Merrimack Valley Magazine

NoteWorthy – 6/30/19

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AROUND THE VALLEY

Volvo Joins Jaffarian Family to Celebrate Grand Reopening of Volvo Showroom

Volvo Cars USA President & CEO Andors Gustafson, along with members of the local business community and customers, joined with the Jaffarian family to celebrate the grand reopening of its Volvo showroom. Jaffarian Volvo recently received the 2018 Volvo Excellence Award from Volvo Cars USA for a third consecutive year, an accomplishment no other dealer has achieved.

L-r: Gavin Jaffarian, Gary Jaffarian, Andors Gustafsson, President & CEO of Volvo Cars USA, Eric Miller of Volvo Cars USA, Mark Jaffarian.

Copper Door Restaurants Donate $25,000 to Children’s Scholarship Fund

Great NH Restaurants announced a donation to the Children’s Scholarship Fund New Hampshire of $25,000 from their Copper Door locations in Bedford and Salem, N.H. The funding will support scholarships for local N.H. children grades K-12. Forty-nine schools are part of the Children’s Scholarship Fund New Hampshire program, and the average school scholarship amount received is $2,402.

Lawrence General Hosts Event to Celebrate Launch of New Heart and Vascular Center

On Wednesday, June 19, Lawrence General Hospital held a special reception for area physicians and health care leaders to celebrate the launch of its new Heart and Vascular Center. Hosted by Lawrence General president and CEO Dianne Anderson, RN, the private event was held at the Lanam Club in Andover.

L-r: Ryan Messiner, DO, associate director/vascular surgery; Sunit Mukherjee, MD, medical director; James Meyer, MD, associate director/interventional radiology; and Ken Adams, MD, associate director/cardiology.

 

Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union Awards $1,000 to Local Hometown Heroes

Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union recently awarded a total of $1,000 to four local “Hometown Heroes” through its Small Acts That Give Back initiative.

Throughout the month of May, the Credit Union gave community members the chance to nominate someone who they believe goes above and beyond in their community. Between April 29 and May 24, Jeanne D’Arc received a total of 35 submissions, all of which described someone who has made a positive impact on the lives of others.

The credit union announced Kwame Asamoah-Addo of Lowell, Susanne Beaton of Lowell, H. David Reed of Carlisle and Craig Schorer of Andover as winners of the 2019 Hometown Hero campaign.

City of Lowell Celebrates Kerouac Park

On June 27, the city of Lowell celebrated the grand opening of Kerouac park with live music, games and family fun.

Thirty years ago the city formally dedicated the Jack Kerouac Commemorative in what was then called Eastern Canal Park. The commemorative honored Jack Kerouac, Lowell’s hometown literary hero and author. Last year, in an effort to restore and revitalize the park, the city successfully launched a funding drive in collaboration with MassDevelopment through the civic crowdfunding platform Patronicity. Now known as Kerouac Park, the almost one-acre space will provide local residents and visitors with a downtown destination to enjoy music, play games, take part in group exercise classes and celebrate Lowell.

To learn more about the park’s activities, click here.

L-r: Karen Cirillo, Rita Mercier, Jay McQuaide, Lowell Mayor William Samaris, Steve Edington, Judith Bessette.

SpaceX Launch Puts UMass Lowell Research Into Orbit

An Air Force satellite launched into orbit this week via SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket carries an instrument built by UMass Lowell researchers to conduct experiments in space.

Space is a harsh and dangerous place. Aside from temperature extremes, high vacuum and bombardment of cosmic rays, there are also extremely high-energy particles dubbed “killer electrons” that can pose a hazard to the health of astronauts and shorten the lifespan of orbiting satellites. These electrons are the subject of the research being conducted by UMass Lowell via the satellite.

“These electrons, traveling at nearly the speed of light, are capable of damaging the satellites’ sensitive electronics and exposing astronauts to high doses of radiation,” said UMass Lowell Physics Prof. Paul Song of the university’s Space Science Lab.

To help understand how these harmful electrons are generated and can be mitigated, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) awarded a three-year contract to a team of UMass Lowell researchers led by Song to support the Air Force’s Demonstration and Science Experiments (DSX) mission to the Earth’s radiation belts. The DSX’s objective is to explore the role of “wave-particle interaction” in the dynamics of these killer electrons.

Left: Air Force Research Laboratory DSX spacecraft in the final preparation stages before shipment to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. The satellite includes research instrumentation designed and built by UMass Lowell researchers. Photo credit: U. S. Air Force. Right: A research team led by Physics Prof. Paul Song, right, in UMass Lowell’s Space Science Lab designed and built instrumentation for the new DSX satellite launched by a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. The team – which includes Research Prof. Ivan Galkin, left, and physics major and Air Force ROTC cadet Brianna Croteau, center – will use the technology to study so-called “killer electrons” in space that can put astronauts and equipment at risk. Photo credit: Edwin Aguirre for UMass Lowell.

Mayor Presents Proclamation to Retiring Lazarus House Executive Director

Over 300 civic, community, business and religious leaders joined in honoring the retirement of longtime Lazarus House Executive Director Bridget Shaheen with a mass and reception at her alma mater, Merrimack College, on June 13.

For over 36 years, Shaheen led the charge in building Lazarus House from a five-bed emergency shelter to a multiservice agency serving those materially poor and homeless with a food pantry, soup kitchen, transitional housing and job training programs.

Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera, who honored Shaheen with a proclamation, said when he needed help with the homeless or the hungry of the city, he would call her.  “Thank you for making Lawrence better,” he said.

Bridget Shaheen talks about her tenure with Doug Cook, board president, and Jeff Hassel, incoming executive director. Photo courtesy of Lazarus House Ministries.

 MOVERS & SHAKERS

Lowell General Hospital and Circle Health President & CEO Joseph A. White to Chair Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association Board of Trustees

Joseph A. White, MBA, FACHE, president & CEO, Lowell General Hospital and Circle Health, is the 79th Chair of the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association (MHA). He succeeds Mark A. Keroack, MD, MPH, president & CEO, Baystate Health.

The MHA serves as the unified voice for Massachusetts hospitals on Beacon Hill and Capitol Hill. Its members include 71 licensed hospitals, many of which are organized within 29 member health systems.

In his inaugural address, White urged attendees to think beyond the walls of their own facilities to connect all the components of the commonwealth’s health system, and to work collaboratively to advance and improve health for everyone in the commonwealth. White will serve a one-year term.

Pamela Huntley Named Megan House Foundation Executive Director

The Megan House Foundation announced Pamela Huntley as the organization’s executive director. Huntley previously served on the foundation’s board of directors before assuming the executive director role on an interim basis early this year. She came to Megan’s House after spending a decade at Lowell General Hospital, most recently as the director of community relations and at the Center for Community Health & Wellness.

 

 

 

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NoteWorthy – 6/23/19

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AROUND THE VALLEY

Community Foundation Annual Meeting Highlights Homelessness in the Community and Impact of Philanthropy

Nearly 200 residents, business leaders and nonprofit professionals attended the Greater Lowell Community Foundation (GLCF)’s 2019 annual “Homelessness and Hope” meeting on June 13 at the UMASS Lowell Inn & Conference Center.

GLCF Board Chair Chet Szablak opened the event speaking about the impact of charitable giving on the local level,  citing the foundation’s $1.95 million in grants and scholarships distributed to the community in 2018, and it continued with remarks from GLCF President and CEO Jay Linnehan as he discussed the power of partnerships to address the growing issue of homelessness in downtown Lowell.

“Last June, the GLCF board voted to support and facilitate an initiative to address homelessness in the downtown. Since then, the foundation, under the adept leadership of the City Manager Eileen Donoghue and the City of Lowell, along with CTI, the Lowell Plan and SMOC (South Middlesex Opportunity Council) regularly meet as the leadership team charged with the important task of creating an action plan to address this critical issue.”

Align Credit Union Announces Support of “A Bed for Every Child” Initiative

Align Credit Union announced their support of the Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless’ “A Bed for Every Child” initiative. Over the course of several months, the credit union participated in Build-A-Bed events, collected donations from Members in their seven branches and helped increase awareness of the program through marketing and social media efforts.

“Most of us take for granted the bed we sleep in each night but there are thousands of Massachusetts children growing up in poverty who have no bed of their own,” said Robyn Frost, the organization’s executive director. “A bed is a very basic need that many low- to no-income families simply cannot afford.”

Lowell House Addiction Treatment and Recovery Awarded a Unique Four-Year Grant for Recovery Coaching Academy

Lowell House Addiction Treatment and Recovery (ATR) is one of 100 local nonprofits to receive grants of $100,000 each through the Cummings Foundation’s “100K for 100” program.

Lowell House ATR is a 47-year-old cornerstone of the service provider community in Merrimack Valley providing a variety of outpatient, day treatment, case management, residential recovery, sober and transitional housing programs. Recovery coaching and the new Recovery Cafe are two major initiatives of the organization in recent years.

Mill City Grows Raises Money for Fresh Food and Education Access

On Friday, June 14, more than 450 attendees came out to support Mill City Grows in their efforts to improve fresh food access and food education in Lowell. The event raised $169,000 for the organization’s food access & education programs. As part of the event, a Fund A Need Campaign was launched to expand our popular Farm to Table Cooking Classes which bring families together in the kitchen to prepare and enjoy fresh, nutritious meals and learn more about integrating wholesome ingredients into their home cooking. Photos by Meghan Moore

NoteWorthy – 6/16/19

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AROUND THE VALLEY

NETSCOUT Awards Fifth Grant to Merrimack Valley Food Bank in Partnership with Greater Lowell Community Foundation

 

NETSCOUT, a leading provider of service assurance, security and business analytics, awarded its Heart of Giving $10,000 grant through the Greater Lowell Community Foundation Center for Business Philanthropy. The annual grant program builds relationships with nonprofit organizations and engages employees in learning about service opportunities in the communities of Greater Lowell. This grant was awarded to Merrimack Valley Food Bank to support their mobile food pantry that serves elderly and disabled clients in the area.

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Students Showcase Innovative Projects at Park for Every Classroom Celebration

For the seventh year, teachers and students participating in the Park for Every Classroom program, offered by Essex Heritage and the National Park Service, have completed projects that utilize the rich heritage resources of the region.

A team of sixth grade students at Andover West Middle School worked diligently to get their community engaged with their local river, the Shawsheen. Through interactions with multiple community partners including Andover’s Conservation Commission, Groundwork Lawrence and Shawsheen Greenway/Andover Trails, the students identified several issues that they wanted to address. They have been educating the community about ways to help minimize invasive species along the river, submitting proposals for a herring festival, creating awareness about recreational opportunities along the river and finding ways to limit plastic and other pollution in the river.

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Cobblestones of Lowell Celebrates 25 Years

Cobblestones of Lowell owners Kathy and Scott Plath recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of their restaurant. The two celebrated with a block party attended by family, friends and longtime fans of the Lowell institution.

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Mill City Grows Awarded $100,000 Cummings Foundation Grant

Mill City Grows is one of 100 local nonprofits to receive grants of $100,000 through Cummings Foundation’s $100K for 100 program. The Lowell-based organization was chosen from a total of 574 applicants during a competitive review process.

“Mill City Grows is concerned not only with ensuring people have enough to eat, but knowing that people can access high quality, fresh produce that reflects their cultural backgrounds and preferences,” said Francey Slater, executive director of Mill City Grows. “This grant will help us make this goal a reality by empowering and supporting local growers and gardeners.”

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A Cause for Giving: McLellan Family Shows Support for Lawrence YMCA Capital Expansion Project

On the evening of June 13,  hosts Kristine and Kevin McLellan treated 80 guests, friends and Merrimack Valley YMCA stakeholders to a wonderful gathering to emphasize the importance of supporting the Lawrence YMCA Capital Expansion Project – Growing Together. The evening was named A Cause for Giving and was held at their historic home in North Andover. Both Mayor Daniel Rivera and the current reigning Miss Massachusetts, Gabriela Taveras, were on hand to advocate on behalf of the YMCA and the essential access it provides to the Lawrence community.

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Align Credit Union Announces New Assistant Vice President and Branch Manager for Lowell Location

Align Credit Union is pleased to announce that Megan Brady has been promoted to assistant vice president and branch manager at their Lowell location. She will oversee daily operations, business development and member service.

Megan joined Align in 2011 as a teller and advanced to the position of member service representative. She was promoted to the position of branch manager at Align’s Danvers branch in 2018.

Megan is a notary public, medallion stamp certified, registered by NMLS and a member of the North Shore Chamber of Commerce.

UMass Lowell High Tech Council Honors Chancellor Jacquie Moloney for Leadership

The Massachusetts High Technology Council honored University of Massachusetts Lowell chancellor Jacquie Moloney with its Ray Stata Leadership and Innovation Award at its 2019 annual meeting this week.
 
Moloney, a national leader in innovation in higher education, was appointed chancellor by the UMass Board of Trustees in 2015 and is the first woman to lead the university since its founding in 1894. An early proponent of integrating entrepreneurial lessons and opportunities throughout campus life, she was a pioneer in web-based learning and continuing education.
 
The Stata Award was created by the council in 2017 and is awarded to a technology leader who is active in Massachusetts and exhibits the key leadership qualities and commitment to philanthropy possessed by Massachusetts technology pioneer Ray Stata, the founder of Analog Devices and a co-founder of the High Tech Council.

Wellness Wednesdays – 6/12/19

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WELLNESS AROUND THE WEB

New Study Debunks Myths About Frequent Coffee Drinking

For those of you who love drinking coffee — or are concerned about the cardiovascular effects of frequent coffee drinking — this study will put your mind at ease. According to the Daily Mail, a research project partially funded by the British Heart Foundation found that you can drink up to 25 cups of coffee a day without causing heart problems.

The study included 8,412 participants across the U.K. and concluded that those drinking higher daily amounts of coffee were no more likely to develop heart or blood conditions than those who drank less than one cup a day.

The Secret Health Benefits of Spicy Foods

Speaking of health myths about food and beverages, did you know spicy foods can help decrease acid-reflux? Marissa Miller of Women’s Health Magazine highlights some of the hidden benefits of spicy foods in her article “7 Health Benefits Of Spicy Food Every Hot Sauce Lover Needs To Know About.” Aside from perfectly complementing your morning scrambles or midday hot wings, eating spicy foods can boost your metabolism, immune system and even libido.

These spicy secrets are great news for those of us who love our hot peppers and sauces, but what about people who don’t like the burn? Incorporating small hints of spicy flavor, whether it be from a chopped-up jalapeno in your salad or a few drops of Tabasco sauce to complement an entree, can be a manageable way to save your taste buds from the heat and still reap the benefits that spicy foods offer.

Are Smartphones Wiring Student Brains for Worry?

Carolyn Thompson, writing for the Associated Press, examined the role smartphone technology may have in increasing student anxiety. Her article “Schools Reckon with Social Stress” observes the class of high school biology teacher Kelly Chavis as the students take part in a small experiment. The procedure for this experiment involved students tallying the amount of times they received notifications on their phones for texts, calls, Instagram, Snapchat and other social media platforms. The findings? Students were reviewing upwards of 150 total notifications in a class session.

The constant attention that social media demands of us, and particularly young people, may be contributing the increase of anxiety and depression in teens. Researchers are still arguing whether phones drive student depression or depression drives phone use, but 70% of teens view anxiety and depression as major problems among their peers, according to a February Pew Research Center report.

To learn more about this experiment and what the research indicates, check out LowellSun.com

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 WELLNESS IN THE VALLEY

Crusade Against Drugs: Parents Who Lost Son to Overdose Offer Awareness Program to Schools

Founders of The Evan G. Foundation, Stephanie and John Greene of Easton, Mass., announced that during the past year they sponsored 30 No First Time early education drug awareness programs, bringing their message to over 6,500 middle and high school students, teachers and parents across Massachusetts. They plan to expand the program, inviting schools and other organizations to schedule No First Time presentations through the rest of 2019.

At each venue, John and Stephanie share their son Evan’s story. The program features an educational component presented by John Fanning, a Mass. state trooper and drug recognition expert until 2016 and a dramatic first-hand account presented by an individual in recovery.

“Our ultimate goal,” says Stephanie, “is to educate young people on the danger of experimenting with drugs and engaging in risky behavior. If there is no first time, no other parents will have to suffer as we have done since Evan died in 2014 at age 19.”

There may be some positive news in the state’s anti-drug crusade. According to the Mass. Department of Health, deaths from opioid overdoses has shown a two-year decline from 2016 to 2018. Still, there were about 1,970 deaths this past year.

Gov. Charlie Baker, an ardent supporter of The Evan G. Foundation who two years ago issued a Proclamation highlighting the ‘No First Time’ campaign, said, “While there is still a lot of work to do, this report is encouraging news that gives us hope that we are beginning to bend the curve of this epidemic.” John Greene says the decrease may be due to many factors, but early education for young adults is key.

 

The Face of Thousands

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Bridget Shaheen Prepares for Life After Lazarus House

As she nears retirement in June, Executive Director Bridget Shaheen does not look back on her 36 years at Lazarus House Ministries Inc. in Lawrence in terms of accomplishments. Instead, the 72-year-old remains firmly focused on advocating for the nonprofit organization’s mission of assisting people who are struggling with poverty while also restoring their dignity and self-respect.

“If you want to see true courage,” says Shaheen, citing one of the many lessons she has learned over the years, “bring a box of food to a family that doesn’t have any and watch as the children — in America — jump up and down. Then a mother comes out and says to you, ‘Can I share this with the people upstairs? They’re poor, too.’ And you begin to understand how blessed you are to be in a position to help them.”

Left: Shaheen enjoying culinary creations from workers in the culinary arts program. Right: Brother Tom, who started Lazarus House, is seen helping others in this 1983 photo. Photos courtesy of Lazarus House.

Shaheen has dedicated half her life to expanding services at Lazarus House while battling the cycle of poverty in the Merrimack Valley. When the organization opened as a five-bed emergency shelter at 48 Holly St. in 1983, Shaheen — a Lawrence native who now resides in Seabrook, N.H. — was its first volunteer. She was appointed executive director 10 years later.

Lazarus House now operates out of seven buildings in Lawrence, including its shelter, which has expanded to 41 beds and six cribs. The Good Shepherd Soup Kitchen feeds about 250 people daily, and St. Martha’s Food Pantry serves about 850 families every week. 

Additional services include transitional housing for individuals, families and single, at-risk and homeless women; a culinary arts program that has led to full-time employment for more than 100 adults; and three thrift stores that allow people the dignity of purchasing their own clothing, furniture and household goods.

In 2012, Shaheen spearheaded a capital campaign that raised more than $5 million. Her personal impact on guests in need of emotional and spiritual support has resulted in more than a dozen awards recognizing her humanitarianism, as well as an honorary doctorate of humane letters from St. Anselm College and an honorary doctorate of humanities from Merrimack College, her alma mater.

“The reality is that thousands of people are Lazarus House, and because of that, lives change,” Shaheen says. “People just have to pin it on a face, and right now it’s me.”

Bridget Shaheen, the executive director of Lazarus House, plans to retire this June after having worked there for over three decades. Photo by Chris Farris.

That will change with her retirement, which Shaheen says she has been contemplating for a few years in order to spend more time with family. She and her husband of 48 years, Paul, have three children and five grandchildren under 12.

“I’m sure God has a better plan than having me here at this point in my life,” she says. “But I’m grateful that Jesus allowed me to be a small part of this community of people who have no other agenda except to be part of goodness.”

Following in Shaheen’s footsteps will be a tall order, acknowledges Lazarus House Ministries Board of Directors President Doug Cook, and the search process is ongoing. Cook praised Shaheen’s exemplary leadership and commitment to ensuring a smooth transition once a successor is named.

“Bridget is a very special person who cares deeply and compassionately about Lazarus House’s guests, makes everybody feel special, and is humble to a fault,” he says. “We’ll never find another Bridget, but knowing that will allow her successor to take advantage of their own special gifts. We’re confident and excited about what the future has in store for Lazarus House Ministries.” 

A celebratory Mass and reception honoring Shaheen will take place on Thursday, June 13, at Merrimack College in North Andover. Email events@lazarushouse.org for information about tickets, sponsorships, the tribute book or volunteering.    

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