Westport in Brief!
EverythingWestport.com
Sunday, May 15, 2016
photos/EverythingWestport.com except as
noted
Westport Cares
Outreach Program.
Westport
Cultural Council Awards Over $22,000.
Macomber
third-grader wins overall poster contest in annual WRWA
poster contest.
Westport Cares Outreach
Program. The new program offered by the department
in conjunction with the Westport Council on Aging, will offer service to
older adults and at risk members of the community. EverythingWestport.com Saturday,
May 14, 2016 Westport Cares Outreach
Program Westport
Fire Chief Brian Legendre is pleased to announce the rollout of a new program
offered by the department in conjunction with the Westport Council on Aging,
Westport Cares Program will offer service to older adults and at risk members
of the community. The goal of the program is to help keep these
community members safe and in their own homes. As the
number of elderly Americans increases, service programs committed to helping
older adults live at home with as much dignity and independence as possible
must be developed. Westport
Cares is an outreach program specifically designed to assist this at risk
population. This
partnership pairs trained professionals from the fire department with
outreach workers to enhance an already strong program run through the Westport Council on Aging. The
program allows this team with whom the older population already knows and is
comfortable with to meet in the safety and privacy of their own homes to
discuss ways to make their surroundings safer. The
Westport Cares program provides an opportunity for a friendly well-being
check and access to a variety of services specific to the individual’s needs.
The focus of the visit centers on a needs assessment, medical identification
program, trip prevention, heating safety, bath room safety, cooking safety,
along with smoke and CO detector checks. Referral
programs already associated with the Council on Aging include meals on
wheels, self-help, food pantry, transportation options and information
regarding the ever changing and complicated insurance landscape including
Medicare. Westport
Cares is an expandable program that will further allow an avenue in which a
new wave of community Paramedicine can be established. With the federal
implementation of a fundamental change in the nation’s healthcare system, a
strong emphasis will be put on medial outreach programs. Some of the items
offered to participants in the program will be
For
more information on receiving assistance for yourself or others through this program
please contact Ann Marie Peckham- Coordinator at
508.636.1110 ext. 2118. Westport Cultural Council Awards Over $22,000. 19 grants totaling $22,450 to
16 different organizations and individuals. EverythingWestport.com Sunday,
May 15, 2016 Photos | Submitted The
Westport Cultural Council is pleased to announce it has awarded 19 grants
totaling $22,450 to 16 different organizations and individuals. The
Council received grant requests totaling nearly $40,000, demonstrating the call
for cultural offerings in the area. Westport Cultural Council (WCC) awarded these grants with funds provided by a grant
from The Helen E. Ellis Charitable Trust, Bank of America, N.A., Trustee. In
addition to favorite local traditions such as River Day in June and the late
summer Concert at Town Farm, the success of last year’s grantee projects
illustrated their value to the community. Positive
feedback from participants in the Summer Passport Program – a self-guided
exploration of historic sites created through a collaboration with Westport
Historical Society, Westport Land Conservation Trust, and Westport Education
Foundation – led to expanding the upcoming summer’s program. A
filmmaking workshop for teens, where each participant created a short film
that was later shown to the public, also received rave reviews and will be
offered again this year. 2016 Grantees The Art Drive for its Open Studio Weekend; Westport
Pubic Library; Innocation FP’s new media workshop for teens; Westport
River Watershed Alliance for River Day; Westport Cultural Council for
its Summer Film Series; WHS, WLCT, and WEF (as noted
above) for the Summer Passport Program; Concerts at the Point; Gabrielle
Ferreira for an outdoor installation at Dedee
Shattuck Gallery; Concert at Town Farm co-sponsored by WLCT and WRWA; South Coast
Artists Open Studio Weekends; Westport Art Group; Greater
Tiverton Community Choir; New Bedford Festival Theater; Jane Dufault for bringing Puppet Theater to Westport
elementary schoolchildren; and The Montessori School of the Angels for
art and drama programs. This
spring the WCC again hosted a reception to
recognize grant recipients, and to “offer opportunities for creative
connection with each other and the community,” said Irene Buck, WCC Chair. Held at the riverfront home of council
member Rud Lawrence, the early evening soiree
featured grantees describing how their work enriches the Westport area.
A common theme emerged that the pursuits of these various entities complement
each other. Emily
Sutton of The Art Group called the gathering “a wonderful, cross-pollinating
evening,” adding, “it was great to hear first-hand about what others are
doing in and for Westport.” Ryan Mann, Executive Director of Westport
Land Conservation Trust, summed it up eloquently when he compared the work of
the grantees to “prisms of light” reflecting both uniquely and similarly
through the Westport community, thanks to WCC’s
financial support. Next
year 2017 marks the 25th anniversary of the establishment of The Helen E.
Ellis Charitable Trust. Helen Ellis (1889-1987) was a sculptor and
Westport resident who dedicated her life to arts and culture, and helped
others develop their creative talents. A Charitable Trust was created
in her memory to financially support the Westport community’s enjoyment and
growth through creative activities. To
celebrate her legacy, the WCC encourages those
seeking grants in 2017 to consider Helen Ellis themed projects and
events. WCC awards grants for projects or events directly
involving the arts, interpretive sciences, or humanities that take place on
the South Coast and benefit the Westport community. WCC
publishes a bi-monthly poster listing upcoming events supported by WCC funds. Flyers are posted at a number of
Westport locations, and the information is also on their web site, www.westportculturalcouncil.org,
and on their Facebook page. Above, left: Mary Ellen Kennedy, Concerts at the Point. Right: Jenny
O’Neill, Executive Director of Westport Historical Society. Above: Irene Buck, WCC Chair, welcomes grantees at
Thursday, April 28th reception. Macomber third-grader wins overall
poster contest in annual WRWA poster contest. Artwork
will be displayed at the upcoming River day at the Head Landing on Saturday,
June 4th. EverythingWestport.com Westport Watershed Alliance has picked
winners for this year’s River Day Poster contest. Annual River day at the
Head Landing on Saturday June 4th. Students from kindergarten to fourth grade
at Macomber Primary School and Westport Elementary
School submitted designs featuring the wildlife and scenic beauty of the
Westport River and its salt marshes. More than 200 pieces were submitted, making
the task of choosing the winner from "many worthy entries" a
challenge, the alliance said in a news release. The winning work is displayed
on the poster for River Day, which is Saturday, June 4th at the Head of
Westport. This year’s overall winner is third-grader
Sarah Raposa, whose colorful crayon depiction of
the great variety of creatures that live in the Westport River salt marshes
was the judges’ favorite. The other ribbon winners, listed for each
grade level, are: Grade 1: Dakota Agrella,
first place; Audrey Xavier, second place; Paige Arruda,
third place; Grade 2: Grace Garrity,
first place; Kellie Furtado, second place; Maddie Herliczek,
third place; Grade 3: Sarah Raposa,
first place and overall winner; Cailynn White,
second place; Landon Markovich, third place; Grade 4: Sarah Perry, first place; Gianna Borges,
second place; Amelia Van Saun, third place; Kindergarten: All honorable
mentions. The alliance thanked art teachers Melissa
Lambert and Claudia Carpenter for their "artistic guidance and
helpfulness in having the students create the art work. And special thanks go
to all the children for their time and talent,” WRWA
Executive Director Deborah Weaver said in a press release. River Day will take place at the town landing
at the historic Head of Westport, at the intersection of Drift and Old County
roads. The event, free and open to the public, runs from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00
p.m. Featured activities include live music,
children’s games, fish T-shirt printing, stilt
building, wee-boat racing, face painting, May Pole dancing, a walking tour of
historic Head of Westport, a live raptor show, environmental exhibits and a
tour of WRWA’s future headquarters. Musicians include Rhode Island folk band The
Gnomes, the Westport High School Band and Jazz Ensemble, and the Spindle Rock
River Rats. © 2016 Community Events of
Westport. All rights reserved. EverythingWestport.com |