My Dorchester

Date:  Fri, 02/10/2012 - 6:00pm

Clap Innovation School will be hosting an evening with world-renowned and champion fiddler Hanneke Cassel at the Carpenters Center, located at 750 Dorchester Ave. The evening will open with a social hour at 7 p.m. and the concert starts at 8 p.m. Tickets will be limited for this event, and are $20.00, available through Roger Clap Innovation School. For more information about this event, please call Roger Clap Innovation School at 617.635.8672. All proceeds will benefit the Roger Clap Innovation School and its students!

Habitat for Humanity Greater Boston currently has 2, 3, and 4-bedroom homes/condos under construction in Dorchester!  Habitat is looking for low-income working families to fill these homes. Habitat is looking for  households that have the following characteristics:

• Are low-to moderate-income households (roughly between 50%-80% area median income as established by HUD –for a family of four their gross income should be around $45,000 -$65,000 per year)
• Have steady employment and the ability to afford 0% interest mortgage payments to Habitat (Habitat tries to keep the mortgage payments below $1,000/month –often it is much lower than that);
• Are legal residents;
• Have a current housing need: either housing is overcrowded, unsafe, or too expensive for the family to afford; and
• Are willing to partner with Habitat to work on the home and attend homeownership classes.  Each family is required to invest 300 hours working side-by-side with volunteers to construct their future home.  (This usually takes 7-12 months.) 

 

Attached is a PDF of Habitat for Humanity's application (which needs to be printed double-sided, flipped on the short side to create a booklet), an information sheet, and photos of the condos available in Dorchester. For more information, call 617.423.2223x17 or visit www.habitatboston.org!

Date (SORTER):  Tue, 02/07/2012 - 6:00am Dates Relevant:  Tue, 02/07/2012 - Mon, 03/05/2012

Date:  Sat, 02/11/2012 - 1:00pm

Follow evidence of winter wildlife through the woods on snowshoes in Gladeside Urban Wild, a special Mattapan forest, on February 11, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.! Gladeside Urban Wild is located at 250 Lorna Road in Mattapan (click here to see it on a map). In the event that there is not a good layer of snow on the ground, this will be a walking tour. Dress warmly! Snowshoes for borrow are limited and registration is required. Contact Boston Natural Areas Network at 617.542.7696 or email info [at] bostonnatural.org.

The Dorchester House Multi-Service Center is temporarily closing their food pantry for the month of March in order to reorganize their service delivery model. As of February 1st, notifications of this closure are being included in food pantry bags during their distribution hours and clients are being given a list of other food pantry sites in Dorchester. >> Read More

Date (SORTER):  Wed, 02/08/2012 - 12:15pm Dates Relevant:  Mon, 02/06/2012 - Thu, 03/15/2012

Date:  Thu, 02/09/2012 - 5:00pm

Labouré College and Carney Hospital, In partnership with the Boston African American National Historic Site, will present "Men of Color To Arms! The Story of the 54th Massachusetts Regiment." On February 9th, 2012, see the event at Carney Hospital Riseman Lecture Hall, 2100 Dorchester Avenue, Dorchester 02124. There will be refreshments at 5:30 p.m. and a presentation at 6:00 p.m. This presentation will be jointly led by Lt. Col. David Hencke, Executive Officer, 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Regiment; Sgt. Emmett Bell-Sykes, President, 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry, Company A; and Ryan McNabb, Acting Site Manager, Boston African American National Historic Site. See flyer attached below:

Date:  Mon, 02/06/2012 - 6:30pm

St. Joseph Rehabilitation and Nursing Care Center in collaboration with The Boston Police Neighborhood Watch Unit cordially invite you to attend a neighborhood meeting that will feature: Neighbors getting to know Neighbors, a discussion of important trends, issues, and the most recent break-ins to homes. Share your ideas and concerns to make a better and safer neighborhood. Get connected and learn what's going on! Contact Lauren Scherer at 617.825.6320x1631 or lscherer [at] stjosephrehab.com. St. Joseph's is located at 321 Centre Street in Dorchester.

Date:  Tue, 02/07/2012 - 6:00pm

On February 7 from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. attend the first Dot Grows Garden Council meeting of 2012! The February meeting will be held at 305 Talbot Ave. Dorchester (site of the Mt. Washington Bank Community Room located in Codman Square). Local gardeners and garden advocates will share updates on: renovations in Dorchester community gardens, Dorchester Winter Farmers’ Market, Boston Is Growing Gardens, and the ongoing 2012 Master Urban Gardener series, among other items. Mathew Cahill of BNAN will be on hand to announce Grow Boston Greener, a competitive grant program that will provide funding for community tree plantings in the City of Boston. For more information, or if you would like to be added to the agenda, please feel free to contact Grantley at grantley@bostonnatural.org.

On Tues. Feb 7, 2012, the Adams Street Branch of the Boston Public Library is hosting a free workshop for adults on Strategic Volunteering and how it can eventually lead to paid employment. Presented by Operation A.B.L.E., the workshop will be held from 2:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. This free workshop is for individuals wishing to give back to the community and/or who are unemployed and looking to bridge the gap between jobs by working in a skills-based volunteer position. To register, please call Operation A.B.L.E. 617.542.4180 x122.

The Adams Street Branch of the Boston Public Library is located at 690 Adams Street, 02122.

Date (SORTER):  Tue, 02/07/2012 - 2:30pm Dates Relevant:  Tue, 02/07/2012

Date:  Sat, 02/11/2012 - 1:00pm

To commemorate Black History Month, our friends at Discover Roxbury have some fun and informative events lined up. On February 11, Roxbury's Black History Trolley Tour will be taking off from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. Take an informative trolley tour through three centuries of Boston's historic Black neighborhoods! Follow the progression of the Black churches of Boston, the importance of the arts, the struggles during the civil rights movement, and become more familiar with the movers, shakers, and strivers in Roxbury's Black history! The trolley departs at:

12:30 p.m. from Roxbury Heritage State Park / DCR, 183 Roxbury St., in Roxbury.
12:50 p.m. from Hotel 140, 140 Clarendon Street, Back Bay.

Tickets are $25! To reserve a space, please click here.

Date (SORTER):  Thu, 02/02/2012 (All day) Dates Relevant:  Thu, 02/02/2012 - Mon, 04/16/2012

The Dorchester FAMILY School Initiative (DFSI) Boston Marathon Fundraiser has found two runners to represent us for the 2012 Boston Marathon. Gwendolyn Stewart and Christy Roush are were kind enough to participate in our fundraising efforts along with running the grueling 26.2 miles. If you want to donate to Team DotWell for this marathon fundraiser please click here: crowdrise.com/DotWell-DFSI/fundraiser

All money raised will help DFSI to support before-school and after-school programming, coordinate social and emotional services within schools and connect families with community program and services. For more information contact Tom Powers at tom.powers@dotwell.org with questions.

Date:  Thu, 02/09/2012 - 12:15pm

Earl Taylor, President of the Dorchester Historical Society, and Bill Walczak, co-founder of the Codman Square Health Center will be speaking at the Old South Meetinghouse (OSMH) on February 9, at 12:15 p.m. They will present the history of Boston's largest and oldest neighborhood, Dorchester, and how it began as a small settlement established by a group of hardy English families in 1630, and how it became a wonderful neighborhood that has appealed to immigrants throughout the world! Hear Dorchester represented as a beacon of community, and a compelling neighborhood of distinct villages. The event is free for Dorchester residents with ID, and for OSMH members, $6 for all others. OSMH is located at 310 Washington Street, downtown Boston.

OSMH is hosting a variety of weekday events through February and March, designed to help local residents learn about Boston’s history. The series “Building Beantown: Exploring the Neighborhoods that Make up the ’Hub’” promises to go beyond the Freedom Trail and into the city’s diverse and complex neighborhoods, each with a distinct population and history. >> Read More

Date:  Sat, 02/04/2012 - 9:00am

Come and learn about Boston's best schools at the Charter Public School Showcase on Saturday, February 4, 2012 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 Noon at Boston University's Fitness and Recreation Center, 915 Commonwealth Ave. 

Charter schools are public schools. They are free of charge and open to all school children in grades K-12. Come by and  learn about the schools with some of the best MCAS scores in the city! Have your questions answered and complete applications for the fall 2012 school year. Enrollment for each school is determined by lottery, which will be held in March. For more information about specific schools and Boston Public Schools, visit their website at www.bostonpublicschools.org/.

Date:  Wed, 02/01/2012 - 6:00pm

Meet at Harpoon Brewery on Wednesday, February 1st at 6:00 p.m. for the 2nd Annual Cupid Splash kick-off party! The Annual Cupid Splash, sponsored by Save The Harbor / Save The Bay, will be held at the BCYF Curley Community Center on March 24, and at 7 other locations throughout Boston, including Tenean Beach in Dorchester. Participants raise funds to support Save the Harbor/Save the Bay and its Better Beaches program. Participants are encouraged to sport their finest “cupid” attire!

Make plans to attend this event! To RSVP, email Michelle Palermino at palermino [at] savetheharbor.org. Check out the 2012 Cupid Splash website at www.cupidsplash.com! For directions to the brewery, check out the Harpoon Brewery online.

Date:  Wed, 02/08/2012 - 6:00pm

The second Food in the 'Hood meeting of 2012 is happening on February 8, at the Bowdoin Street Health Center, 230 Bowdoin Street. Come to the meeting to discuss food possibilities in your Dorchester neighborhood! Do you travel outside of the neighborhood to buy better quality and/or affordable food? Are you interested in helping to improve access to healthy food in the neighborhood through community supported agriculture (CSA), urban agriculture, farmers' markets and healthy corner store initiatives? This meeting is free and open to all - healthy snacks will be provided. If you have questions, comments, would like to attend but can't, please call Maura at 617.754.0026. Cape Verdean Creole translation is available.

Date:  Tue, 01/31/2012 - 10:35am

On Tuesday, January 31, 2012 Greater Four Corners Action Coalition, in partnership with City Life, is looking for community members to come out for a protest against foreclosure in the Dorchester community. The "Stop this Auction" action will be held in front of 40 Fowler Street in Dorchester, a property recently foreclosed on twice, in support of a tenant about to be evicted. The property is set to be auctioned off at 10:00 a.m. - show your support and assemble at 9:30 a.m. in front of 40 Fowler Street to gain support and attention for this issue!

Date:  Sat, 02/04/2012 - 1:00pm

In celebration of Black History Month, the Grove Hall Branch will host a series of lectures, screenings, and discussions: 

Saturday, February 11: Funlayo Wood, PhD student in the Department of African and African American Studies at Harvard University and initiated priestess in the Yoruba Ifá-Òrìsà tradition, will discuss African and African-derived religious practices in the talk “‘Other’ Spaces of Black Spirituality” at 12 p.m.

Saturday, February 11: Annie Kountz, graduate student at Harvard University, will present on incarceration and the impact it has on the African American community. This presentation is part of the Grove Hall Branch Library’s Harvard Scholarship in the Community presentation series for Black History Month. From 2:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Thursday, February 16: Lisanne Norman, PhD student at Harvard University, explores how Marcus Garvey’s contributions to the early 20th-century African American struggle for freedom and equality movement is often overlooked due to his scandalous exit from America in the talk “Marcus Garvey: A Light in the Darkness?” at 6 p.m.

Saturday, February 18: Giovanna Micconi, PhD student of African American Literature at Harvard University, will discuss William Demby’s life in the talk “William Demby and African American Expatriates in Italy” at 11:30 a.m.

Thursday, February 23: Oludamini Ogunnaike will present on Sufism, the mystical dimension of Islam, and its powerful presence in Senegal at 6 p.m.

Grove Hall Branch is located at 41 Geneva Ave, Dorchester, MA.  For more information please call: 617.427.3337.

Date:  Wed, 02/08/2012 - 12:30pm

Fields Corner Children Thrive/Dorchester Cluster invites parents, caregivers, community members and service providers to join the next Fields Corner Children Thrive School Readiness Roundtable, being held Wednesday February 8th from 12:30 to 2:30 at the Boys and Girls Club of Dorchester.  Lunch and childcare provided, though RSVP is required for childcare.  There will also be a raffle for $20 Target Gift Cards for parent and grandparent participants.  

Please RSVP to Tuyen Nguyen by responding to this email or by calling 617-740-2586.

 

Boys and Girls Clubs of Dorchester, 1135 Dorchester Avenue 

 

Date:  Thu, 02/09/2012 - 6:00pm

Kenneth E. Pollock will talk with parents about his book, Philosophy of Life: Stories for Young People, which features fableswith fun characters and strong morals. Thursday, February 9, 6 p.m., at the Lower Mills Branch, located at 27 Richmond Street, Dorchester.  For more information, please call: 617.298.7841.

Date:  Thu, 02/02/2012 - 12:00pm

On February 2nd, Onein3’s Career Advancement team and Roxbury Community College (RCC) present Get Your Dream Job: HR Secrets Revealed at the 

Reggie Lewis Track & Athletic Center

1350 Tremont St., Boston, MA 02120.

rom 12:00-2:00pm HR professionals from all over Boston will teach participants the importance of personal branding, professional communication and how to write a winning resume. 

Hear first hand how to get ahead in the workplace from keynote speaker Ellen Mahoney, Chief Human Resources Officer at Harvard Business School. Mahoney started off as an entry-level assistant and worked her way up the ranks.

The skill-building sessions on personal branding and interview skills will be led by Oswald “Oz” Mondejar, Vice President of Human Resources/Community Relations at Partners Continuing Care, Diane Darling of Effective Networking, and Attorney Damien DiGiovanni of Morgan, Brown & Joy LLP.  

Volunteer experts from area employers will also offer one-on-one resume review sessions with participants, courtesy of the North East Human Resources Association (NEHRA).

 

All are welcome.  Participants are encouraged to come with their current resumes and lots of questions for the panelists.  Sign up today at: www.Onein3GetsAhead.eventbrite.com. The event is free and lunch will be provided.

 

 

Date:  Thu, 01/26/2012 - 6:00pm

Thursday January 26. The chosen title is 'Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close' by Jonathan Safran Foer.   Nine-year-old Oskar Schell goes on a mission to find the lock that will match a mysterious key that  belonged to his father, who died in the World Trade Center on September 11. The story, told from different perspectives and several different time frames is often sad but also hilarious as this young boy embarks on a journey that will ultimately heal him. Dinner from 6pm, discussion from 7pm.  All are welcome.

http://dot2dotcafe.com/