Category Archives: Teens

NLFB’s 6th annual 5k Trail Run and Kids Fun Run – 5/13

From Tod Dimmick –

The 6th New Life 5k Trail Run hits the trails on May 13th  

New Life Furniture Bank is excited to host its 6th annual 5k Trail Run and Kids Fun Run, on Saturday, May 13th on the Medfield State Hospital grounds (at Hospital Rd. & Service Dr., Medfield, MA). The route winds through the beautiful Charles River Reservation, and the event is open to runners, walkers and everyone in between. Bellforge Arts Center will host a live DJ, food trucks, and fitness activities. 

Trail Run registration is open at newlifefb.org/5ktrailrun. An “early bird” discount  of $25 is available until April 29; after that registration will be $30 until May 11; and $35 on race day. On-site Kids Fun Run registration will be $5. There is a $5 group discount for teams of four or more when the registrations are made at the same time.  On-site registration opens at 9:00 am on race day. Children ages 4-10 are invited to join us for the Kids Fun Run at 10:00 am, and the Trail Run starts at 10:30 am, with live music to follow. The first 250 people to register will receive a t-shirt on race day.  

The Trail Run benefits New Life Furniture Bank of MA and its mission to provide gently used household furnishings to individuals and families transitioning out of homelessness.

The  Medfield-based non-profit organization operates a Walpole Donation Center and serves the MetroWest and Greater Boston area. New Life provides a meaningful option for folks who are downsizing, renovating or disposing of a loved one’s property.  

“Last year, New Life served over 700 households and the demand for our services is greater than ever,” noted Rich Purnell, Executive Director of New Life. “The Trail Run is a fun and effective way to make a difference for the individuals and families we serve as we empower them with the means to furnish their homes.” Over the years, the Trail Run has become a community-building event and New Life is grateful to Bellforge for collaborating to enhance the race atmosphere.  

Those interested in being a sponsor, volunteering, donating home furnishings, or making a financial contribution are encouraged to visit www.newlifefb.org.  

Brandon Peter Mak & Dylan Reese Corbett are Eagle Scouts

Brandon Peter Mak & Dylan Reese Corbett were feted at a Boy Scout Troop 89 Eagle Scout Court of Honor this afternoon at the UCC.

L-R: Scoutmaster Jim Hatch, Dylan, Fran and Terry Corbett

L-R: Eagle Advisor Ken Manning, Brandon, Hank and Cathie Mak

Hunter’s Run coming April 2

From Matt Parillo –

Hunter’s Run Foundation

Home

Hunter’s Run Foundation was founded by Kristen Williams.  It serves to bring awareness to Organ Donation.  Kristen Williams’  14 year old son is a two time double lung transplant recipient.  Hunter had his first transplant at 21 months old.  He was blessed to have his second in July of 2015. In late 2022, Hunter had a kidney removed and is battling cancer. He is undergoing chemotherapy but still enjoys getting out and exercising all that his body will allow him.​ Hunter is hoping to be able to ride his bike around the course this year!!

We are so excited to announce April 2, 2023 will be the 8th Aunnual Hunter’s 5K Run and 1 mile Fun Run. This is Hunter’s Run Foundation’s  8th consecutive year raising funds for Boston Children’s PediatricTransplant Center. These funds go to familes who are currently in the hospital with their sick child. Funds go to help with housing, food, and parking amonst other family needs (as Boston Children’s sees fit). These funds help families focus on what is important during which could be the most tramatic time in their life.  Our 2022 donations allowed us to gift Boston Children’s Hospital $10,000. We also donated to Donate Life New England. We hope to do the same in 2023!!!

Hunter’s Run Foundation’s mission is to bring awareness to the importance of Organ Donation.  It also serves to help various organizations such as Boston Children’s Hospital and Donate Life. 

Medfield Foundation Legacy Fund’s 2021 grantees’ report

Legacy Fund Grantees Report

Grantees of the Medfield Foundation Legacy Fund’s latest 2021 round of grants reported to the Medfield Foundation board and the Legacy Fund founders at a meeting this past Monday evening at the Public Safety Building.

  • Peak House Heritage Society showed a remarkably informative video produced by Medfield TV of the PHHS’s archeological dig that the PHHS’s grant funded in the basement of the Peak House. Rob Gregg reported that the most mysterious findings were three 1912 license plates, mysterious because the last residents in the Peak House left in 1910. The rest of the archeological findings are in the process of being analyzed and cataloged.
  • Friends of the Medfield High School Theatre Society reported on the new cyclorama purchased with its grant which was installed at the back of the stage in the MHS auditorium, allowing for better performances. “The replacement of the MHS auditorium cyclorama allows students to engineer complex lighting scenarios; offers those performing a more complex atmosphere in which to tell their stories; and enhances the visual quality of shows for Community members who attend performances.”
  • Medfield Outreach used its grant to commission a survey of town needs, data designed to focus Outreach’s strategic plan. Outreach Director Kathy MacDonald reported on the survey and its results. “In the winter of 2022, Medfield Outreach began work to complete a community needs survey and create a five-year strategic plan for the department. What you see on these tabs is the result of that almost six month long undertaking.”
  • Sustainable Medfield used its grant to further publicize and share its mission promoting sustainability with town residents – “1. Provide residents a one-stop resource of Medfield-specific ACTIONS to improve our environment and reduce our carbon footprint. and 2. Connect community groups to network and collaborate on sustainability.”

About the Medfield Foundation Legacy Fund
The Medfield Foundation Legacy Fund Is a professionally-managed endowment created to support community-driven projects. Volunteer-run and designed to complement the initiatives of Medfield organizations, the Medfield Foundation Legacy Fund raises funds from the community and makes grants to established non-profit organizations through a competitive process. For more information or to contribute to the Medfield Foundation Legacy Fund, please visit https://www.medfieldfoundation.org/legacy-fund.

Angel Run – registration is open

View this email in your browser
The Angel Run is back! 
Join us for the 17th running (or walking) on Sunday, December 4th at 12:30pm.




Registration is Now Open!
Early bird registration submissions received by October 28th, 2022 are $30.00 per person and will include the 2022 Angel Run shirt. 

The Angel Run is a community “fun” raiser and family event. It brings members of our community together during a festive time of year to generate funds in support of Medfield families in need. In 2006, family and friends organized the run in remembrance of Natasha Domeshek. The Medfield Foundation Inc. (MFi) took up the holiday tradition in 2012. Since then, the proceeds support town residents in need through the MFi Public Need Fund. CLICK HERE TO REGISTERThe Route
The Angel Run course is a USATF certified 5K. The Angel Run utilizes electronic disposable bib timing to ensure accurate results for all participants. The race begins at Medfield High School and ends in front of Blake Middle School. 
 
Angel Run Shirt
Commemorative Angel Run shirts are available to participants who register by the early bird deadline of October 28, 2022. Please note that shirts are available in Adult and Youth sizes. Please pick your size accordingly.  

Your shirt and race bib will be available for you to pick-up this year during the Medfield Holiday Stroll scheduled for December 2nd, as well as at Medfield High School on December 3rd and race day, December 4th.  Stay tuned for more details!

Parking
There is plenty of parking at both Medfield High School and the attached Blake Middle School. For overflow parking, we suggest using Metacomet Park which is only a few blocks walk to the starting line.

Our Presenting Sponsors
We would like to acknowledge Needham Bank and The Louis & Mary Kay Smith Family Foundation and thank them for their continued support.

About The Medfield Foundation Charity
The mission of Medfield Foundation, Inc. (MFi) is to enrich the lives of Medfield residents and build a stronger community by supporting private fundraising initiatives that address un-met public needs.  In 2021, MFi received 38 requests for assistance. Rent assistance continues to be the number one most common type of request.  As a community foundation, we have had the privilege of working with many organizations and individuals in our town to raise over $3 million dollars that has been directed back to Medfield since our inception in 2001.
 
Participation in MFi initiatives like the Angel Run have a direct impact on Medfield residents in need.  “There is so much to say about this foundation that words could never express. I have so much gratitude for everyone who is a part of this and consistently helps families such as myself. A few years ago, my lease was up for renewal and the rent increase was more than I could handle. This foundation donated a portion of the rent, which allowed me to situate my bills and funds to be able to help me be prepared for the upcoming months. The amazing souls apart of this program have honestly been a blessing and got my family and I out of multiple ruts. I hope all families in need can continue to receive their help and gratitude. Thank you again for all that you do!” – Recent recipient of MFI support.

To learn more about MFi please visit our website at http://www.medfieldfoundation.org.We look forward to seeing you in December!
 
The MFi Angel Run Team
Copyright © 2019 Medfield Foundation, All rights reserved.
You registered for the Medfield Foundation Angel Run

Our mailing address is:
Medfield Foundation
Medfield Town House
459 Main Street
Medfield, MA 02052
Add us to your address book



 

Medfield High School’s Jack Goodman drafted by Texas Rangers in MYB draft

From the Boston Herald https://www.bostonherald.com/2022/07/19/four-more-massachusetts-players-go-on-day-3-of-mlb-draft/

Digital tech bad for kids

Wisdom and a warning this morning from the New York Times – see below – connect to article here

“What makes less sense to me is why our society has done so little to protect children from the apparent damages of ubiquitous digital media. They are almost certainly larger for most children than the threat from Covid.”

Also, there was an excellent 60 Minutes piece on Sunday on the increased mental health issues youth are experiencing – via this link

May 10, 2022
Author HeadshotBy David Leonhardt
Good morning. We look at the mental health crisis facing adolescents — and the role of digital technology.
The local Boys and Girls Club in Glasgow, Ky.Annie Flanagan for The New York Times
On the phone, alone
Many measures of adolescent mental health began to deteriorate sometime around 2009. It is true of the number of U.S. high-school students who say they feel persistently sad or hopeless. It’s also true of reported loneliness. And it is true of emergency room visits for self-harm among Americans ages 10 to 19.
This timing is suspicious because internet use among adolescents was also starting to soar during the same period. Apple began selling the iPhone in 2007. Facebook opened itself for general use in late 2006, and one-third of Americans were using it by 2009.
Last month, The Times began publishing a series on adolescent mental health, and the latest piece — focusing on pediatricians who are struggling to help — has just published.
The author of the series is Matt Richtel, who has spent more than a year interviewing adolescents, their relatives and their friends. In my recent conversations with Matt about his reporting, he has gone out of his way to emphasize the uncertainty about the specific causes of the crisis, including how much of a role social media plays.
“When you look at specific research on the role of social media impacting young people, it’s quite conflicted,” he said. Some studies find that adolescents who use social media heavily are more likely to feel sad or depressed, while others find little or no effect. There is no proof that, say, TikTok or social media’s “like” button is causing the mental-health crisis.
But Matt also thinks that some of these narrow questions of cause and effect are secondary. What seems undeniable, he points out, is that surging use of digital technology has changed life’s daily rhythms.
It has led adolescents to spend less time on in-person activities, like dating, hanging out with friends and attending church. Technology use has also contributed to declines in exercise and sleep. The share of high-school students who slept at least eight hours a night fell 30 percent from 2007 to 2019, Derek Thompson of The Atlantic has noted.
Technology use is not the sole cause of these trends. Modern parenting strategies, among other factors, play a role as well. But digital technology — be it social media, video games, text messaging or other online activity — plays a strong role, many experts say.
“If you’re not getting some outdoor relief time and enough sleep — and you can almost stop at not enough sleep — any human being is challenged,” Matt said. “When you get the pubescent brain involved in that equation, you are talking about somebody being really, really challenged to feel contented and peaceful and happy with the world around them.”
The role of any specific social-media platform or behavior may remain unknown, but the larger story about American adolescents and their emotional struggles is less mysterious.
“They have too much screen time, they’re not sleeping, on phones all the time,” Dr. Melissa Dennison, a pediatrician in central Kentucky who sees many unhappy adolescents, told Matt. Dennison regularly encourages her patients to take walks outdoors or attend church.
It’s true that the decline of in-person interactions has had a few silver linings. Today’s adolescents are less likely to use tobacco, drink alcohol or get pregnant. But the net effect of less socializing is negative. Most human beings struggle when they are not spending time in the company of others.
The Covid-19 pandemic, of course, has exacerbated isolation, loneliness and depression. In December, the U.S. surgeon general warned of a “devastating” mental health crisis among America’s youth.
A 12-year-old patient of Dr. Dennison in Kentucky.Annie Flanagan for The New York Times
I find Covid to be a particularly relevant comparison. Over the past two-plus years, millions of American parents have demonstrated intense concern for their children by trying to protect them from Covid. Fortunately, Covid happens to be mild for the vast majority of children, causing neither severe illness nor long-term symptoms. One sign of that: Young children, not yet eligible for vaccination, are at considerably less risk on average than vaccinated people over 65.
Still, I understand why so many parents remain anxious. Covid is new and scary. It taps into parents’ fierce protective instincts.
What makes less sense to me is why our society has done so little to protect children from the apparent damages of ubiquitous digital media. They are almost certainly larger for most children than the threat from Covid.

New Life 5k Trail Run on 5/7 updates

From Todd Dimmick –

New teams enter the New Life 5k Trail Run on May 7th

New Life is excited to host its 5th annual Trail Run on Saturday, May 7th on the Medfield State Hospital grounds (at Hospital Rd. & Service Dr., Medfield, MA). The route winds through the beautiful Charles River Reservation, and the event is open to runners, walkers and everyone in between. Many teams have already entered the Trail Run, including A Team, Eliot Church XC, GNRC, Iwaki America, MAKT, Millis UCC on the MOVE, Shamrock Shuffle, Soles of Medfield, UCC Medfield, Unicorn Amazing, and Westwood First Parish Church. These teams include runners from across eastern Massachusetts. New teams are welcome and are easy to set up. 

To celebrate being back in person after two years of virtual runs, New Life has partnered with the Cultural Alliance of Medfield to provide live music on race day. Also, the Furniture Matters club of Medfield High School will introduce a Kids Fun Run for children 4-10 years old.

Trail Run registration is open at www.newlifefb.org/5ktrailrun. Registration is $30 until May 5; and $35 on race day. On-site Kids Fun Run registration will be $5 (cash or check). There is a $5 group discount for teams of four or more when the registrations are made at the same time.  On-site registration opens at 7:30 on race day. The Kids Fun Run starts at 9:00, and the Trail Run starts at 9:30, with live music to follow. The first 300 people to register will receive a t-shirt on race day.

The Trail Run benefits New Life Furniture Bank of MA and its mission to provide essential home furnishings to those in need. The Medfield-based not-for-profit organization operates a Walpole Donation Center, and serves the MetroWest and Greater Boston area. New Life provides a meaningful option for folks who are downsizing, renovating or disposing of a loved one’s property.

Those interested in being a sponsor, volunteering, donating home furnishings, or making a financial contribution are encouraged to visit www.newlifefb.org.


Eagle Scouts Karl Ericson, Antonio King & Jan Passas

Troop 89 held an Eagle Scout Court of Honor yesterday for Karl Ericson, Tito King, and Jani Passas (left to right) at the UCC. Lots of accomplishments of the scouts and their families were celebrated. Great event.

MCAP interviewing MHS students

Medfield Cares About Prevention (MCAP) is currently seeking 10-12 high school-aged volunteers to participate in one-on-one interviews with the substance use prevention coordinator or another Medfield Outreach staff about substance use in Medfield.  Students will not be asked about their own personal substance use or behaviors, but only to reflect upon what they see in their community. All information gathered during these interviews will be anonymized (no one will know who said what). Furthermore, the information collected will serve to help our MCAP coalition design impactful prevention strategies. These interviews will take anywhere from 30 minutes to one hour and are available both in person or via Zoom. All interviews will take place during the first three weeks of November.

If interested, please fill out this google form. If the student is under 18 years old at the time of the interview, parent/guardian consent is required. Consent forms will be emailed after they fill out the google form.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this email!

Warmly,

Meri

Meri Haas

Pronouns: She, Her, Hers (what’s this?)

Substance Use Prevention Coordinator, Medfield Outreach

Physical Address: 88R South Street

Mailing Address: 459 Main Street

Medfield, MA 02052

(508) 359-7121 x4

mhaas@medfield.net

medfieldcares.org