting a cancer charity.
Preregistration is recommended; call 781-862-8043. For more details, visit www.lexingtoncommunityed.org.
LIFE SECRETS REVEALED: The Wellesley Council on Aging and Wellesley Free Library will kick off a joint evening and weekend lecture series with geriatrician Dr. Richard Dupee,
who will present “Secrets to Healthy Living’’ on Thursday
at 7 p.m. in the library’s Wakelin Room.
Dupee said he will share with the audience the same recommendations he gives his patients for a low-fat diet and regular exercise. In addition, he will discuss the role of genetics, whether vitamins are really effective, data suggesting that people with pets live longer, and the importance of a sense of community involving friendships, neighborhood, spirituality, or religion.
“Some people age gracefully, and others not so gracefully,’’ said Dupee, whose interest in geriatrics originated with his grandparents. “It’s fascinating trying to figure out what it is that keeps people living longer.’’
Dupee is governor of the Massachusetts chapter of the American College of Physicians, associate clinical professor of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine, chief of the Tufts Medical Center geriatrics division, and president of the Massachusetts chapter of the American Geriatrics Society. The winner of numerous awards in geriatrics and internal medicine, he is also founder and chief executive officer of Wellesley Medical Associates.
The event is free. For information about transportation available through the Council on Aging, call 781-235-3961.
EVENT FOR THE SENSES: At the fifth annual Taste of Perkins on Thursday, participants
will get a “taste’’ of everyday life for the students at the Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown by sampling gourmet hors d’oeuvres and fine wines while blindfolded.
Participants may also try out the latest high-tech devices used by people with impaired vision, and visit tactile displays in the school’s museum. Perkins students will provide live music, and a silent auction will feature Boston sports memorabilia, getaway and dining packages, and items handcrafted by Perkins students.
The event will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. in Dwight Hall and the Howe Building on the Perkins campus,
175 North Beacon St. in Watertown. The first school for the blind in the nation, Perkins is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.
Tickets cost $50. For more information, visit www.perkins.org/taste.
TIPS ON SAT, ACT: Brookline native David Benjamin Gruenbaum
has two new e-books to help students preparing for college-entrance exams.
In his 33-page “50 SAT/ACT Myths and Mistakes,’’ Gruenbaum addresses common questions, including whether colleges average SAT and ACT scores; whether it’s best to wait until junior year to take the tests; and whether students should leave an answer blank instead of guessing. The 25-page “50 SAT/ACT Tips Every Parent Should Know’’ is for parents who want to help their children get admitted to the best colleges.
“People make so many unnecessary mistakes,’’ said Gruenbaum, who teaches in California and online. “I wanted to tell people the truth in short books that everyone will have time to read.’’
A 1977 graduate of Brookline High, Gruenbaum is a co-owner of an education and test preparation company, Ahead of the Class. The resident of Santa Rosa, Calif., is also the author of “7 Days to a Better SAT Score.’’
For more information, visit www.college2400.com.
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