Bowl a 'Turkey' to Help a Family in Need This Thanksgiving

Every time a bowler at Kings gets three strikes in a row until Nov. 20, the Back Bay company will donate a real turkey to the Greater Boston Food Bank or Dedham Food Pantry.

Breast Cancer Support Groups in Boston

In honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, here's a list of local breast cancer support groups.

One in 8 American women and 1 in 1,000 American men will develop breast cancer at some point in their lives. It’s estimated that more than 2 million people are diagnosed with breast cancer and fight for their lives each year. Breast cancer is difficult to face alone—for both patients and their loved ones. To help in the battle, there are a number of local resources and support groups. Here is a link to breast cancer support groups in the Boston area: “Support groups are really beneficial,” says Debra Somerrs Copit, MD, Director of Breast Imaging atAlbert Einstein Medical Center, and a member of the medical advisory board for Living Beyond Breast Cancer. “When patients are told they’re sick, it can be an out of body experience and they aren…

• Photos (1)

Beacon Hill Civic Association to Hold Meeting About Street Sweeping Changes

The new program takes effect March 1.

After much lobbying by Beacon Hill residents the city has agreed to extend street sweeping into December and March, starting next spring, to help keep the Hill cleaner and reduce rodent food sources.  The Beacon Hill Civic Associations has been instrumental in getting the city to expand its cleaning program and will host a meeting on Monday, Oct. 15, to let neighbors know all the details. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. at 74 Joy St. Currently, street sweeping ends on Nov. 30 and begins on April 1. But in 2013 it will start on March 1 and not end until Dec. 30, meaning that applicable parking restrictions will be in place all year except for January and February.  The civic association will work with the city to inform Beacon Hill …

•  2 Comments
• Photos (1)

TELL US: Who Makes a Difference in Beacon Hill?

Help showcase people who are doing great things in your community with our new feature, Count Us In.

Your neighbor who volunteers at the library, your child’s bus driver, and the Little League coach in your community may not seem to have much in common at first glance.  But Patch’s new initiative, Count Us In, aspires to bring together all Good Samaritans by highlighting residents who are exemplary at making your community a more positive place. Partnering with Harvard Pilgrim Health Care (HPHC), Count Us In aims to illustrate HPHC's values. They believe that “amazing things happen when people work together” and that is why we want to share stories about just that. If you know someone who exemplifies being a good neighbor, volunteer or teacher—or someone who has simply helped the community in an inspiring way—please tell us about it in …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Council to Look at Offering Paid Maternity and Paternity Leave for City Employees

At-Large City Councilor Felix Arroyo would like Boston to be the second city in the U.S. to offer its employees paid maternity and paternity leaves.

Boston City Councilor At-Large Felix Arroyo will hold a future hearing to examine the feasibility of instituting paid maternity and paternity leave for city employees. Arroyo introduced his hearing at Wednesday's Boston City Council meeting. "Boston could continue to lead in workers' rights... [Employees] either take sick time or find outside care and use up their vacation time. Or come to work quicker. I don’t think this is something working families in Boston should be faced with." The Massachusetts Maternity Leave Act (MMLA) passed in 1972 offers eight weeks unpaid covering both men and women. The Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 is a federal law that guarantees 12 weeks of unpaid job leave, but only covers employees who have been …

•  3 Comments
• Photos (1)

Jamie Brown Named Volunteer of the Year

Inspired by her mother, Brown has raised $18,000 for Dana-Farber.

When Jamie Brown's mother, Diane Allison, was diagnosed with rare form of muscle cancer in 2007, she knew there was nothing she could do to cure her. But though she couldn't beat her mother's disease, she could attack cancer on a broader scale by raising money in the annual Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk. "We felt like there was not a whole lot we could do for my mom," Brown, 38, of Mount Vernon Street, said. "By doing the walk we felt like we could contribute to the bigger cause, the larger picture." The walk, this year on Sept. 9, raises money to support Boston's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in researching all cancers and caring for patients. Every year since Brown's mother was diagnosed, she has volunteered in some capacity, raising a …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)