Volunteering « WaylandeNews

Volunteer Day: Invasive Plant Removal, Saturday, November 16

Volunteer Day: Invasive Plant Removal, Saturday, November 16, 10-11:30am. The Wayland Conservation Department is looking for volunteers to help remove invasive plants on conservation property. Volunteer work days will take place on the third Saturday of every month May through November 2019 from 10:00am – 11:30am. Locations will vary. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact the Conservation Department at conservation@wayland.ma.us

New Tutors Trained in Wayland Library’s ESOL Program

Immigrants in our area who want to improve their competency in English now have greater opportunities. Ten generous and enthusiastic people have recently completed a training course and are now certified to be tutors of ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages). These recent “graduates” include six from Wayland – Susan Crowley-Bechtel, Dan Eng, Doug Sacra, Jenny Silberman, Dianne Solomon and Alexandra VanRooyen; three from Sudbury – Dianne Cermak, Inna Poliakova and Kelly Sherrer; and one from Concord – Amy Simon. These new tutors, like those who were trained last spring, and others who have been tutoring for years, work one-to-one with learners who have signed up through the Wayland library. Learners currently being tutored have come from China, Ecuador, France, Mexico, Algeria, Brazil, Colombia, Korea, Egypt, Venezuela, Taiwan and Iran. Applications for tutoring are always welcome, and since Wayland is a “Welcoming Community,” participation in our program involves no risk to a learner’s immigration status.

As usual, we can put all possible tutors to work with waiting learners. The next tutor-training course will be offered on Monday afternoons in the winter, starting on February 24. Tutors do not need to know another language, nor do they need to know every detail of English grammar.

For more information contact Ginny Steel at 508-358-7517 or at virginia@thesteels.com.

Can You Drive A Senior to the Doctor?

Wayland’s FISH program — Friends in Service Helping — provides free rides to Wayland residents who have no other way to get to a medical appointment. Created nearly 30 years ago as a grass-roots community program, FISH is now managed by the Wayland Council on Aging.

Residents request rides by calling FISH (508-358-FISH), and administrators reach out to find a volunteer driver who is available. More than 90 percent of rides are in the MetroWest area. This is a flexible, “as-available” volunteer role, and vitally important to Wayland residents who face transportation challenges.

Give a neighbor a lift, and get one yourself, by helping to meet these important needs. When neighbors help neighbors, it knits our community together. For more information, or to volunteer, contact Ann Gordon at the Wayland Council on Aging, 508-358-2990, or download a volunteer application from the COA website.

Deliver a Difference with Meals on Wheels

Delivering Meals on Wheels in Wayland is a rewarding volunteer job that is time-limited (it takes about an hour), direct (you meet the people you serve), local (neighbors serving neighbors), and important (a vital part of the social safety-net that enables folks to remain at home). If you have time to help out once in a while, or regularly, we would welcome your help.

Monday through Friday, starting at 11am, three volunteers pick up food at the Wayland Council on Aging in the Town Building, and fan out across town delivering a hot meal to eight or ten addresses each. Some are regular weekly volunteers; others are on-call and fill in when they can. All are critically important to the health and well-being of Wayland residents who find it difficult to cook for themselves.

If you would like to volunteer, or to learn more, please contact Ann Gordon at the Council on Aging, 508-358-2990, or visit the COA website and download a volunteer application.

The Foundation for MetroWest is currently accepting applications for their Youth in Philanthropy (YIP) program

Now accepting applications for the Wayland Youth in Philanthropy program, beginning this fall

Do you know an eighth grade student who is interested in making an impact in their community and becoming a civic leader? The Foundation for MetroWest is currently accepting applications for their Youth in Philanthropy (YIP) program to take place this winter in Wayland. Applications are due no later than Tuesday, October 15 and are available online at www.yipmetrowest.org. Classes will meet at The Wayland Middle School on Monday afternoons, beginning November 4. Eighth grade students living in Wayland are eligible and welcome to apply.

A unique experiential learning program, YIP, provides participants the knowledge to become engaged and informed civic leaders in our community by learning the importance of philanthropy and the needs that exist in our backyard. YIP also helps local youth develop valuable 21st century skills, including critical thinking, understanding budgets, public speaking, consensus building, and case-making. Ultimately, the group of 20 students work together to evaluate grant applications and distribute funds to worthy nonprofits working to serve youth in our communities.

“YIP is a truly amazing program that has taught me an array of useful skills and has given me a new perspective,” said a recent YIP graduate. “This program has allowed me to have a new and improved outlook on my community and how I can help.”

“I honestly can’t believe how impactful YIP has been in such a short time,” says the parent of a recent graduate. “Our daughter keeps talking about the site visits and has been so inspired by the entire experience that she is now going to volunteer at a non-profit over the summer to learn more about how one operates. Beyond that, the experience of asking questions of the non-profits has given her more confidence and she told us she is raising her hand more often at school!”

Since launching in 1997, the Foundation for MetroWest’s Youth in Philanthropy program has educated over 2,000 students who have granted over $1.2 million to over 200 MetroWest youth development organizations. The Foundation for MetroWest is proud to be running one of the largest youth philanthropy education programs in the country. For more information about the Youth in Philanthropy program, visit www.yipmetrowest.org.

About Foundation for MetroWest

Established in 1995, the Foundation for MetroWest is the only community foundation serving the 33 cities and towns in the region. We promote philanthropy in the region, help donors maximize the impact of their local giving, serve as a resource for local nonprofits and enhance the quality of life for all our residents. Since inception, the Foundation has granted $16 million to charitable organizations and currently stewards more than $23 million in charitable assets for current needs and future impact. To learn more, please visit www.foundationformetrowest.org or call 508-647-2260.

Become a Tutor of English

Have you ever thought about tutoring someone in English? Most people who decide to become tutors are thinking of the good it can do, helping others become more proficient in English and better able to cope with employment, landlords, schools or the medical profession. But then they discover the rewards, the satisfaction that comes as progress is made and a relationship develops that enriches both learner and tutor. Tutors often speak of their pleasure in learning about another culture and their greater appreciation for the challenges facing those who are adapting to ours.

Because of the constant demand for tutoring, all available tutors are now working with students, and the next tutor-training course has been scheduled. ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) program director Ginny Steel is currently enrolling prospective tutors for the five-session course that starts on September 23. The class will meet at the Wayland Library on five Monday evenings 6-9pm. Class dates this fall are September 23 and 30, and October 7, 21 and 28 (not meeting on Veterans Day). No prior knowledge of a foreign language is needed, just an openness to other cultures and the desire to share your knowledge of English. The training is free, although it is necessary to purchase a textbook for about $20.

For more information or to enroll in the tutor-training course, you can phone Ginny Steel at 508-358-7517 or email her at virginia@thesteels.com.

The Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable Hosts “Meet and Greet”, September 10

On Tuesday, September 10, 2019, please join members of the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable for a special “Meet and Greet.” This event is specifically designed to welcome new friends to the Roundtable and to provide new and meaningful ways for old friends to deepen their involvement with the work of the Roundtable. The meeting will be held from 3-4:30 PM in the Community Meeting Room of the Wayland Public Safety Building, 38 Cochituate Road, Wayland.

Did you know that the Roundtable is comprised of many committees that do the work of the Roundtable? Each committee will have a brief opportunity to share highlights of their work. These presentations will be followed by an open meet and greet time where attendees can learn more about roles that might interest them. Please join the Roundtable and learn more about the important work that this organization has been doing in our local communities for the past 20 years.

To learn more about the Roundtable, you may go to www.domesticviolenceroundtable.org or contact the Roundtable at infodvrt@gmail.com