Wayland resident turns her sorrow into action to benefit local seniors.

Wayland’s seniors will soon be safer from the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning due to the determination of a caring citizen, the generosity of a local bank and the ongoing commitment of Wayland Firefighters to public fire and life safety education.

At 7pm tonight (June 28) T-D Bank of Massachusetts will present the Wayland Fire Department with a check for $5,000 to fund a program to insure that our senior citizens are properly protected from the dangers of Carbon Monoxide poisoning. The presentation will take place at the Wayland Board of Selectmen’s meeting in the Town Building.

This story began last Thanksgiving when a Wayland resident, Susan Spencer, walked into our firehouse wanting to know how she could turn her grief into action and pay tribute to her family friends, Caroline and Parker Lofgren and their two children Owen and Sophie who had succumbed to carbon monoxide poisoning in a rental property that lacked a working detector. That day she met Captain Dan Buentello who heads up the departments efforts in fire and life safety education. Dan explained that the department wanted to expand our seniors program to include the installation of Carbon Monoxide detectors but lacked the funds. For several years our department has worked with the Wayland Council on Aging to provide and install smoke detectors in the homes of our seniors. Funding for the smoke detectors came under a state funded program. While the program has been very successful, it did not provide funding for the purchase of Carbon Monoxide detectors. Susan pledged to find the funding needed to purchase carbon monoxide detectors.

The final ingredient needed to make this program happen arrived this spring with the opening of a branch office of T-D Bank in Cochituate.  Susan met local branch manger Karin Semizoglou, who told her about T-D banks competitive grant program, known as Community Giving, the banks way of supporting and enhancing local community. Working together with Captain Buentello, Susan prepared and submitted the grant application.
 
Earlier this month we were informed by TD Bank that her grant submission had been approved.  As a result, the senior citizens of Wayland will now be protected against carbon monoxide poisoning as well as smoke and fire.  In addition, due to this generous support by TD Bank, the memory of Caroline, Parker, Owen and Sophie will continue on within our community as well as others where they had a presence.

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