By Courtney Wright
Special to the Gazette
“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.”
— F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby
Thank you to everyone who came out to support Mission Hill Main Streets at our Annual Meeting/Awards last Tuesday evening. It was so nice to see so many residents, business owners+staff, institutional partners, and organizational neighbors come together to honor our longstanding businesses and community builders. In addition, we were joined by Mayor Michelle Wu, Rep. Chynah Tyler, Councilors Sharon Durkan and Ben Weber, and staff from Councilor Santana’s office. A special thank you to our guest MC’s: Chris Freiss, Aliece Dutson, and Father Dabney. We had a great time celebrating our community and sincerely appreciated the opportunity to do so with so many neighbors and friends. Despite the event being held outside on one of our first chilly evenings, there was plenty of warmth felt as we honored this years’ awardees:
Business of the year: Mike’s Donuts, 2024 Legacy Business Awardee (and celebrating 50 years of ownership under Bruce and Maria Weinograd this year)
Exceptional MH Neighbor: Penguin Pizza (opened 20 years ago- Sept 24, 2004)
Volunteer of the year: Lydia Pena
Cherished Neighborhood Asset: Tobin Community Center and staff
Kevin W. Fitzgerald Award: Brigadier General Enoch “Woody” Woodhouse II
Thanks again to the Tobin Community Center for hosting the meeting in their beautiful back yard space, and to John Jackson, Andrew Angus and Hector Galarza who helped with logistics and set-up.
Before we look forward to October, it wouldn’t feel like the end of September without the annual Mission Hill Road Race. Last Saturday, hundreds of people returned to the Kevin W. Fitzgerald Park for the grueling 5k up and down the hills of the neighborhood. The weather was perfect for the event and the turn out was one of the biggest in recent years. There were activities and live music up in the Park for those not walking or running and plenty of people along the route cheering on the participants. Congratulations to MH Neighborhood Housing Services on another successful race!
On Saturday, October 19th, Boston Building Resources will be celebrating National Reuse Day with a free community event. There will be live music, free food, and lots of fun activities. Please check out the event page for more info:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/national-reuse-day-celebration-tickets-1002509070617?aff=oddtdtcreator
Additionally, Boston Building Resources (BBR) is seeking volunteers to help in the nonprofit Reuse Center in Roxbury Crossing. Lending a hand will advance work located at the intersection of affordable housing and environmental sustainability.
The Reuse Center at BBR takes in donations of new and gently used building materials and makes them available at affordable prices. The environment is spared from tons of needless waste, and local residents on very limited budgets can afford to repair and improve their homes.
“Boston Building Resources is a great place to volunteer if you love to learn,” said Cynthia Walat, BBR’s volunteer coordinator. “It is dynamic and thriving environment where you can expect opportunities for creative thinking, problem solving, and collaboration. Our staff organize the work to make it a great experience for everyone.”
“We are seeking volunteers who can offer at least four hours per week,” said Walat. “This is a great opportunity for a retiree who wants to remain active, a person who works from home who wants to connect with the community, or anyone who wants experience working in an organization that is focused on sustainability.”
Boston Building Resources is located at 100 Terrace Street, a short walk from the MBTA Orange Line’s Roxbury Crossing stop and near the Southwest Corridor bike path. For more information, email [email protected].
On October 22 from 9-10:30 a.m. Mission Grammar School is hosting their annual A Morning at Mission! This is a wonderful way for friends new and old to get to know the school and see their scholars and champions in action. Please RSVP and direct any questions to Cara Blanchette, Director of Advancement & Communications, at [email protected]. I have been taken on a tour before by some of the Mission Grammar Scholars and can confidently say it is a great way to start your day!
Coming up at the end of the month is Halloween on the Hill! The annual event will be happening on the Thursday of Halloween from 4 p.m.-8 p.m. beginning at the Tobin Community Center at 1481 Tremont St. Families can pick up their trick or treat bags and maps of local businesses that will be handing out candy throughout the neighborhood. If you are brave enough, the Tobin youth and staff always put together an awesome haunted house in the basement of the community center. Each year, Halloween on the Hill brings out hundreds of youth and families to Mission Hill and our business district to celebrate and enjoy Halloween safely and with lots of fun activities. Look out for flyers with more information.
New England Baptist Hospital and BILH are in the process of conducting their community needs assessment and need your help! For all that they do in the community, it’d be nice to assist them in this endeavor by taking a couple of minutes to fill out their survey about health needs in the community at: boston.gov/bphc-bostonchna. Please take a couple of minutes to fill out the survey. Also, please feel free to share with family and friends that live in Boston. Thank you!
Happy Fall everybody!